birds

Your backyard birds spend much of their day searching for food—bugs, worms, flower seeds, and berries. And our gardens are full of plants and insects that provide food for birds. Another way to attract birds is with bird feeders and water. Feeders let you have the fun of watching your backyard birds up close.

Garden food for birds
A healthy garden offers lots of good food for birds to dine upon. They eat insects that live on trees and shrubs. Sometimes you’ll see birds pecking the soil for earthworms and grubs. Your garden flowers produce seeds for birds. If you want to give birds a fall feast, try planting black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), gay feather (Liatris), tickseed (Coreopsis), coneflower (Echinacea), and cosmos. And don’t forget the sunflowers (Helianthus). Birds also like to eat small fruits like blueberries, cherries, and holly berries.

Seeds and holders
If you want to watch the birds closer to your window, consider hanging a bird feeder. You can buy a variety of seed holders in various shapes and sizes. Most common are hollow tubes with perches at openings along the side. There are also platform feeders for birds that would normally eat on the ground or do not like to perch. There are also many kinds of bird food. In general, mixtures with a variety of seeds are a good starting point. If you find birds are discarding or wasting a lot of the seeds, try another mix. Some mixes include nuts which are appreciated by many birds.

Locating feeders—easy to see and easy to move
Place feeders close enough to your window or porch where you can watch the birds without needing binoculars to identify the visitors. I have found a deck outside my living room to be a good place. It is also a good idea to locate feeders where you can easily reach them for cleaning and to add seeds. You’ll want to bring feeders in at night. Bears are very attracted to bird feeders and can easily steal or destroy them. Raccoons will also discover feeders left out over night. However, the most common nuisance at feeders is squirrels. They are clever, acrobatic, and able to find loopholes in any defense! Weight-sensitive feeders that shut off access to food when squirrels are on them have worked for me.

Water for birds
Having a water source also attracts birds. There are relatively shallow bird baths that you can attach to a deck rail as well as many other ornamental kinds in all shapes and sizes. Fountains with moving water are very appealing to birds. If you can afford a heated bird bath to provide water in winter, your bird friends will appreciate it.

Simple does it
As with many hobbies, begin bird watching and feeding with simple and inexpensive feeders and seed supplies. Later, you can always add new and different types of feeders that will attract a wider variety of birds for you and your family to enjoy.
Article written by Judy Deutsch, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

I have a special spot in my heart for my backyard birds—the loyal birds that keep me company in the winter, visit my feeders, and sing to me throughout the year. Birds are especially attracted to my garden where they enjoy eating bugs, worms, flower seeds, and berries. My trees and shrubs provide welcoming branches for the birds to build their nests, raise their young, or just stop and rest before flying on. Do you know the most common backyard birds that you’ll see in Western North Carolina?

Chickadee
Leading the way is the chickadee, the social director of the back yard. These small, friendly, gregarious birds have black caps, black throats or bibs, and gray backs. Other birds often feed in mixed flocks with chickadees, as if they trust the little chickadee to know exactly where to find food. Chickadees are also easily attracted to feeders. The Carolina chickadee is the most common chickadee in Western North Carolina and isn’t shy about telling us its name as it sings “chick-a-dee-dee-dee.” It also has a rather wistful, four-note call: “fee-bee, fee-bay.”

Tufted Titmouse
The tufted titmouse is another bird common to our area and is often associated with chickadees.  This grey-backed bird has a white stomach with a rusty-red wash under the wings. It has a small crest (hence the “tufted”) and large black eyes which give it an inquisitive expression. The call is a chant: “here, here, here, here” or “peer, peer, peer,” depending on how you hear it. The tufted titmouse is a year-round resident and is happy to come and eat at bird feeders.

Nuthatch
White-breasted nuthatches are gray birds with black caps that you will see creeping head first down a tree trunk. They are common in yards with large trees. As their name implies, they have white breasts. Their call is a nasal “hank, hank, hank,” somewhat like a toy horn. They, too, are common at feeders, where they will grab a morsel and retreat to a nearby tree to eat.

Carolina Wren
No mention of common backyard birds would be complete without the Carolina wren. These chunky, noisy birds are easily identified by their white eyebrows, warm brown color, and tails that often point upwards. Their common call is usually described as a loud “tea kettle, tea kettle, tea kettle.” They also make a variety of chatters and scolds. Wrens are known for building nests close to human habitation—outdoor light fixtures, hanging baskets of flowers, discarded toys or tires are all fair game. We have had a wren’s nest on top of a ladder in our garage despite the fact we closed the doors at night and often during the day. And, yes, Mama Wren successfully fledged her babies under those conditions.

Fun for the family
Learning to identify birds is fun and a good family activity. In my next Kids Post, I’ll share tips on providing your backyard birds with food and water.

Article written by Judy Deutsch, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer.

Making your own bird feeder is an easy thing to do and a great way to help our bird friends make it through the last days of winter. You can make all kinds of bird feeders with a little bird seed and items you have in your house right now! Gather up bird seed, empty paper towel rolls or empty toilet paper rolls, peanut butter and some twine or even thread.

Step 1: Thread a big needle with twine or thread and push it through the top of the cardboard toilet paper roll, about an inch from the top. Push it through the other side of roll as well. Tie the twine securely in a knot. This makes a hanger for your bird feeder that you can loop over a tree branch.

Step 2: Smear a layer of peanut butter over the outside of the toilet paper roll.

Step 3: Put your bird seed in pan or dish just big enough to hold the roll. Gently roll it in the bird seed until all sides are covered.

Step 4: Hang it in a tree and watch the birds discover their treat! You may also discover that squirrels enjoy this treat as well!

Variations: Make the same type of toilet paper bird feeder without the twine loop – just slide over a small branch. Or use a paper towel roll for a bigger feeder. Push a kabob skewer thru the roll at different angles to make perches for the birds.

Written by Tish Szurek, Extension Master Gardener Volunteer