Hello fellow readers, Winter weather can be for the birds bringing the desire to feed and watch the antics of backyard birds. Emma and Josh of Mt. Bethel, PA, asked if they should buy a certain seed. They bought a seed mix, and after several days, only a few birds showed up.
I’ll have to fess up that I am not a bird expert; in fact, I have a respectful aversion to some birds, which has to do with being beaked multiple times by a Blue Jay while jogging umpteen years ago. How would an innocent passerby know there was a nest in the trees above? My puncture wounds made friends and a medical expert chuckle and may have lessened my intrigue with birds. Hence best to seek the advice of an authority.
According to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology (the study of birds), sunflower seed attracts the widest variety of birds. The worst choice is an inexpensive seed mixture that contains red millet, oats, and other fillers that most birds snub.
Dennis’s Squirrel Deterrent Strategy
I called on my friend and ultimate birder Dennis of Blairstown. Not only does he have a Life List of bird species observed, but his lists are also categorized by geography and include migratory records of species first seen each season. Not to mention his furry critter lists.
Dennis agrees that sunflower seed attracts the most varieties of birds. He suggests that the bottom of a feeder should no lower than 8 feet from the ground. His solution to keep squirrels away is to string 4 or 5; 2-liter plastic bottles end to end on each side of a rope suspended between two trees – then hang your feeders in the middle. The bottles roll and cast off the intruders. What a nifty and cheap fix!
Dennis added that a good quality mixed seed without fillers can invite ground-feeding birds such as sparrows and doves when used in feeders near or on the ground itself rather than suspended above.
And it should be noted, scalp puncture wounds caused by angry Blue Jays bleed profusely. Not that I harbor a grudge. Ha!
Garden dilemmas? askmarystone@gmail.com
Link to more about Feeding Birds
Link to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology
Column updated 6/20/21
