Tips for Creating a Beautiful and Bountiful Bird Feeders

For the Birds

The feathered population of Tallahassee includes 372 species of birds that could use a meal and quiet perch. Hanging a feeder in your yard helps compensate for the typically depleted food supply birds face during extreme weather. Late winter and early spring are optimal times to contribute an extra food source for birds, but you’ll usually find plenty of takers if you choose to feed them year-round.

• Songbirds, such as wrens and robins, enjoy high quality seeds. Millet will attract birds such as sparrows, blackbirds and starlings.
• Black oil sunflower seed is preferred by the widest variety of birds and is essential for a starter bird feeder.
• Mount feeders on a smooth metal pole and with an eye-level, 5- to 6-foot hanging height. (A 7- to 8-foot height works as well.)
• Setting feeders directly on window frames or attaching them to window glass can prevent window collisions.
• To avoid run-ins with squirrels and other predators, hang your feeder away from trees, bushes, fences or buildings.
• To prevent the accumulation of wet and moldy seeds that may contribute to disease, fill feeders with only enough seeds to last two or three days.
• Different types of feeders attract different birds. Tray or platform feeders and hopper feeders attract many different bird species but require maintenance to keep seeds clean and dry.