Category: Wild Bird Food

Rachel’s Robin is Proud to Announce – The Wild Bird Blog!

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

WILD BIRD FEEDERS

It’s the biggest bird event of the month and it’s happenin’ at GregRobert!

Month after month and year after year, our staff at Rachel’s Robin answers questions about feeders and birds and squirrel deterrents and bird baths and bird feeders and hummingbird migration and just about everything that a wild bird enthusiast would need to know.
We decided that it’s time to take our answers a step further and offer our loyal readers and customers a Wild Bird Blog.

…. and here we are!

The Rachel’s Robin Wild Bird Blog is going to focus on the latest and greatest, and the tried and true hobby of wild bird feeding and viewing. No diversions into politics and no diversions into the state of the economy – just birds and hummingbirds and maybe a bit about wild life.
To start off, our featured product to celebrate the launch is the Breast Cancer Awareness Bird Feeder. The Celebrate Life! feeder is a Limited Edition 8 inch Bird Lovers® Sunflower Feeder in Breast Cancer Awareness pink. The attached charm can be easily removed and used as a keychain accessory.

Funds will be donated from the sale of each feeder to support breast cancer initiatives. The Bird Lovers brand is a popular brand of Droll Yankees. Droll Yankees is nationally recognized for high quality feeders that cater to an expansive range of birds. The threaded base on the feeder fits all Droll Yankee accessories and it has a UV stabilized polycarbonate tube prevents yellowing.

Great starter feeder or for children and a great gift for a loved one that has survived Breast Cancer.

Bird Feeding and Bird Watching are on the Rise

Bird watching is the perfect vehicle for understanding the natural world. The increase in bird watching hobbyists align with Americans reaching back to the roots of nature to enjoy the creatures that we share our worlds with. There are so many ways to watch and enjoy wild birds.
An accurate indication of the level of interest in bird-watching today is the financial investment that American’s are making in feeding wild birds.
A recent survey by the Wildlife Associated Recreation reveled that Americans spend more than half a billion dollars each year on bird feeding!
This estimate is conservative – the total is probably in excess of one billion dollars.
This total represents cost of bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, suet cakes, and all types of wild bird food.
The widespread feeding of wild birds has had positive effects for North American birds.  Feeding has enhanced the winter survival of a number of bird species that just were not going to make it.
Fifty years ago cardinals and titmice were not found eas of the Hudson River. Now you can find cardinals through most of New England and also throughout the Great Lakes Region and Michigan.
Although feeding wild birds can be very beneficial – both to you, your family and the birds, it can also be a problem if your feeders are not clean. Dirty feeders can spread fatal salmonella and avian pox. Moldy seed can transmit a fungal disease called aspergillosis. Make sure that you clean your feeders regularily.
Pictured above is a NO-NO Feeder which is a very good feeder to start with.  It stops squirrels and is very rugged.   Very well liked among RachelsRobin.com patrons.

 

Easy Way to Feed Wild Birds

What is an easy way to feed wild birds?  There are so many types of bird feeders available from the basic to the ornate.

If you are just starting to feed wild birds, you may want to start with  seed wreaths.  The seed wreaths are instant bird feeders and very convenient. They take  the hassle out of buying seeds and refilling feeders. Simply hang in your yard and watch the birds feed.  There are many types of seed wreaths in different shapes and with different seeds to attract a certain type of bird.  The Bird Lovers Blend Garden Chic Instant Feeder are available for Songbirds, Finches and Squirrels. 

Seed wreaths are available in many different shapes like a Sun Face Wild Bird Wreath or the ever popular  Seed Bell for Wild Birds.

 Some easy tips for starting to feed wild birds.

1. Try a variety of seed wreaths to see what birds are attracted.

2.  Place your bird feeders in an area that you can enjoy seeing the birds you are feeding.

3.  Offer a source of water for drinking and bathing.  All birds need water and are attracted to water.

4.  Keep feeders at least 3 feet from windows to avoid window collisions.  Remove anything that cats can hide in to avoid cats hunting the birds.

Seed wreaths make great gifts for bird lovers, too.

When should I feed wild bird suet?

ALL YEAR ROUND!!!

In the past, people fed suet only in the fall and winter, due to poor quality and misconceptions of feeding wild birds.

Winter is a good time for the beginner to start feeding because most trees are bare of foliage making the birds very visible. You are also more apt to see birds in flocks in the winter time.

The growth and popularity of summer bird feeding was to be expected. You will have constant activity on your feeders as they flit back and forth for quick snacks during their busy day.

“No Melt” Suets make it easy to attract insect eating birds to your yard in warm weather.

