|
Top 10 Bird Feeding Mistakes
Getting started feeding birds is really easy. Most people start by simply
throwing some bread out onto the back lawn and take pleasure in watching
whatever birds appear to take advantage of the free feast.
Many people graduate from this to using bird feeders and seed or syrup. It is at
this stage that
novice backyard birders often make simple mistakes that keep the wild birds from
enjoying the feeders. While some mistakes only make the feeders unattractive,
others can endanger the birds.
By avoiding these top 10 bird feeding mistakes you can ensure your backyard
birds not only enjoy your feeders but also remain healthy throughout the year
1)
Using Only One Kind of Bird
Feeder
If you use only one type of feeder you are limiting the number of
species that will come to your backyard. A tray feeder is great for
most of the larger birds but the smaller breeds such as the finches
prefer a perch to sit on while feeding.
Using just the one feeder means that the smaller birds must compete
with the larger ones and often they will miss out.
It is surprising the extra birds you will see at your feeders if you use
several and target the seed to the feeder e.g. a wild bird mix for
your feed tray and a finch mix for your
perch feeders.
2) Letting the Feeders Remain
Empty
Refilling feeders
promptly will attract a wider variety of birds While it is OK
to let your feeders run out occasionally or remain empty for several
days while you go on holiday but a feeder that is consistently empty
won't attract many birds.
A feeder which is normally filled and is
suddenly left empty for a long period of time wont cause the local
birds to starve but they do grow to depend on the feeders as a food
source so there is a good chance that some birds will go hungry
until they can hopefully find other food.
If you are going on
holiday for a few weeks I am sure the local birds would appreciate
you asking a neighbour to fill your feeders every 3 to 4 days.
3) Feeding Your Birds Bread
For birds bread, biscuits,
and other heavily processed products are the same as hamburgers are
to us humans. They taste good, fill you up but don't provide
adequate nutrition if that is all you eat.
Bread is great to give your birds a treat but never feed it to them
exclusively. The worst time to be feeding a lot of bread to your
birds is during the spring when they are taking food back to their
young, who are in need of nutritious food to help them grow.
4) Not Cleaning Feeders
This is one of the worst mistakes that a beginner can make. Wild birds have a relatively low immunity to diseases because in the wild they don't actually come in close contact with many other birds.
A dirty birdfeeder can harbour bacteria, mould and spread diseases that can decimate backyard bird populations. Overseas where bird feeding is more widespread there have been cases of Infected birds spreading illness to other backyards and wild populations, creating epidemic conditions that have wiped out entire nesting colonies.
All your feeders should be cleaned at least once per month, but popular feeders may need to be cleaned more frequently depending on how many birds use them.
The best way to clean most feeders is to scrub them with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts hot water.
5) Using Cheap Birdseed
It is often tempting to buy the cheaper supermarket birdseed but this is often false economy and you are filling your feeders with food that only a few of your backyard birds can eat.
The cheaper brands of seed often contain a large percentage of "filler" seeds to bulk them out but appeal to very few bird species so you will end up with most of it scattered on the ground as the birds peck through it.
It is better to buy different seed mixes that target the birds in your backyard e.g. use a good
wild bird mix in a tray or bottle seed feeder and also a
finch mix
in a smaller feeder or tube feeder. This allows most of your visitors to eat the wild bird mix and the smaller birds will feed on the finch mix without having to compete with the larger species.
If you have doves or pidgins in your area then use a third feeder containing a dove mix. By doing this you will be surprised how little seed ends up wasted on the ground.
6) Making Bad Syrup
Syrup for Tuis, Bellbirds and Waxeyes should only be made using plain white sugar. Never use honey, brown sugar or other sweeteners. These do not provide the proper nutrition for the birds and produce mold that is fatal to the birds.
7) Keeping Your Backyard Too Tidy
While many of the birds
that visit your backyard feeders enjoy the free feed they need more
than this to stay healthy.
Many birds, like the Blackbird, get most of their dietary needs from
eating insects, snails and slugs that they find in the garden. By
providing small areas of wilderness in your garden you not only
create a habitat for the birds to find their food you are also
supplying them with nest building material and shelter.
If you only have a very small backyard then consider using mulch
under your flowers, shrubs or vegetable plants. This small act alone
will pay huge dividends in the amount of different bird species that
will visit your yard.
8) Storing seed improperly
Seed that is not stored properly will begin to rot, creating
mould and mildew that can be dangerous, even fatal, to birds. Storing birdseed in a safe, secure way can eliminate these problems, heavy duty plastic zip bags, or sturdy plastic containers with airtight lids are ideal for this purpose. Keep these in a cool and dry place.
9) Placing feeders too far from cover and trees
While most people are careful not to
position their feeders to close to bushes and shrubs so that cats
can not take advantage of these hiding places while waiting to
pounce, many birds wont use feeders that are to far away from cover.
Smaller birds like to perch on safe branches, scan for danger, then
dash in for the seed, retreating to safety as soon as they have
eaten
Experimenting with the location of your feeders will probably result
in more species using them and those that are already visiting them
staying around to enjoy a longer feeding period.
10) Not Supplying Water
Like all animals, birds need water to survive. Though they can extract some moisture from their food, most birds drink water every day.
Birds also use water for bathing, to clean their feathers and remove parasites.
For these reasons, a dependable supply of fresh, clean water is attractive to
most birds. In fact, a birdbath will even bring to your yard birds that don’t
eat seeds and wouldn’t visit your feeders.
Providing water for birds can also
improve the quality of your backyard bird habitat and should provide you
with a fantastic opportunity to observe bird behaviour.
For those people who live in the colder areas of New Zealand please remember that the local wild birds will still need water when it snows so filling a bird bath (or any suitable container) with warm water several times a day during this period will defiantly be appreciated by your local birds.
Wild birds need water as well as feed at all times throughout the year although many can take advantage of puddles in the wetter months.
|
