6 Winter Bird Feeding and Attraction Tips to Bring Birds to Your Yard

6 Winter Bird Feeding and Attraction Tips to Bring Birds to Your Yard

In the winter months, birds depend on humans to make sure they’re able to get food.

Because of this, it’s important to know how to attract birds to your yard through bird feeding and winter bird attraction tips.

This can help make sure you’re able to feed the birds in your area without having too many that you run out of food or have problems with pests or diseases.

Here are 10 winter bird feeding and attraction tips that will bring birds to your yard!

WAYS TO ATTRACT BIRDS TO YOUR BACKYARD (WITHOUT SPENDING  DIME)

Whether you want to attract birds for their beauty or simply because you’re an avid bird watcher, it doesn’t matter.

Either way, there are a lot of ways you can get birds to visit your yard.

In fact, all it takes is a little time spent identifying what kinds of food and shelter each species is attracted to.

If you have some extra time on your hands but are low on cash, these tips will help attract a variety of birds for free!

The following tips should help you create a safe place for native birds—not just in your yard, but in your neighborhood as well.

There’s no reason why your block shouldn’t be home to several different types of birds.

KINDS OF SEEDS YOU SHOULD GET

It’s possible to feed birds year-round with a seed mixture that includes seeds, nuts, breads and fruit. Many birders like to change their feeding scheme up in winter.

Those who live in cold-weather climates can keep feeders out all year by switching over to a warm-weather mix that attracts finches, sparrows, titmice and chickadees.

A good warm-weather seed blend for winter is one that contains sunflower seeds, millet, niger (thistle), safflower seeds, peanut hearts (pieces of peanuts without shells) and cornbread crumbs or crushed eggshells.

For even more variety, add some dried fruits and vegetables such as raisins, currants, banana chips, apple pieces and carrot slices.

Don’t forget water! Providing a source of fresh water will help attract birds to your yard. Some folks use an open dish; others prefer hanging mugs or cones.

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s kept clean and filled at all times so thirsty birds don’t pass your yard by.

HOW TO STORE YOUR SEEDS?

It’s important to know how long your seed will keep.

Different kinds of seeds have different life spans, but there are a few things you can do to make them last longer.

You don’t want old seed taking up valuable space in your home and getting moldy in your garage or basement. You also want high-quality seed ready when you need it most.

Here are a few tips for keeping it fresh:

Store in a cool, dry place;

Be careful not to mix different types of seeds together;

Stay away from extremely humid areas like windowsills (unless you like damp birdseed)

And check on your seed supply frequently so it doesn’t sit around too long before you use it.

OTHER EQUIPMENTS YOU NEED:

It’s easy to get carried away when you’re trying to build a bird-attracting oasis, but there are things you can do right now with what you have at home.

The first thing is simply getting rid of anything that isn’t natural in your yard: plastic bags, cans, cigarette butts, etc.

Of course, if there are any really noticeable holes in your yard or anything that looks like it might be detrimental (like a power line), don’t let it slip your mind—it might actually be dangerous for wildlife.

You should also check out how much sunlight your yard gets during different times of day throughout winter; birds need to warm up before they start singing and flying around, so make sure they have enough time to do so.

Finally, keep an eye on how much food you’re putting out; birds need protein in order to survive cold weather, so if all they find is seeds, their bodies will start breaking down muscle tissue instead.

They won’t die from lack of seeds alone, but it may mean fewer birds visit your feeder!

WHERE YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR BIRD FEEDER

First, you need to decide where you are going to place your bird feeder.

It is important that you don’t just throw it out in a random location because there may be squirrels or other predators around who will compete with birds for food.

Placing your feeder near a window is one option but keep in mind that if you have a cat they will hunt birds too!

Another idea is to place it high up on your house or balcony where cats can’t get them.

Be sure when placing your feeder somewhere that there aren’t any sharp edges near by as birds can become hurt from hitting these edges as they fly.

WHY YOU SHOULD USE SUET:

Suet is most commonly used by birds in winter, because it helps them stay warm. While seeds like sunflower seed or safflower seed can be eaten, suet has a higher melting point, so birds have an easier time getting their fill.

In fact, suet even melts at about body temperature! However, it’s important not to use oils like peanut oil or vegetable oil when making suet cakes, because birds are picky about what they eat (and they don’t want to ingest any chemicals).

Try using lard instead—it’s cheap and natural. If you can find it locally in bulk (for example at a butcher shop), that’s ideal since you won’t have to pay for packaging waste.

WHAT ABOUT SQUIRRELS AND OTHER PEST:

There are some ways you can keep squirrels from eating your bird seed. When storing bird seed, remember that heat will speed up its metabolism, meaning it will go bad faster.

Store your seed in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight or heat sources such as wood stoves or radiators.

If you have a ready supply of water for birds (and squirrels), consider putting a piece of aluminum foil around your water source.

This reflective surface prevents birds from seeing their own reflection, but it allows them to drink comfortably while keeping pesky critters at bay.

Furthermore, it is important that when feeding birds indoors you try as much as possible not to feed more than two types of seeds in one room.