Year: 2009

Save Money by Preventing Your Bird Seed from Being Wasted

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

If you find that you have a large amount of mixed bird seed on the ground surrounding your bird feeder, consider changing your seed to a bird seed that only contains one or two types of seed. By limiting the variety of bird seed in your bird feeder, you will discover that only the birds that enjoy the seed are eating from it and you will have less waste.

Determine what types of birds that you would like to attract to your yard and purchase the type of bird seed that those birds like to eat. By offering only that type of bird seed, you should get more of the birds that you enjoy watching and less seed discarded on the ground.

If you enjoy watching finches, choose a thistle or Nyjer seed like Lyric Nyjer Seed. Sunflower seed is also great for attracting a variety of songbirds including chickadees, finches, titmice, and more. If you would like to attract ground feeders, use an inexpensive bird seed like millet, buckwheat, cracked corn, and more.

Choose a bird feeder that only holds a specifc type of bird seed. Hang up a variety of specific seed feeders in your yard if you would like to attract a variety of birds. There are several types of bird feeders that are made to hold only one type of bird seed. By feeding birds in this way, you will spend less money on bird seed and enjoy more of the birds that you like.

Feeding Your Backyard Birds Sunflower Seeds

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Sunflower seeds are a highly nutritious food for your backyard birds. They contain a high amount of protein that creates a lot of energy in birds. Birds use this energy for flying and survival. There are three types of sunflower seeds that are ideal for feeding your backyard birds: black oil, black striped, and gray striped.

To attract a large variety of birds to your feeder, choose Lyric Black Oil Sunflower Seeds. These seeds are small and have a soft outer shell that a large number of birds can easily pick apart and eat. Not only are these seeds packed with protein, but they are rich in oil to keep birds warmer and dryer during the winter months.

In addition, both black-striped and gray-striped sunflower seeds are also a great source of protein and oil for backyard birds. Birds that are attracted to black striped sunflower seeds are Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, House Finches, Tufted Titmice, and the White Throated Sparrow. Blue Jays also enjoy gray-striped sunflower seed. A variety of birds enjoy either kind of sunflower seed as long as it is hulled.

Choosing a variety of sunflower seeds for your backyard birds is great for attracting them to your yard and giving them essential protein and oil for survival. No matter which kind of seed that you choose, you are sure to attract birds to your yard. For a variety of nutritious bird seed, take a look at Rachel’s Robin.

Simple Solutions to Bird Proof Your Garden

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

BIRD REPELLENT

While birds are delightful and enjoyable to watch in your backyard, birds can be a nuisance when they invade your garden. To keep the birds away from your vegetables and fruits in the garden, it is a good idea to install bird repellents. Bird repellents are very effective for keeping birds away and protecting your investment.

A realistic looking owl will help scare away a wide variety of birds. Owls are a natural predator of birds and by setting up an owl decoy in your garden, the birds will be discouraged from sticking around to feast on your plantings. A safe and effective bird repellent is the Rotating Head Owl. This owl has a head that moves around to look realistic and is easy to set-up in your garden.
Another great bird repellent is the Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler. This sprinkler attaches to your hose and will squirt water when it senses a bird or animal approaching. Birds will fly away from your garden and be hesitant to return when squirted by this sprinkler. Not only does this sprinkler repel birds, but it also repels other pests from invading your garden.
An effective repellent for geese in your garden is the Liquid Fence Goose Repellent Concentrate. This liquid repellent can be sprayed around your garden to keep the geese out. Geese do not like the smell or taste and will be discouraged from going into your garden. Use the spray on other areas, including your lawn or shrubs, to effectively keep unwanted geese out.

Get a Closer Look at Your Backyard Hummingbirds with a Window Mounted Feeder

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

Hummingbirds are delightful little birds that are very interesting to watch. To get a better look at these fascinating birds, a window feeder is great for attracting and viewing hummingbirds at your window. Make sure that your window feeder is properly maintained and safely secured to the window in order to keep the hummingbirds coming back.

One of my favorite window mounted feeders is the Garden Jewels Glass Window Mounted Hummingbird Feeder. This beautiful feeder is easy to install on your window, great for attracting hummingbirds, and makes a charming window decoration. The feeder holds 14 oz. of hummingbird nectar. Because the base is colored red to attract the hummingbirds, clear or red nectar may be used. The feeder ports are shaped like flowers to get the hummingbird’s attention and make a great decorative accent.
Another great window feeder for attracting hummingbirds is the Heart HummingBird Feeder by Artline. This charming feeder is shaped like a heart, doesn’t drip nectar, and includes a bracket for hanging on your window. The brightly colored red heart is perfect for attracting hummingbirds to the feeder.
Whatever window feeder you choose, you will enjoy the close-up view of hummingbirds. Check out these feeders and more at Rachel’s Robin.

