Feeding tips
Standard feeders - Available at many stores and on the internet.
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Seed feeders: trays, tubes, and many other shapes
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Suet cages: if you can find a narrow gauge
you can use it for whole peanuts too
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Jelly and fruit feeders
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Hummingbird feeders
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Combination feeders, e.g., seed and suet
Make your own feeders
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You can make your own. These can be economic and creative.
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An internet search will help you find endless possibilities and ideas.
Foods The larger the variety of foods you offer, the more species you will attract.
Seeds
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A good quality mix with low percent of millet seeds will attract a variety of birds.
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Thistle seeds can be put in their own feeder, or buy in a "sock." Attracts finches, some sparrows and mourning doves.
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Cracked corn is included with some mixes, but you can also buy separately and put in a feeder or sprinkle on the ground. A huge number of species eat cracked corn, generally larger birds (turkeys, corvids, quail) or birds with heavy bills (grosbeaks, cowbirds and other blackbirds).
Food for suet cages
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Suet cages are for so much more than suet.
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Try banana, mango, avocado, apples, oranges, peanuts. etc.
Placement of feeders
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Placement at a height for your convenience will generally be fine.
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Placing feeders at least 25 feet from your house will attract more bird species and might reduce the number of window crashes.
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Try bunching feeders together.
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Place several together to get full effect.
Hummingbirds
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The more feeders you put close together, the more hummingbirds will visit.
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What is the proper sugar to water mix? There isn't a correct answer because preferences change within the season, among species, and among individuals. Try a variety to keep all happy.
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Basic recipe: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.
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You can dilute some feeders to varying degrees.
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Red dye is NOT necessary.
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If the birds do not finish, change every other day.
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If you can add a hanging cuphea fuchsia or another equally appealing plant among the feeders, all the better!
Competitors
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Who doesn't want an easy meal? Almost every good bird feeding station attracts other critters, such as bears, deer, squirrels, and racoons.
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What can you do? Try one or more of the following options:
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Bring your feeders in at night.
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Don't fill your feeders toward the end of the day.
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Stop feeding for a few days.
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Predators
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Nothing is more frustrating!
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Cats, Accipiters, and other predators help themselves to birds at feeding stations.
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This must be stopped right away.
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Take down or empty all feeders immediately to eliminate rewards for the predator.
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Put back when the danger has passed. This could be a few days or a few hours.
If you have a grudge against these birds...
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Maybe you don't want introduced birds (house sparrow, starlings, Eurasian collared doves).
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Maybe you have a grudge against the ones who show up in flocks of 50 or more (cowbirds, grackles, and blackbirds).
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What can you do? Try one or more of the following options:
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Accept them and buy more food.
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See if the situation is temporary. Often birds that travel in flocks wander around and might not stay at your feeding station.
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Stop feeding until the flocks leave.
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Water
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Water almost always attracts birds.
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You can provide water in bird baths or water feeders.
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These should be cleaned daily.
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The sun provides the best UV cleansing.
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For a bit of money, you can buy heated bird baths for the winter.
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If you can create a drip system, birds will hear it and find their way to your water.