If you enjoy seeing birds, getting a bird feeder can be an excellent idea to attract more birds. Unfortunately, many traps are set up to look like bird feeders, and birds won’t easily be attracted to them.
So, how do you attract birds to feeders? Firstly, you should use a variety of foods and not just the same bird seeds every time.
It is also recommended that you use worms. Also, clean your bird feeder at least once every 1 to 2 weeks.
Overall, there are many tips for attracting birds to your bird feeder. Today, we’ll cover how to attract birds, where to place a feeder, what type of feeder to use, and much more. Let’s begin.
What Type Of Feeder To Use
Before attracting birds to your bird feeder, you need to ensure that your type of bird feeder is optimal.
It should be both aesthetically pleasing and adequately functional. An ideal bird feeder should be able to withstand heavy weather and squirrels, and it should also keep the bird seeds or other food dry.
- Most people would prefer to get a feeder which is easy to clean. More aesthetically pleasing feeders tend to be harder to clean, though.
- Tray or platform feeders are the most common type of feeder, which can attract birds from the sky to land on the feeder and eat.
- It would be best to have some platform ground feeders since some birds prefer them, especially pigeons.
How To Attract Birds To Feeders?
Now that you have a rough idea of the type of bird feeder you should get, let’s get on the best tips to attract birds to the feeder —
Don’t Always Have The Same Food
The first and biggest tip for attracting birds to your bird feeder is to use different types of bird food. Most people just put some plain bird seeds in their feeder, expecting birds to eat them. However, this is the same as feeding the birds plain cereal every time.
It will satisfy the birds’ hunger, but they won’t always come back since the food is so basic. This is why you should try a mix of foods and regular seeds.
Good and safe foods for birds that they enjoy are sunflower seeds, sugar water, and fresh fruits such as oranges.
Feed The Birds Worms Occasionally
As mentioned earlier, it’s best to place a variety of tasty foods in the bird feeder. Mealworms are one of the most effective snacks. Most birds will love these worms, as they’re high in protein and tasty, and they’ll encourage more birds to come to the feeder.
Consider Having Feeders On The Ground
Many birds try to find food from the ground, so it’s better to have some food on the ground. You could put them on the bare floor of your garden, but this isn’t always recommended as it might get poisonous for the birds.
Keep Your Birds Safe And Comfortable
To keep birds from coming back to your feeder, you should try to keep them safe and calm. You can keep trees, plants, bushes, or other parts of nature near the bird feeder. Getting other valuable appliances, such as a birdhouse or birdbath, can also be excellent.
This will encourage more birds to come, but keep some space between the feeder, birdhouse, and bird bath. At least 6 feet should be between them.
Clean Your Bird Feeders Often
As obvious as it sounds, cleaning and maintaining the bird feeder often will attract more birds. The optimal frequency is at least once every 1 to 2 weeks.
Some feeders are easier to clean than others, but they might not be the most aesthetically pleasing. So whenever you pick your bird feeder, try to balance looks and clean conveniently.
Put Small Amounts Of Peanuts or Peanut Butter
Birds love peanuts, so adding small amounts of peanuts or peanut butter to your bird feeder can attract more birds. Make sure to use natural peanut butter, though. You can also apply some peanut butter to the bird seeds themselves to make them more appetizing to birds.
Have Different Bird Feeder Types
You should get different bird feeders depending on what kind of birds you want to attract. Most people get only a platform feeder and a platform ground feeder. However, window feeders, fruit feeders, and suet feeders are excellent feeder types to have as well.
Leave Garden Debris In Winter
During winter, birds generally don’t eat from bird feeders. However, leaf piles, seedpods, and dropped fruit can attract more birds.
Choose Natural Chemical-Friendly Items In Your Garden
Many people use different ornaments or other decorative pieces that might not be environmentally friendly. So, to attract more birds, ensure everything in your garden is chemical-free and natural. Try to have some water near the feeder, too.
Provide Food with All Year Round
No matter the weather or season, it would be best to always try to have some food in your bird feeder. This will make birds more comfortable near the feeder, attracting more birds in the long run.
Be More Patient
Another essential factor to consider is patience. If you’re patient enough, birds will often not come to your feeder. Even if you don’t see many birds, consistently clean your bird feeder and put food in. Eventually, you’ll have a lot of birds coming to the feeder.
Conclusion
When it comes to attracting birds to the feeder, there are multiple factors to consider. However, the biggest and most important consideration is to have a diverse mix of foods and seeds.
You should also clean the feeder every 1-2 weeks. It would be best to have multiple feeders on the ground, especially a platform bird feeder.
Try to surround the feeders with nature by planting trees around them or having bushes, leaves, or other greenery.