5 Winter Bird Feeding Tips

Winter is the busiest season of the year for bird feeding. Here are my top five tips to keep the birds happy!

1. Offer seed for everyone. My winter staples are black oil sunflower, suet, nyjer (aka thistle), and a good quality mix of black oil sunflower, safflower, millet, and peanuts chips. Read the labels and avoid anything with a high milo content. Milo is cheap filler seed that most birds just toss out.

Attract purple finches with a variety of seeds, including black oil sunflower and safflower seed.

2. Plan on bullies. Yes, unfortunately there are bullies in the bird world. Jays, starlings, and blackbirds can be real feeder hogs! The best way to deal with feeder bullies is by adding more feeding stations out of sight of each other. Adding different types of feeders helps as well! For instance, a tray feeder is a great all-purpose feeder, but the “bullies” can take over. Adding tube feeders and hopper feeders gives the little guys some more options.

Although beautiful, blue jays can be very selfish! Offer a variety of feeders to give all the birds a chance to eat.

3. Clean your feeders regularly. Even in the winter, feeders can get gross and may carry harmful bacteria. Once every week or two, I take all my feeders down and wash them in warm soapy water. The feeders look prettier afterwards too!

This is the bird feeder tree my dad built me. Pictured on the feeders are two female purple finches and an American goldfinch.

4. Keep cats inside. According to the American Bird Conservancy, outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year in the United States alone. If keeping your cat inside isn’t an option, you can make a chicken coop fence around the base of your birdfeeder.

 5. Keep an eye out for rare birds. You never know what will show up at your feeder! Cornell FeederWatch Cam and eBird are great resources for identifying birds and tracking unusual species.

Eastern towhees love tray feeders. Attract them with sunflower or millet and provide plenty of cover.

Got any more tips and tricks? Comment below!