Photos of Bear Raiding Bird Feeder

We do our best to make our Squirrel Proof Vista Feeder, Absolutely Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder and Squirrel Buster Feeder let birds in and keep everything else out, but there are limits. I admit it: We don’t sell bear-proof wild bird feeders (though they do exist). Then again, if you’re still more worried about squirrels stealing your wild bird seed you can do a couple of things to make it harder for them to break in to your feeder.

Squirrels are very agile animals. They can jump 7 to 10 feet horizontally or 5 feet vertically, and are comfortable dropping up to 10 feet, too. Keep your feeder away from tree branches, rooftops and other surfaces where a squirrel can get secure footing and "launch." If you have a choice, the best option is to force them to drop horizontally if they want to try to get into a feeder. Many bird feeders are hard for a squirrel to safely land on because they have sloped roofs or in the case of tube feeders, have a small horizontal landing area. A hanging feeder also sways under heavier animals, making it more of a challenge. Squirrels that slip and fall won’t get your wild bird seed and it doesn’t really hurt them either. Keeping your feeder 7 feet or more away from squirrel launch points to make them drop down will help quite a bit.

Squirrels have stronger jaws than you think. If you hang a feeder with regular cord, there’s a good chance squirrels will chew right through it. This gives them an opportunity to knock the feeder to the ground, where they can pry it open at their leisure. Try metal cable, a wire handle, or a metal post. If you must use weaker material, consider slick synthetic fibers that are harder for a squirrel to climb. They can’t use their full strength unless they’ve got sure footing.

Using these steps along with a feeder that has squirrel proofing features can really help save your seed for the wild birds you want to see. They can’t do much about bears, though . . .

The Cornell University Ornithology Lab’s All About Birds website is packed full of scientifically sound information about wild birds. There are lots of ornithology labs around the country, of course, but Cornell is one of the few that includes tips for attracting birds to your backyard.

One of the areas that interest us most is the section on seed preferences for different wild birds. The page at the link discusses the types of birds that go for various seeds. Here’s a guide to selecting our wild bird food products by seed:

Millet: We offer for wild bird foods that feature sparrow-attracting millet. Try Ultimate Variety, Superior Seeds, Berry and our traditional Dutch’s Deluxe.

Safflower: Get Dutch’s Deluxe, Superior Seeds and Ultimate Variety. As Cornell’s researchers note, safflower is noted for its ability to attract cardinals.

Nyjer: Nyjer’s appeal to finches is so remarkable that we wrote an article about it. You can purchase Gold Nyjer alone or as part of our premium Dutch’s Deluxe mix.

Sunflower: Sunflower is well known as the most attractive seed for a wide variety of birds. While we offer Super Sunflower for people who want nothing else, all of our feed mixes except for our pure Nyjer offerings contain it. We also offer Sunflower Blend Suet Plus for birds with more varied diets. Our mixes include hulled (shelled) seeds that smaller birds find easier to eat and which reduces the mess wild birds leave behind.

Peanuts: Wrens, woodpeckers, cardinals and jays are among the species that love this high energy "seed." Check out Ultimate Variety and our Peanut Blend Bird Food to add it to your backyard birds’ diets.

Corn: Our Ultimate Variety food contains cracked corn, which is popular with blackbirds, finches and sparrows.

Remember, if you need a quick reference by species you can also check out our color-coded Bird Feeding Chart.

As you can tell from our site, we like cardinals quite a bit! This will be the first article in a series that describes wild birds from the point of view of a backyard bird watcher. We’ll talk about their behavior, diet and preferred environment, along with some miscellaneous facts. So here goes!

General: Cardinals are one of the most recognizable birds around. Three species range through most of North America and parts of South America. Two species’ males are almost entirely red. The exception is the Pyrrhuloxia of Mexico and the American Southwest, whose red breast and face contrast with the rest of its gray-feathered body.

In all species, females don’t have the male cardinal’s dramatic coloration. Males synthesize their red color from natural pigments in their diet. If they don’t have access to it, their color will change. Both species have a distinctive crest and a darker "mask" around the eyes. Cardinals only migrate in extreme situations, when it’s a choice between moving or starving. Otherwise, you can see them in all seasons. In the winter, their feathers strike a brilliant contrast against the snow.

Diet: Cardinals are primarily seed eaters, though they’ll also dine on fruit or insects when they’re available. In wild habitats they forage on the ground, hopping through grass and shrubbery to find their food. Cardinals are very receptive to backyard feedingand owe much of their modern success as a species to wild bird feeders. They especially enjoy safflower and sunflower seeds. To attract them, try Fuit and Berry, Ultimate Sunflower and Superior Seeds. Put them in a feeder, but also scatter some seed on the ground nearby to appeal to cardinals’ ground-foraging habits.

Environment: Cardinals prefer woodlands and shrubbery. In the wild, this protects them while they forage. Cardinals nest in bushes that are too thick for bigger birds or squirrels to enter. Keep bushes, hedges and other low-lying foliage in any area you’d like cardinals to visit. They like to eat in relative privacy. Practically speaking, that means you’ll get the best results from a feeder near the foliage, set apart from any of the others you might have set up.

Behavior: Cardinals are a territorial species. Males sing from the treetops to mark to warn intruders, and will chase them away when they see them. Around feeders, a few males will often drive off other birds, though given enough time they’ll will normally come to an arrangement about who gets to feed and when.

Cardinals aren’t born knowing how to sing. They learn songs from their parents, so just like human languages and accents, cardinal songs vary between regions. Aside from territorial announcements, cardinals sing to court mates and warn of nearby predators.

