As spring draws near and the nesting season begins in March, many wildlife lovers will be preparing to assist their local bird communities. One way to assist birds at this time of the year is through the addition of bird feeders. During this season, natural food sources in the garden are limited, so providing items like nuts, seeds and suet can offer birds a vital energy boost.
To keep birds safe while feeding, experts at retailer Really Wild Bird Food recommend that you place your feeder near a natural shelter, such as trees or bushes, that isn’t too far from a window. They said: “This will keep them hidden from predators and sheltered from direct sunlight and harsh weather conditions.”
Try to avoid placing your feeders directly next to trees, though. This makes it too easy for squirrels and other local wildlife to steal your bird food.
You may believe that positioning your bird feeder close to a window is unwise; understandably, you wouldn’t want birds to accidentally fly into the glass and injure themselves.
However, it can be even riskier to set up bird feeders far from your windows, as this gives the birds the chance to gain speed before hitting the glass.
The pros said: “For this reason, we recommend positioning your bird feeder a couple of feet away from the window at most.
“That way, if a bird takes off in the direction of your windows or glass doors, it won’t be flying fast enough to cause serious injury. Better still, place your feeder directly on the window or windowsill.”
It is recommended to place your bird feeder approximately five feet above the ground. This makes it easy for you to fill and clean the feeder while also making it difficult for pets and other animals to steal your bird food.
If you notice that certain birds aren’t visiting your feeder, you might want to try changing the height or hanging additional feeders at differing distances from the ground.
For example, woodpeckers like to feed high in the trees, so hanging a feeder at six to 10 feet above the ground could help to encourage them. Other species, such as blackbirds, robins and chaffinches, prefer to eat from ground feeders.
Comments are closed.