How to Attract the Widest Variety of Wild Birds

It's the holiday season, Thanksgiving is over, now the worrying starts... What do I give to my wild bird loving mom and dad this Christmas?

When mom and dad already have a lot of feeders in their yard we can still help to add to their collection of birds. We do this by attracting more varieties using specific food with specific feeders. Let's  go through a couple of examples.

Female northern cardinal on a "tube" feeders

Tube feeders like the one pictured above are the most common type of mixed seed feeders. They typically have 2 to 6 feeding ports. Each port is just big enough to handle a typical seed mix of millet, sunflower hearts, black oil sunflower, peanuts and safflower. This wide variety of grains and seeds gives the user the best chance to get a large variety of birds. Typically cardinals and smaller birds can handle this type of tube feeder.

Eastern bluebird family eating mealworms

Probably the second type of feeder we get asked about here at the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek is a live or dried mealworm feeder. Feeding mealworms is an easy way to separate bluebirds, warblers, wrens, grey catbirds, robins and many other wild birds. A mealworm feeder is typically small and holds just a few ounces of worms. Mealworms can be served both live and/or dried. The birds will eat them both, however, if you start with live mealworms it can be hard to get the birds to switch to the dried worms at a later date.

Blue Jay with a roasted peanut

I personally like the blue jay. I love hearing its call just before it hits the feeder. In my backyard here in the NE Atlanta suburbs I separate the blue jay by offering roasted peanut halves and raw in-shell peanuts in the "fly through" feeder you see pictured above. If you supply a platform or fly through feeder and you fill it with nuts all your larger birds and "bully birds" like the jay will come to it instead of the smaller tube feeder which is harder for them to eat from. Along with crows, blackbirds, grackles and blue jays the morning doves, woodpeckers, titmouse, nuthatches and cardinals will come to this feeder all day long. It is just too easy for them to use.

Suet feeder with a brown thrasher

Another feeder to gain a larger variety of birds is a "suet" feeder. Suet is an animal fat that has been rendered to become hard. It is mixed with a variety seed, grains, berries, or mealworms to try to attract different birds. Suet feeders typically attract birds that normally don't go to seed feeder. As an example the brown thrasher shown above is usually on the ground rummaging through the grass and leaves. Gray catbirds, thrushes, downy woodpeckers, will regularly visit the suet feeder while ignoring the seed feeder right next to it.

There are many other types of feeders at your local wild bird store. Squirrel Busters, caged feeders, platform, ranches, hoppers, seed cakes and many other. Visit your local store to find the right one for your mom and dad this holiday season.

Where have all the birds gone?

Hermit Thrush in our backyard in NE Atlanta

It's a cold and raining November Saturday here in NE Atlanta, GA. Fall has definitely arrived. Our outside average temperature is typically between 40 degrees and 60 degrees. Nature is changing fast with all the deciduous trees and perennial plants moving towards their winter nakedness. The rain is refilling lake Lanier after a summer drought.

With this natural change comes the exodus of the migrating birds like the ruby throated hummingbird and the gray catbird. We are still waiting for the ingress our winter birds such as the dark eyed junco and the many warblers that make their way here. And of course we have a sizable amount of wild birds that don't migrate at all... they just disappeared.

Where did all the non-migratory wild birds go?

Here at the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek we notice this trend every year. Right after Labor Day it's like a light switch being turned off and the amount of seed sold drops drastically. If the conventional thinking is we do not have a tremendous number of wild birds that migrate from NE Atlanta in the fall - what's up?

My explanation: This is nature being nature.

One of the first sights and sounds we have of fall arriving is not leaves falling, it's acorns falling by the bucketful. Some years we can get 3" of acorns in our beautiful backyard. At the same time, in the early fall, our dogwoods start producing little red berries. Our serviceberry bushes are fruiting. Frost grapes are starting to form. Coneflowers are dying. Hollies are fruiting. All this is happening just as the first fall leaves are dropping.

What does this have to do with our missing birds?