How to Protect Your Backyard Birds from Predators

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

Many birds die every year from trauma or predators, so it is important to make your backyard a haven for birds. Some songbirds can live up to 10 or 12 years if they live a safe, trauma-free environment. Creating a safe environment for birds in your yard is essential for the health of your backyard birds.

The greatest danger to backyard birds is a family pet, such as a cat or dog. Young birds are very vulnerable to cats and dogs during the spring and summer. During this time, it is a good idea to keep your cat indoors and your dog on a lead or chain when in your backyard. Keep neighbor pets out by installing a fence around your yard. To protect birds from stray dogs and cats, call your local branch or SPCA to pick up strays.

Other predators such as squirrels, raccoons, opossums and others can also be a nuisance to birds. Squirrels like to get into the nest boxes to eat the bird eggs and young birds. In order to protect your backyard birds from a variety of small animals, set up traps and relocate them to another area.

Another way to protect young birds from other larger birds is to keep evergreen branches on the ground around nesting boxes or bird houses. This helps to provide young birds with cover in case they fall from the nest. Also, do not try to seek out the bird’s nests to see the young birds. This will attract predators to the nest.

The best way to protect birds is to set up nest boxes or birdhouses that hang from a pole or mounted to a pole. By using a pole, such as the Ultimate Yard System by Droll Yankees, small animals, cats, and dogs will have a difficult time getting to your backyard birds. You may also want to install a predator guard on the pole, such as a baffle or a metal sleeve, to make it harder to climb up the pole and get to the birds.

Extra reference for those fixing their patio: Los Angeles deck construction.

Choosing a Hopper-Style Bird Feeder

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This popular type of bird feeder is perfect for a variety of wild birds and is available in a variety of styles. The basic style includes a platform-style base with a covered roof and sides, such as the Redwood Hopper Bird Feeder w/ 7 lb capacity. Another type of hopper feeder, such as the Garden Song Red Tube Feeder with Seed Catcher, consists of a tube with a plate at the bottom for catching bird seed. Other shapes of hopper feeders include round, square, rectangular or tube shaped.

No matter what style you choose, bird seed is dispensed by gravity as the birds take the bird seed from the feeder. The bird seed may taken from the bottom or opening along the sides that allow the seed to be taken at multiple locations. This type of feeder holds a large amount of seed and ideal for feeding multiple birds.

Hopper-style feeders may be adjusted or chosen depending on the type of bird that you want to attract. A feeder that has smaller holes is ideal feeding small types of birds. Tube feeders that don’t have perches are great for feeding chickadees, nuthatches, and other types of birds that cling. Other types of feeders are designed for use with large types of birds.

When filling up your hopper-style feeder with bird seed, take in consideration the type of bird that you would like to attract. If you use a mixed bird seed, some may be discarded by the birds to get to the seed that they want to eat. For more helpful bird tips and great bird products, check out Rachel’s Robin.

How to Place Bird Feeders in Your Yard

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It usually doesn’t matter where you place your bird feeders if the birds are able to easily find the feeders and feed from them regularly. However, if you are having problems attracting birds to your yard, try following these steps to make your feeders more attractive to birds:

1. Try grouping feeders into feeding stations around the yard. A feeding station should consist of three or four feeders and may be placed approximately 50 feet apart.
2. Once you have set up your feeding stations, use a variety of seed and different kinds of feeders. For seed, use a seed that is sure to attract a wide range of birds and one that is likely to attract a specific bird. The Triple Tube Copper Bird Feeder is ideal for feeding birds a variety of seed. It is also a good idea to include a hummingbird feeder, an oriole feeder, or a fruit feeder.
3. Place the feeding stations near cover, such as trees or shrubs. Not only will this encourage birds to feed from the feeders because they are close to shelter from predators, but it will also protect the feeding stations from the elements. Birds are more likely to feed when they feel secure and protected from predators and weather conditions.
4. Keep your feeders in the same location throughout the year and vary the distance from your home. Birds will remember where the feeders are and will be more likely to come back year after year. Additionally, you may be able to attract shyer birds to the feeder if you have feeders at a variety of distances from your home.
5. To attract ground feeders, throw some seed on the ground near the feeder stations or use a tray-style feeder.
By following these helpful tips, you are sure to attract a variety of birds to your yard. Check out Rachel’s Robin for all of your birding needs.

