Bird Feeding Mistakes: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls

Feeding wild birds can be a delightful and rewarding experience, but it's essential to do it right. Avoiding common mistakes ensures that our feathered friends thrive and continue to visit our backyards. Let's explore some of the biggest bird feeding mistakes and learn how to avoid them:

1. Neglecting Feeder Maintenance

Mistake: Not cleaning the bird feeder regularly.

Solution: Regularly clean your feeders to prevent mold, bacteria, and disease. Dirty feeders can harm birds and discourage them from returning.  You can use a variety of solutions to wash the feeder, including:

• Soap and boiling water.
• Diluted bleach solution: Mix 1 part bleach with 9 parts water.
• Vinegar: Mix 4 parts hot water with 1 part vinegar.
• Dish soap and warm water.

2. Choosing the Wrong Type of Feeder

Mistake: Selecting a feeder without considering the bird species you want to attract.

Solution: Research the feeding habits of specific birds. For example:

• Sock Feeders (Nyjer Feeders): Ideal for attracting small songbirds like finches and buntings.
• Platform Feeders: Suitable for ground-feeding birds like doves, sparrows, towhees, and juncos.
• Tube Feeders: Attract a variety of small birds but choose the right port size for the seeds you want to offer.
• Hopper Feeders: The most versatile feeder that attracts cardinals, blue jays, nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and more.

3. Offering the Wrong Type of Food

Mistake: Providing inappropriate or low-quality birdseed.

Solution: Use high-quality birdseed blends with a variety of seeds (sunflower, millet, safflower) and avoid cheap mixes with filler seeds that birds discard.

4. Placing Feeders Incorrectly

Mistake: Hanging feeders too close to windows or in areas accessible to predators.

Solution: Position feeders away from windows to prevent bird collisions and place them near natural cover (trees, shrubs) to offer safety.  Also, keep feeders out of reach of squirrels.

5. Inconsistent Feeding Schedule

Mistake: Not refilling feeders consistently.

Solution: Birds rely on a steady food source. Keep feeders filled, especially during harsh weather or migration seasons.

6. Ignoring Water Sources

Mistake: Neglecting fresh water for drinking and bathing.

Solution: Provide a birdbath or shallow dish of water near the feeders. Birds appreciate clean water for hydration and grooming.

7. Using Poor-Quality Materials

Mistake: Choosing feeders that are not durable, or ones that have ports made of plastic.

Solution: If you like plastic feeders, be sure to use baffles to keep squirrels off or opt for feeders with metal ports.  However, recycled plastic feeders are dense and hard to damage.  Cedar feeders are great as long as they are maintained regularly (never stain or varnish a cedar feeder.) 

8. Using Harmful Pesticides

Mistake: Pesticides can be toxic to birds.  

Solution: It’s better to use natural pest control methods to keep your yard bird-friendly.

9. Not Considering Local Wildlife or Allowing Outdoor Cats

Mistake: Focusing solely on birds without considering other wildlife or pets. Cats are natural predators of birds and Raccoons are known for their dexterity and can easily access bird feeders at night and can cause significant damage.

Solution: Balance bird feeding with other animals in your bird feeding environment.  Keeping cats indoors or providing them with a safe outdoor enclosure can help protect your feathered visitors.  Also, consider using a racoon baffle, placing feeders in locations that are more difficult for larger animals to reach and keeping the area clean of spilled seed.

Remember, bird feeding is about creating a safe and welcoming environment. By avoiding these mistakes, you'll attract a diverse array of feathered visitors and enjoy the beauty of nature right in your backyard!