Sunday, June 16, 2013

Arguments For Siting A Bird Feeder In Your Backyard

By Debra Garrison


People claim that listening to birds singing always makes them feel that much closer to nature. For some it's the constant chirps and tweets, while others prefer the full symphony of the dawn chorus. There are other people who would jump at the chance to appreciate these aspects too, yet are at a loss about how to bring more birds into their locations. A tried and trusted method is your bird feeder.

Some view these items as something just for the winter, but many do use them the whole year round. Many birds are creatures of habit, and will normally find somewhere with an abundant food source. Once they have found such an area they will return again and again.

The food that you place out, will often have a bearing of which species of birds you will tend to attract. Another aspect will also be on how you dispense that food. So it is prudent to do a little investigation before you begin, find out which species are in your area, and what they eat.

You will also need to decide where you are going to place this device. Ideally it should be somewhere where you can comfortably observe the comings and goings. It should be somewhere away from where any neighbourhood cats are likely to patrol. It should also be positioned so that you can gain access to easily replenish the food supply.

Many decide to start off as a feeding station as summer closes. The usual food sources will become less readily available. You are helping to fill this niche by supplying a new food source, and you will soon notice an increased level of birds visiting. Do not forget to put out water too. The steady stream of visitors will provide plenty of entertainment as fall gives way to winter.

If the winter is long and drawn out your feeding station really does help. A good all round feed is often a wild seed mix, yet it should be pointed out that not every species will find these suitable. Other good food sources for them are suet blocks, fat balls or raw peanuts.

These suet balls can be hung in a different part of the garden. This way the different species will tolerate each other, and you get a greater variety to observe. Remember to clean these feeding stations on a regular basis otherwise it is possible for infections to be passed on.

There are a couple of disadvantages to becoming a feeding point. One is that the birds natural predators will soon realise that there is always a wide variety of birds in your garden. They might just decide that your garden has suddenly become a good hunting ground. You will also find that you will receive the attentions of other unwanted visitors, such as rodents. Mice will be happy with spilt seed, but squirrels can be more of a problem. There are squirrel proof feeders available now.

There are plenty of advantages associated with placing a bird feeder in your garden. Birds will still be constant visitors to your garden. However they will be hunting live food such as insects, including mosquitoes.




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