The Blossom Hummingbird Feeder – Pretty

Hummingbird/Nectar birdfeeders are available in many different styles. Some are decorative while others are not so beautiful .. but functional. All hummingbird feeders are made to hold hummingbird nectar. Your personal tastes will lend to what type you choose. You can make your own nectar recipe or buy pre-made hummingbird nectar mixes.

Types of Hummingbird/Nectar Feeders

  • Hummingbird Bottle or Gravity Feeders – Bottle feeders have an inverted bottle which empties into a feeding port container or tube below the main body. They are often colored red. They come in glass or plastic.
    Hummingbird Saucer or Dish Feeders – Saucer feeders for hummingbirds are most often in a red, dish like container with a cover. Tiny holes are in the cover through which the hummingbird can sip the nectar. These holes are large enough for the beaks of a hummingbird but often too small for the beaks of larger wild birds. Saucer hummingbird feeders are glass or plastic.

  • Oriole Feeders – An oriole feeder is essentially designed the same way as a saucer hummingbird feeder but is larger, has longer perches to support orioles and other birds larger than a hummingbird and is usually colored orange instead of red. Often you can skewer an orange half on the top of the feeder and give orioles both nectar and orange citrus slices which they love.

Hummingbird/nectar feeders are often made of plastic although glass is popular for the more decorative hummingbird nectar feeders.

The advantages of using glass hummingbird feeders or metal hummingbird feeders are that they are easier to keep clean than plastic. Glass syrup holders provide slightly better insulation from the sun and they also last longer than plastic feeders.

The down side of glass is that it is breakable and heavy.

Prevent Insects from Invading Your Hummingbird Feeders

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Insects love the sweet nectar in a hummingbird feeder and will find a way to get to the nectar in the feeder. The two most common insects to plague hummingbird feeders are bees and ants. To prevent these insects from invading your hummingbird feeders it is important to follow these simple steps:

1. When filling your hummingbird feeder, make sure to wipe away and clean any nectar that spills on the outside of the feeder.

2. To help prevent bees, wasps and other types of flying insects, use a feeder with bee guards or nectar guards, such as the HummZinger Fancy Hummingbird Feeder. When using this type of hummingbird feeder, bees and wasps are deterred from getting to the nectar.

3. Another trick is set up a fine spray of water around the feeder to help keep flying away. Hummingbirds love to bath in the fine spray of water.

4. An ant guard is also helpful for keeping ants away from the hummingbir feeder. You may also want to choose a feeder with an ant moat and coat the hanger with petroleum jelly.

5. Never use insect spray around your feeders. Using a pesticide can be very harmful to hummingbirds. Professional pest control experts, including those at pest control madison wi, strongly advise against using pesticides in areas where hummingbirds may feed, as the chemicals can be extremely harmful to these delicate creatures.

These simple tricks are sure to help keep insects away from your hummingbird feeder and allow you more time to enjoy the hummingbirds! Check out these items and more at Rachel’s Robin.

C and S Suet Plugs Feeder & Plugs

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Attract a great variety of birds to your yard using the C and S Suet Plug Feeder and Suet plugs.

This attractive wooden feeder offers an easy and no-mess way to feed your feathered friends. Four plugs of suet feed may be placed inside of the predrilled holes.

Use different flavors of suet plugs (see below) to attract a wider variety of birds, or use a single type of suet to attract specific birds.

Cleaning is simple; there are only four plug holes to maintain!

To refill the feeder, simply insert more suet plugs.

This feeder may be suspended with the included eyelet. Give your backyard birds a convenient feeding station with minimal maintenance using the Suet Plug Feeder

Birds that use this Suet Plug feeder:
bluebirds, chickadees, flickers, grackles, jays, kinglets, mockingbirds, nuthatches, starlings, tanagers, titmice, towhees, warblers, woodpeckers, and wrens

Type of suet plugs that you can purchase:

For more DIY-bird enthusiasts, you can create your own suet plugs by cutting a suet block yourself and placing the pieces in the suet plug feeder .. or for us “laid-back birders” you can buy pre-cut suet plugs made specifically for suet plug feeders.