Enjoy, And Feed, Birds Of Winter

To attract a wide variety of birds to your yard this winter, put out several bird feeders.

“Put different kinds of food in different feeders,” said Ted Rosenberg of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. “If you use separate feeders and different foods, the jays won’t necessarily chase all the other birds away.”

“Our seed preference test shows that chickadees and birds foraging in trees would just as soon eat only sunflower seeds,” Rosenberg said. “By putting millet or cracked corn or one of the common mixes on the ground or in a platform feeder, you attract sparrows, juncos and doves.”

Put cracked corn on the ground and squirrels are likely to eat it and not raid your feeder, said Rosenberg, the lab’s chief scientist in bird population studies.

Another seed is thistle or niger. Don’t put it in a seed mix, Rosenberg cautioned.

“There are special feeders for the thistle that have these tiny openings that only the small finches can feed at. They attract goldfinches and other small finches,” he said.

Tack some suet, or beef fat, to a tree trunk to attract woodpeckers and other birds that normally feed on insects. You can make your own by trimming beef bought at the store or buying it prepackaged.

“Some people do hang their suet in little balls. You might try hanging a ball of suet in addition to the one mounted on a tree trunk,” Rosenberg said.

There doesn’t seem to be a preferred height, but at least reach up and mount it above your head to give some distance between the feeding bird and anything that might be prowling on the ground.

Try to pick a tree in a sheltered location.

There’s another trick for areas where winter doesn’t get too severe, Rosenberg said.

“For people who feed year around, fruit such as apple or citrus attracts orioles, tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks. Some of the brightcolored birds tend to go after fruit.”

If squirrels are a problem, the feeder should be built strong enough to resist their gnawing.

Finally, place the feeder where birds can see danger and escape. A spot about 10 feet from trees or shrubs is best. But be sure it’s where you can reach it to refill and clean it - as well as in a spot where you can enjoy watching the birds.

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