Garden Guests: Attract Your Favorite Bird...With Its Favorite Food

The north side of our front yard is a certified  National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat.  Really!  We have a certificate!  You can do the same by consistently providing food, water, cover and places for wildlife to raise their young.  It is so much fun to see all of the critters that stop by for a visit.  I've begun a new series of posts to show you our Garden Guests.  To see these posts, click on my Gardening Page  If you are interested in attracting feathered friends to your yard, here are some suggestions! 

Birds appreciate supplemental food and fresh water, especially in fall and winter. A continuing supply of food will encourage birds to nest and raise young in your yard. It's also important to always have water available near your feeding stations, especially during the winter when other water sources are frozen solid.

Chickadee

Considerations: different species feed at different levels; Place food near shrubs or trees so birds will have the security of an escape nearby; Since birds do not have teeth, they need grit in their gizzard to help grind down seeds. In the winter, it may be hard for them to find tiny pebbles and grit. Help by placing coarse sand or crushed egg shells near the bird feeder.

 

Mourning Dove



 Safflower Seeds - a good choice if you want to invite cardinals to the backyard without the messy freeloaders – few birds(or squirrels) like safflower. Unlike sunflower seed, safflower seeds aren't attractive to bossy birds such as grackles and blackbirds.

 

Tufted Titmouse

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds - energy-packed seeds that are a favorite of a wide variety of bird species. If you only have one feeder available, fill it with black oil sunflower seeds.

Goldfinch
 

Peanuts - keep blue jays from intimidating smaller birds by serving peanuts in a separate feeder. The jays will focus on that feeder and be less aggressive overall. Buy shelled peanuts if you want less mess in your yard



Woodpecker
 

Nyjer (thistle) Seed - enjoyed by finches and other species that include juncos, spar-rows, chickadees, and even woodpeckers... use tube feeders with perches at several levels.

Suet - like catnip to wood-peckers and nuthatches. ... buy packaged suet cakes, often infused with seeds and fruits, or purchase raw suet from a local butcher. The birds aren't particular.

 

Robins
 

Cracked Corn - the fast food of bird feeding - high in calories and inexpensive ...may have problems with undesirable guests.

Mixed Birdseed - quality counts when choosing a wild birdseed mix... look for a high percentage of sun-flower seeds and peanuts. Don't buy cheap mixes that contain milo, wheat, red millet, or grain by-product.

 

Downy Woodpecker 

 

(While the photos in this article are mine, the content is from Benton County Master Gardeners' October Newsletter, used with permission.  If you are curious about my habitat garden and more of the critters that visit, please view my Gardening Page!)

 ;-)  -Marci