That's simple, all those fruiting grapes, hollies, dogwoods, serviceberries, trees with their multitude of tree nuts, and dead coneflowers are... WILD BIRD FOOD! So where are "my" birds? Simple, they are still around but don't need much of the additional food a wild bird feeder provides. You'll see the same thing with suet cakes. This time of year, even though it can get pretty cold the wild birds have plenty of places to eat so your suet cake could last for weeks.

All of this ends once the natural food has been consumed. Once it gets a bit harder for the wild birds to easily find food they will return in their flocks to yours (and my) beautiful backyard.

PS: This post was stimulated by a customer asking me a few hours ago... "What's wrong with my sunflower hearts, have they spoiled? I don't have any birds!"

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David Peterson is the owner of the Best Nest of Georgia, Inc. which includes in its corporate family a retail store called the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek Georgia. The Wild Bird Center focuses on bringing nature to your backyard using bird seed, bird feeders, mealworms, and bird houses to attract wild birds to your yard. You can reach the Wild Bird Center at 770-418-1990 or by contacting David via email: david@thebestnest.net

Live Mealworms Won't Eat Asparagus?

I've been taught through personal experience that live mealworms will eat anything. Even plastic... Well my thinking has now changed. Live mealworms will eat ALMOST anything.

To be fair I wasn't actually feeding the live mealworms for this test. I did "warm up" to room temperature some worms and placed a small carrot into their container today. I'll let them eat that until we close the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek @ 7pm tonight. Then it's back into the fridge for the week or until they are sold.

At the same time I was feeding the worms I had a container of Darkling Beetles which are the "adult" version of the live mealworms. The worm is actually the "larvae" of their complete cycle of metamorphosis. The beetles are veracious eaters and will crowd a dinner plate quickly.

I do know that the Darkling Beetle will eat carrots, lettuce, apples, potatoes, and even cheese (don't ask and don't do it - makes for stinky bugs). This time I just happen to have a couple of asparagus stalks which I placed into the container. I expected the beetles to climb all over the stalk like they do with carrots. I noticed right away they were not excited about this food. I placed the lid on the container then shut off the light.

Typically what happens next when the light is turned off is that all the beetles that are buried in the wheat bran head right to new food source. I expected, once the light was turned back on, that hundreds of darkling beetles were crawling over the asparagus. But they didn't. I then threw in a couple of carrots and BAM! The beetles were on it.

The moral of the story is: Live mealworms will eat ALMOST anything. Occasionally you may find a food they don't approve of. No sweat just switch that out with a couple of carrots and you are back on track.

Types of Bird Feeders for Backyard Wild Birds

Although it appears that there are a plethora of different types of feeders that can be used for backyard wild birds they really fall into a couple of categories. The most common are:

•  Hopper Feeders
•  Fly Through Feeders
•  Squirrel Proof Feeders
•  Caged Feeders
•  Ranch Feeders
•  Nectar Feeders
•  Mealworm Feeders

In this post we are just going to focus on 3 types. The hopper feeder, fly-through feeder, and squirrel proof feeder.

FLY THROUGH WILD BIRD FEEDER

Fly through wild bird feeders are designed for all birds. From the smallest chickadee to the largest crow. These types of feeders are perfect for the nervous birds that don't stop and feed. Birds like the white breasted nuthatch will not sit at the feeder and eat. That bird is going to land, grab a seed and take off immediately. However the larger birds like the mourning dove will sit on the feeders all day. 

Fly through feeders are basically a platform feeder with a roof. The come in many styles. The one above is handmade by the Amish and is designed as a "covered bridge." This particular model is mounted on a 4x4 wooden pole. The bottom of this unit has a prebuilt flange that fits nicely on the post. 

Some fly through feeders are hung on a shepherds hook, they can be round and small with a roof. They all have the same characteristic which is the birds can sit anywhere on the perch or in the feeder and consume the food that rests in the middle. 

The one disadvantage of a fly through feeder is that it typically has to be filled everyday. The reason is they don't hold a lot of bird seed and they attract a tremendous amount and variety of birds to the feeding station.