Year round feeding allows you to observe and enjoy wild birds when they are the most active and colorful.

Looking for a Place to Store Bird Seed?

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

When you have bird feeders in your backyard, it is very important that you always have them filled with bird seed.  Birds quickly become dependent on food sources, and letting your bird feeders become empty can cause trouble for birds.  The best thing to do is to stock up on large amounts of bird seed so you never run out.

The best solution to this problem is to get large storage bins that can hold plenty of bird seed.  The best container for this task is the Vittles Vault II – Feed / Seed Storage, pictured to the right.   You can hod many months worth of bird seed in this container.  The best part about the Vittles Vault II – Feed / Seed Storage container is that it is translucent, which means that you can see when your seed is getting low.  This container is made of durable plastic, and is completely leak proof.  The airtight seal also keeps any potential odors inside the storage bin.  Not only can you use this bin for bird food, but you can also use it for any type of pet food.

You will also need a scoop to transfer the bird seed from the Vittles Vault II – Feed / Seed Storage container to your bird feeders!  You can go with a relatively standard scoop, like the Garden Song Scoop N Fill.  This scoop has a tapered tip so it is easy to fill even the most narrow tube bird feeders.  The Garden Song Scoop N Fill can hold up to 2 cups of bird seed.  A more intricate bird seed scooper is the Heath Bird Seed Scoop – 3 cups.  This scoop is similar to a funnel, with a wide end for scooping, and then a smaller end that is perfect for filling tube bird feeders.  There is a lever on the Heath Bird Seed Scoop – 3 cups that controls the pouring.  It is made of durable plastic.

If you want a scoop to hold huge amounts of bird seed, the Bird Seed Scoop 2 qt is your best bet.  As the name suggests, it can hold up to 2 quarts of bird seed at once!  The Bird Seed Scoop 2 qt is the largest bird seed scooper on the market.  The ergonomic design makes it comfortable to hold and carry around.

Need a Cheap Way to Attract Birds? Feed Them Seeds!

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

The most economical way to feed birds is to give them bird seed!  All varieties of birds like bird seed.  Here are the different types of bird seed that you can feed your backyard birds:

  • Sunflower seeds:  This type of seed is the most common among birds and its no surprise why:  they contain as much protein as ground beef!  However, many people avoid providing their backyard birds with sunflower seeds because the shells can pile up in their backyard very quickly.  There are 3 types of sunflower seeds: black oil, black striped, and gray striped.  All are very healthy, but the largest variety of birds will flock to black oil sunflower seeds.  Try the Kaytee Black Oil Sunflower Bird Seed.
  • Small seeds:  Birds that like small seeds usually like white proso millet or niger seed.  However, these seeds can be very expensive, and usually attract a very specific breed of bird.  For example, goldfinches are drawn to niger seed.  If you want to provide white millet for small birds, try the White Millet for Wild Birds – 50 lbs.
  • Commercial birdseed mixtures:  The cheapest and easiest way to attract birds to your backyard is to provide them with commercial birdseed mixtures.  Commercial birdseed mixtures are great because they offer a variety of seeds to birds, meaning that there is a high chance that at least one of the seeds in the mixture will be appealing to every bird.  The negative aspect to commercial birdseed mixtures is that many birds will toss away the seeds they do want, meaning that many seeds will gather on the ground.  Your best bet is to pick a commercial birdseed mixture with sunflower seeds, since almost every bird loves sunflower seeds!  I would recommend buying the Bird Lovers Blend Best Blend 7 lbs.  It has 28% sunflower seeds (of both black oil and striped seed).

Once you have the bird seed, you will need a feeder to put it in.  I love the Birdscapes Garden Sip and Seed Feeder, pictured above.  One side of this feeder can be filled with 1.15 lbs of seed, and the other can be filled with 27 ounces of water.  This is a perfect one-stop shop for birds!  The Birdscapes Garden Sip and Seed Feeder is attractive to a variety of birds.

Hot Pepper Suet Cake – #1 Best Seller from Nov. to Feb.

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

The hot pepper suet cakes for wild birds that we carry are laced with hot peppers that birds cannot taste but drives squirrels elsewhere for food.

We have a number of different hot pepper solutions:

Birds do not have receptors for capsaicin, the protein that makes peppers hot – which is the key to these innovative products.

The reason chilies incorporate capsaicin in their fruits (and red/green peppers of course are fruits in a botanical sense, not vegetables) seems to be to ensure that their seeds are dispersed properly. When small birds consume the fruits of wild peppers the seeds pass through the gut undigested and, due to the birds’ flight range, are deposited in distant places where they can grow with less competition. If the fruits were consumed by larger mammals the seeds would either be digested, or deposited much closer to the parent plant.

