Looking for Bird Feeders for Your Garden or Yard?

No backyard is complete without a place for birds to gather. Bird feeders transform a yard from an ordinary patch of grass to a picturesque oasis for wildlife. Whether you simply want to spice up your yard a bit or want to add some magic to your garden, all you need is a bird house.

You’ll find feeders and houses in a variety of styles, ranging from decorative to squirrel-proof. They can be simple and traditional or decorative.

Here are a few tips for choosing the right bird feeder for your backyard or garden:

  • What kind of food do you want to use? Many homeowners find loose seed to be the best type of food to feed birds. It comes in a variety of preparations, such as thistle or sunflower seed. Some loose seeds are mixed. An advantage of loose seeds is that they can easily flow through most feeders and tubes. Suet cakes are blocks of fat and seed. They are ideal for a special suet feeder.
  • What type of feeder do you want? Platform? Clinging? Perching? A platform feeder is the most basic. It’s a tray with raised edges. The high quality platform feeders are built with removable screened trays, which are designed to allow moisture to pass through.
  • Some birds, such as chickadees and woodpeckers, prefer to grab onto their food. For these kinds of birds, a “clinger” such as a feeder for suet is ideal.
  • Perching feeders usually have a central chamber for the seeds, and multiple feeding ports with raised edges for perching.
  • Choose a feeder designed to appeal to the species of birds in your area.
  • Be sure to choose a bird feeder that is easy to assemble! No matter which type of feeder you choose, make sure that it will be easy to assemble in your yard or garden. It should be easy to fill and maintain. Look for a feeder with a quick release. Maintaining its food supply and cleanliness should be an easy task.
  • Consider capacity. If a feeder is too small, you will constantly be refilling it. On the other hand, a large feeder can go moldy if the food isn’t eaten quickly enough. You have two options: choose a variety of small models and set them up throughout your yard or garden in order to attract different species of birds, or choose a large feeder with a weather-tight design. Hopper feeders with lock down roofs are weather-tight, as are tube feeders with overhanging dome roofs.
  • Last but not least, you might want to get a squirrel proof feeder if you want to keep the critters out of your garden!

Have your children help you with all aspects of bird feeding; they may want to work with birds or wild life when they grow up.