One of the few exceptions to a male cardinal’s territorial urges is its mate. Courtship involves mutual song. Males will often feed their mates beak to beak. Cardinals are serially monogamous; they stick with their mates throughout the courtship, mating and incubation period. Females build nests in thick shrubs three to ten feet off the ground and lay blotchy, tinted white eggs in clutches of three or four.

Want birds in your yard? The basics are simple: Feed them, keep your cat indoors (or put a bell on, so birds can hear him coming) and set things up near trees and other comfortable places to perch. Beyond the basics, the right wild bird supplies can really increase your chances of bringing their sound and color to your yard.

Here, then are five wild bird supplies that will make a big difference to you during the summer bird watching season, and beyond:

1) Wild Bird Food

It barely even needs to be said, but the way to a bird’s heart is through its stomach. The real question is: What do you put out for the birds? The answer depends on the season, your area and the type of birds you want to attract. Here are some matches from our catalog:

• Rich’s II Ultimate Variety: Seed-Eating Birds
• Rich’s II Fruit and Berry: Fruit and Nut-Eating Birds
• Rich’s II Gold Nyjer Seed: Finches (Finches, etc.)

2) A Wild Bird Feeder

Naturally, you don’t want to chuck wild bird food on the ground. Not only is it messy, but it attracts scavengers and makes the birds expose themselves to predators while they eat. A feeder is the answer, but there are lots of choices. Which ones are best for you? If you’ve got a modest property with minimal foliage one of our tube feeders might be a good choice. If you’ve got a big house with lots of space to hand things, or access to an old tree (or a stand of young ones) you can support a larger feeder. Our Monarch Electric Blue feeder is big and beautiful. It looks great hanging from a thick pine branch or household overhang.

You can get the best of both worlds with the Cardinal 3 Tube Bird Feeder. It’s a space-efficient, large feeder. You don’t need a spot to hang it because it’s post-mounted. It’s got a 10 lb seed capacity.

Most people will have to deal with squirrels. A tube feeder might work, but squirrels are agile critters. They can get in even the best-placed feeder unless it’s designed to keep them away. We carry several squirrel-proof models.

Local weather should mold your decision, too. Will your seeds stay  dry in a mesh feeder, or do you need to feed wild birds in all weather?

3) A Bird Bath

Birds need to drink as well as eat. Many people keep bird baths as garden decorations, but forget that a properly placed and cared for bath really can attract birds.

Keep the bird bath in a relatively open area. This helps birds watch for predators. Placing it under an overhanging branch means that spooked birds don’t have to fly far from the bath to reach a safe spot. Keep it clean and fill it with fresh water on a regular basis. Don’t fill it too deeply, or birds won’t venture beyond the edges. Some companies offer heated bird baths for the winter, too.

4) Another Feeder!

Seriously! Birds are territorial, so one of the best ways to attract them is to put out multiple feeders that are spread some distance from each other. You can also put different wild bird feed in each of them to attract a wider variety of species.

5) Cleaning Supplies

Finally, remember to keep your feeders, the areas around them and your bird bath clean. Not only does this prevent your yard from suffering the unpleasant side effects of being a popular wild bird hangout, but it increases its appeal to birds and ensures their health. Clean up about once a month.

A mix of one part bleach to nine parts water is all you need to clean your feeders and nearby surfaces. Clear droppings, spilled seed and other debris from the area. Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Healthy birds are more likely to make it through the winter — and if they’ve learned your feeders are the place to be, they’ll come back again and again.

Way back in the test post for this blog, I got questions about backyard bird eggs, feeders and squirrels. So:

Hi Donna!

Robins can lay green eggs as well. Many wild birds from the passerine order (which encompasses about half of all bird species) lay pigmented eggs. The natural pigment biliverdin is responsible for both blue and green egg coloration. That egg could be anything, but if it was found near the nest, chances are it’s a robin’s egg that formed a little differently than the rest.

Hi Mar!

You are not alone in trying to keep squirrels from eating our of your wild bird feeder! I’ve had some sucess with the weighted system wild bird feeder.  When the squirrel hits the feeder, the feeding ports close. You can also distract squirrels with corn or another cost-effective feed some distance from your bird feeder.

I’m not familiar with the "ZAPshield" system but I am interested in other people’s squirrel-rpoofing tactics! Let me know what works for you (or doesn’t). If you want to talk about a specific brand, please email me instead of posting in blog comments.

Thanks!

Richard

We’ve added a new wild bird seed called Gold Nyjer Seed! It contains a food some people call it "birdnip."  Finches (including house finches, goldfinches and purple finches) especially like Nyjer seed, to the point where they’ve been known to start mass "feeding frenzies" when they locate a source. It’s the wild bird seed of choice for the entire finch family.

Often called "thistle seed," Nyjer seed comes from the plant Guizotia abyssinica, which originally hails from the Ethiopian highlands. People have long valued its fresh, attractive aroma, and have used it to attract garden birds for centuries. It’s an especially good idea to put it out in the spring and fall, when finches molt. That’s when their most vibrant feather colors come out. Finches particularly enjoy Nyjer seed, but its distinctive scent draws other bird species too.

Nyjer is so popular among finches that it’s a good idea to use feeders that cater to their needs. Our Nyjer (thistle) Feeders feature a wire mesh that gives finches a comfortable grip. One feeder has room for several birds to feed simultaneously — a handy thing when Nyjer causes a finch "frenzy."

Now that it’s springtime, finches are out in the most vivid colors they’ll display all year. Give Nyjer a try so you can see it for yourself.