Studies have shown that the seeds of wild peppers are in fact dispersed almost exclusively by birds.

Preferred Foods of Common Birds

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

Different birds like different types of wild bird food. Sunflower seeds attract most seed-eating birds.

The most attractive sunflower seed is the black, oil-type. Another outstanding food is a type of millet, known as white prove or white millet. White millet attracts house sparrows and brown-headed cowbirds.

A common ingredient in mixes, peanut hearts, strongly attracts starlings. You can discourage house sparrows, brown-headed cowbirds, blue jays, and grackles while at the same time offering a moderately attractive food to cardinals and mourning doves by feeding safflower seeds.

Safflower is of little interest to other bird species, however.

American goldfinch hulled sunflower seeds, niger seeds, and oil-type sunflower seeds.
Blue Jay peanut kernels, black-stripe, gray-stripe, and oil-type sunflower seeds.
Brown-headed cowbird white proso, red proso, German millet, and canary seed.
Cardinal sunflower seeds of all types.
Chickadees oil-type and black-striped sunflower seeds, peanut kernels.
Dark-eyed junco red proso, white proso millet, canary seed, and fine-cracked corn.
Common grackle hulled sunflower seeds and cracked corn.
Evening grosbeak sunflower seeds and cracked corn.
House finch In Maryland, oil-type and black-striped sunflower seeds, sunflower
kernels and pieces, and niger. In California, white prove millet and flax
also readily taken.
House sparrow white proso millet, canary seed, and German (“golden”) millet.
Mourning dove oil-type sunflower seeds, white prove millet, niger, and German
(“golden”) millet.
Purple finch sunflower seeds and kernels.
Starling peanut hearts and hulled oats.
Song sparrow white and red prove millet.
Tufted titmouse peanut kernels, black-striped and oil-type sunflower seeds.
White-crowned sparrow oil-type sunflower seed, sunflower kernels and pieces, white and red
prove millet, peanut kernels and hearts, niger seed.
White-throated sparrow oil and black-striped sunflower seeds, sunflower kernels and pieces,
white and red prove millet, and peanut kernels.

High Energy Suet – Year Round for Backyard Birds

Suet feeding was once primarily for winter feeding, but now has become a year-round activity and supplements a regular seed-feeding program (and in some cases replaces seed altogether).

Wild Bird Suet is a high-energy source of food for birds, but used to have a bad connotation because it was messy and greasy. The new generation suet produced by C&S uses rendered beef kidney fat and seed, fruit combinations that may be easily fed year round. C and S also has a suet “dough” form that won’t melt for those extremely hot southern areas.

To fill a suet feeder, simply take off the plastic wrap, keeping the suet in the plastic container, and insert into a suet basket.

Hang the basket so that the suet is facing upside down–wild birds like to eat suet from this angle. No mess–no melting–and an excellent source of energy fat and protein to wild birds when they need it most.

Suet has come long way from the corner butcher and is now a highly refined product that is easy-to-use and extremely rewarding.

Economical Bird Seed that is Perfect for the Birds

TOP WILD BIRD PRODUCTS

With time and money being tight for a lot of families during the holiday season, it can be hard for many homeowners to feed the birds all holiday season long.  Continued feeding throughout the winter is very important for the birds because they depend on it for their survival.  A variety of economical and long lasting bird seed may be used throughout the winter and helps to keep the birds nourished.

A great bird seed to feed the birds any time of the year, especially in the winter, is the Kaytee Waste Free Bird Seed.  This high protein bird seed is great for providing birds with lots of energy and the fat content helps birds to thrive all winter long.  The waste free bird seed is concentrated to last in the feeder longer and contains only the parts that birds love to eat. Your wild birds will keep coming back for more all winter long!

Another great quality bird seed that is very economical for bird feeding is the Kaytee Wild Bird Seed.  This bird seed is made with a variety of millet, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn and other tasty ingredients that birds love to eat.  It is great for feeding a large quantity of birds throughout the winter and the price is great!

For attracting birds that enjoy black oil sunflower seeds, try using the high quality and economical Kaytee Black Oil Sunflower Bird Seed.  This high fat bird seed is perfect for building up fat stores for winter survival and the birds love the great taste.  Black oil sunflower seeds have a thinner shell that is perfect for attracting songbirds in the Southern winter climates.

Don’t forget to feed the birds this holiday season because the birds depend on your food for survival.  For more economical and high quality bird seed, check out Rachel’s Robin.