HOPPER FEEDERS

Hopper feeders get their name from the large acrylic seed holders that sit in the middle of the units. Gravity allows the seeds to drop from the middle of the unit onto each side of the bird feeder. These hoppers have the ability to hold pounds of seed to handle the wild bird's appetites' for days. They come in many shapes but they all have a couple of typical characteristics:

1.  Large acrylic hopper seed holder in the middle of unit.
2.  The hoppers tend to be set to handle all blended or mixed types of wild bird seeds.
3.  Large perch that allows all birds of all sizes to land and eat. In the A&J Six Sided Copper Feeder above the perch is the copper bar running around the entire bottom of the unit.
4. Most units can be hung from a shepherds hook. Some like the one above are meant to make a statement in your backyard. This particular hopper sits on top of a 4x4 post with a white vinyl sleeve placed over the wooden post to finish off the look.

Squirrel Proof Feeders

Here in NE Atlanta we are inundated with squirrels. With that in mind, at our sister business the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek, we spend a lot of time talking about them. How do you keep squirrels off your bird feeder? Well actually there are several ways to hold the squirrels back. For the purposes of this post I want to focus on the Squirrel Buster Plus. 

The Squirrel Buster Plus works by simply denying the squirrels any chance of getting to the wild bird seed. In fact these types of units work so well we actually want the squirrels to get on them. When the squirrel attempts to get the seed his/her own weight forces the seed port to close. What ends up happening is they just get frustrated and... they eventually give up! Bottom line is Squirrel Busters work!

The one pictured above is a large feeder that holds 3.5 lbs of mixed wild bird seed. It's perch, which is the round green ring at the bottom, can handle any size bird. It is also adjustable. So if your goal is to keeps squirrels and large birds like crows out of the seed you can lighten the spring tension. 

Disadvantage of this type of feeder? Squirrel Busters and squirrel proof feeders in general are very utilitarian in appearance. You're not going to find a pretty coppertop model or one shaped like a covered bridge. They may not make a social  "statement" in your beautiful backyard but they will save you a ton of money on wild bird seed.

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About the Author: David Peterson is the owner of the Best Nest of Georgia, Inc. which includes in its corporate family a retail store in NE Atlanta called the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek Georgia. The Wild Bird Center focuses on bringing nature to your backyard using bird seed, bird feeders, mealworms, and bird houses to attract wild birds to your yard. You can reach the Wild Bird Center at 770-418-1990 or by contacting David via email: david@thebestnest.net

Amish Handmade Hanging Wren House

Need a statement piece for your beautiful backyard? This handmade Amish hanging wren bird house is made of recycled materials for the "Amish Buggy" and includes metal wheels and a horse.
It is absolutely gorgeous.

The bird hole is sized for wrens or smaller birds. The cleanout is super easy. You just unlock it and lift up the side panel for cleaning. 

The bird house is meant to be hung and has a sturdy hanger attached. We could do a pole mount if that is desired. 

The Amish make beautiful pieces and this one being made of recycled materials will hold it's color and last for years.

Bonus Features: The "Amish Buggy" even has faux headlights and tail lights!

Priced under $120. We have it in stock at the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek  Ph:770-418-1990

Adding a Birdhouse to your Backyard

Here in the greater Atlanta area we are blessed with an abundance of birds. Nesting season down here starts in January with the world famous Berry College Eagles typically laying 1, 2 or 3 eggs. They have a couple of live webcams were you can watch the eagles progress for the next 4+ months.

Most of the wild birds we are attracting into our backyards here in NE Atlanta start nesting right around March first. Bluebirds, wrens, nuthatches, & chickadees are all secondary cavity nesters. Which means they will all be using somebody else's hole. Primary cavity nesters like woodpeckers will dig their own hole in a dead tree. But once nesting season is over they will abandon it for others to use.

Here in the suburbs there are not enough dead trees (for obvious reason) for woodpeckers to create enough homes. So they move elsewhere. Since the woodpecker is nesting someplace else that means bluebirds and such will not have a ready made home next year!

Which brings us to the need for birdhouses. The eastern bluebird was actually in decline in the 1930s due to lack of cavities. What saved them... millions of bluebird boxes.

It's early November here in Atlanta. Soon we will start the holiday rush and we at the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek. We will be busy showing off our beautiful assortment of bird houses (known in the industry as nesting boxes). We'll also be mounting them to poles so the customer just has to stick them in the ground.

