Ultimate Guide: How To Attract Birds To Your Bird Feeder

Will Birds Find My Feeder?

Birds find a bird feeder based on sight. But, there are several factors that affect type, amount, and consistency of birds you attract. The quality of feed that you put in the feeder, access to fresh water, and the cleanliness of the bird feeder, all play a part.

All Birds Are “Eagle Eyed”

Birds find food by sight. It is not the smell that attracts them since birds have a poor sense of smell. They spend most of their day foraging for food and water by sight. When they see food that they like, they head for it. They may alight on a branch, not far from a bird feeder, and take another look at the area for predators. They have already seen the food. It’s what attracted them in the first place. Hummingbirds see colors in the UV spectrum so colors like red, yellow, and pink are vibrant hues making those colors easy to spot. Hummmingbirds see a psychedelic world.

A Fountain Is A Bonus With Your Bird Feeder

While birds are always looking for food, they also need a source of fresh water. By placing a fountain or birdbath in your garden, you will attract more feathered friends. Imagine a cool, clean, drink of clear water on a hot day.

Keep Your Bird Feeder Clean

Make sure to keep the birdbath and bird feeder clean. Birds often poop where they land. Some birds have bigger poop than others, so the bird feeder can get quite messy. Check the bird feeder daily and clean it often. This is true of the birdbath or fountain as well. Especially if the water is not moving, make sure to replace the water in a birdbath daily. It is a good habit to check the birdbath as you water your garden. Birds don’t like stale water any more than we do.

Wash Out Your Hummingbid Feeder

Hummingbird feeders should be changed every 1-6 days depending on the weather. The hotter it is, the more often you must change the nectar. Hot temperatures can cause the sweet nectar to sour, or grow moldy.

Birds Like Shelter

While looking for birdseed, birds also keep a sharp eye out for predators. They like nearby brush that provides plenty of limbs to land on. They like places to hide. During summer when there is an abundance of food, a bird can choose to go to safer bird feeders or pick fruit off of bushes. While on the bird feeder, birds like to keep a look out for other birds and predators. Flat plates or clear feeders allow birds to see all angles so they can relax while they dine.

“Sharing” Was Started By Birds

When birds find a source of food, they make bird song or sounds to attract their friends. When I feed my chickens, both the hens and roosters make a clucking noise that causes the younger fowl to run like crazy to get to the feed. (Hint: You can attract your friends to this blog by sharing it too. I’d be grateful for the support!)

Birdseed Quality And Size

Birds seek out food for its nutritional value. A good quality mix of oily sunflower seeds with high protein seeds and the quick energy from fruit provides everything they need. Our shop has a variety of birdseed. The choices are mindboggling but America’s Favorite Fruit & Nut Wild Bird Feed is a selection of premium fruit and nuts. Perfectly blended to offer a great variety to your feathered friends. Sunflower meats, peanut pieces, safflower, striped sunflower, raisins, black oil sunflower, tree nuts, and cranberries are included in the mix.  It makes me hungry just thinking of it.

Things That Discourage Birds From Visiting A Feeder

People like to place bird feeders near windows so they can birdwatch from their kitchen table. However, cats also like to get a look at possible prey. Birds are wary of predators (you included) so they may shy away. Other reasons are:

• The bird feeder is dirty.
• They have an abundance of food because its harvest season or grasses have seed heads.
• A neighbor has better birdseed than you.
• You cut down their favorite landing site when you pruned the bushes.
• They don’t see the right food they need.

Conclusion

Birds find food mostly by sight. I encourage you to try several different types of seed to experiment. Find out which brings in the types of birds that you want to watch. Remember that some of the smaller birds cannot open large sunflower seeds so a mix of white millet with sunflower seeds will bring a variety of sizes. The jungle surrounding my house is an ancient duku orchard with sweet fruit trees that drop golf ball-sized fruit every year by the thousands. The fruit have seeds the size of grape pits which are exposed as the fruit rots. Rotting fruit also brings flying insects and their larvae. Birds eat the fruit, seeds, insects, and larvae so they don’t need my bird feeder. I rarely see a bird coming to my bird feeder but they do like a clean birdbath. And the hornbill like to torment my cat. What type of birds do you see out your window? Leave a comment in the form below.