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Feeding Wild Birds...

by Susan Nelson Hopkins

As you no doubt have discovered, an internet search for "what to feed wild birds" or "bird food recipes for wild birds" offers a mind-boggling array of information. What it all boils down to is, basically... which birds do you want to attract?

Determine what kind of wild birds you want - then feed them what they want...

Don't worry, we've included resources to help you determine the birds present in your geographic location during each season.

Check out Favorite Song Birds of the USA to find out the birds that are in your area during various times of the year... OR, just click on any of the following links to go directly to your portion of the country.

Northwest USA   |  Southwest USA   |   Midwest USA

Northeast USA   |   Southeast USA

Not only that, we've prepared articles on some favorite wild song birds... what to feed them, and how to attract them to your own bird garden.

All About Orioles
All About Cardinals

Here's a tip... there are many ordinary kitchen pantry ingredients that make excellent food for wild birds. We have prepared Which Pantry Foods Attract Which Birds... and it's FREE.

If you are interested in bird food recipes using these pantry ingredients, then check out Feeding Wild Birds From Your Pantry. You will also find terrific ideas for people too busy to prepare the recipes themselves.

In a hurry? Try these shortcuts for feeding wild song birds...

1. Offer black-oil sunflower seeds to attract the greatest variety of tree-dwelling birds like cardinals, chickadees, goldfinches, and wrens. A tube feeder works best for these seeds.
2. Offer white millet to attract ground-feeding birds like doves, juncos, and sparrows. Place millet seeds in a platform feeder or just sprinkle them on the ground.
3. During cold weather, offer suet for extra energy. Select a suet feeder for whole blocks of suet, or for smaller bits.

If you like to control what goes into the foods your family consumes, then perhaps it applies to the creatures in your garden. If so, you will appreciate this  recipe for Rendering Beef Fat Into Suet For Wild Birds... and it's FREE.

Wild bird food recipe...

So, why not make your own birdseed mix? Here is a terrific wild bird food recipe (courtesy of the Cornell University Ornithology Lab):

Pour about 25 pounds of black-oil sunflower seed, 10 pounds of white proso millet, and 10 pounds of cracked corn into a clean metal trash can. Then use a broom handle to mix it up.

Just make sure to store your "personalized" mix in a dry, cool place in a rodent-proof, metal container. Check the seed often for signs of mold... it can sicken birds. Discard any moldy seed where birds and rodents can't get to it.

That's all there is to it!

Acknowledgements:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/
http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/

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