The Christmas season is the perfect kickoff for nesting season. I always tell my customers to get those bird houses in the ground soon. Mom and Dad birds will be "house shopping" very soon. BTW that is exactly what it looks like. Dad will stick a few pine needles in the house and Mom will go investigate. Sometimes they will build several nest in different boxes only to chose one of them. 

House shopping is really fun to watch. The birds will start in February looking for just the right spot. By March all the wild birds will be fighting each other off trying to save their home. It's nesting time for everyone. Those looking for the perfect cavity are pretty fierce when they find one.

So this holiday season give a bird house as a gift. They can run from $20 to $200 if you are looking to make a beautiful backyard statement! The one in these two pictures runs right at $40. It's easy to clean out and can be mounted on a pole, tree, or fence. It is made of 100% cedar and will last for years.

Enjoy your beautiful backyard...

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David Peterson is the owner of the Best Nest of Georgia, Inc. which includes in its corporate family a retail store called the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek Georgia. The Wild Bird Center focuses on bringing nature to your backyard using bird seed, bird feeders, mealworms, and bird houses to attract wild birds to your yard. You can reach the Wild Bird Center at 770-418-1990 or by contacting David via email: david@thebestnest.net

Using Live Mealworms to Attract More Birds

A family of young bluebirds enjoying live mealworms

I like to say that I'm a backyard bird dude. I didn't study ornithology in college, but I do read a lot and I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express many times. Oh, I also own the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek, Georgia. It's kind of my job to get wild birds into my customers beautiful backyards. And I love it.

Why do I do it? Why sell bird seed, bird feeders, and mealworm? Its comes down to helping my customer slow down their hectic lives by bringing nature into their backyards. It's a lifestyle. Imagine being stuck in Johns Creek traffic, finally making it home after an hour, grabbing a glass of wine and sitting on the deck just enjoying nature.

Study after study shows that introducing nature into your weekly routine be it walking in the park, gardening, or just watching nature is therapeutic. The goal of my business is to bring as much nature as possible into my customer's yards.

It is fairly simple and really inexpensive to start attracting wild birds. It can be as simple as throwing a handful of black oil sunflower on the ground or placing it on your deck's handrail. Eventually one bird will see the seed. Once that one bird starts eating the other birds won't be far behind. It could take a day or two to get the first bird but they will come.

As you get a little more advanced you'll start putting up bird feeders, bird houses, etc. You'll start moving them around to enhance the flowers, trees, and shrubs that provide shelter to the wild birds. Eventually... you'll want more birds!

Not a problem.

It's easy to attract different birds to a backyard. One of the simplest is to start offering live mealworms as a food source. Who eats the worms? Well the simple answer is any bird you see on the ground is probably an insect eater. However, in our store everyone is trying to get the Eastern Bluebird.

Male Eastern Bluebird

Okay, yes, these are live worms. Yes, eventually you are probably going to have to touch them. Yes, at first it seem kind of gross but hey, if you want the bluebirds you got to get the worms.

Pricing?

Here's the best part: You can offer them for free or almost free by growing them yourself! They are easy to grow but take about 200 days from egg to worm. For those folks in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area that don't want to mess with growing them we are running a store special on mealworms.  Normally live mealworms run $11.99 for 1000 worms, and $39.99 for 5000 worms but the store special is $9.99 and $34.99 while supplies last.

A cup of 1000 live mealworms

Keep the live mealworms in your refrigerator. Although they are fine at 80 degree temperatures they will keep growing and going through their lifecycle at the higher temps. To keep them dormant and stop the growth at the worm stage just put them in the fridge. They can last months like that. 

Adding live mealworms is an easy way to attract a wider variety of wild birds to your backyard sanctuary.

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David Peterson is the owner of the Best Nest of Georgia, Inc. which includes in its corporate family a retail store called the Wild Bird Center of Johns Creek Georgia. The Wild Bird Center focuses on bringing nature to your backyard using bird seed, bird feeders, mealworms, and bird houses to attract wild birds to your yard. You can reach the Wild Bird Center at 770-418-1990 or by contacting David via email: david@thebestnest.net