With summer just around the corner, it is time to change your approach to feeding wild birds. While winter birds may love the bird seed you leave out for them in the winter, the same bird seed may not cut it in the summer. This is because birds can easily find foods packed with nutrients in the summer. After all, during the summer there are plenty of insects, nuts, worms, and nectar from a variety of flowers. Plentiful food is the reason birds migrate to North America to nest! Keep in mind that in the summer you will be feeding pairs of birds, instead of the flocks you were feeding in the winter. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind for summer bird feeding:
- Food does not stay fresh for long in the hot summer heat. Even seed can spoil in very humid temperatures. You will know it has spoiled if it becomes soft or moldy. The best thing to do to prevent bird seed from spoiling is to only put out small quantities at a time. Use a small bird feeder, like the Mushroom Seed BirdFeeder, to prevent large quantities of food from spoiling. You also have to be sure to clean your bird feeders often to prevent the growth of bacteria.
- The best food to put out in the summer is “treat” bird food. As mentioned above, birds are not going to be as interested in the bird seed they get in the winter. Most birds love nuts, and they are seen as a great “treat” bird food. Nuts are more expensive than seed, but you will be feeding pairs of nesting birds instead of entire flocks of birds, so the price should not do much damage to your wallet. You can use a very simple feeder, such as a platform feeder, to put out whichever chopped nuts you want (pecans or walnuts work great). I would suggest using the Multi-Purpose Platform Feeder for Birds, pictured above. As the name suggests, this feeder is a “multi-purpose” feeder and can hold seeds, nuts, or even chopped up suet cakes. The Multi-Purpose Platform Feeder for Birds filled with nuts will definitely appeal to summer birds.
- Most of the birds that are present in the summer love fruit. Putting out a variety of fresh fruit in the summer will ensure that a variety of colorful summer birds visit your backyard. You can use a fruit feeder, like the Bird Fruit Feeder 4 in., to provide fruit like orange slices, apples, and bananas. The Bird Fruit Feeder 4 in. has two hooks that can each hold one piece of fruit.