“Bird watching has become the number one hobby in America,” said Jeff Dudine, manager of the Greenfield Farmer’s Cooperative Exchange. “It just recently beat out vegetable gardening, which is now No. 2.”
It’s commonly believed the greater amount of time people are spending at home due to the pandemic has contributed to the growing popularity of bird watching. That’s because, Dudine said, the “best times to watch birds are probably when you are at work. They start feeding early in the morning and go wherever they go when it starts to get dark out.”
To attract more birds and provide a healthy environment and food source, there are measures that can be taken. Dudine said the seed that attracts the broadest range of birds is black oil sunflower seed.
“It’s definitely the most popular seed to feed. We had trouble keeping it in stock for a while,” he said.
Dudine said you can easily read the bags to learn which birds like which seed, but here are a few more tips from the Humane Society of the United States about bird feeding, in general.
The most helpful times to feed birds during the year are at times when the birds need the most energy such as during temperature extremes, migration and late winter/early spring when natural seed sources are depleted.
In the fall/winter, high-protein and high-fat foods are preferred by many birds. White millet is high in protein and cracked corn that is medium-sized (large sizes tend to either turn to mush or are too hard for smaller birds to eat). Peanuts and unshelled sunflower seeds are also good high-protein food sources.
Dudine said that the market for mealworms, which are the larva of a darkling beetle, “has exploded in the past year for the insect-eating birds (such as woodpeckers, swallows and bluebirds).”
Live or dried mealworms can be purchased. Keep in mind, live ones are more appealing for birds because they move, but you will have to maintain and feed the mealworms. Dried mealworms are easier to deal with but are less attractive to the birds. Mealworms are best placed on a flat surface or wide bowl.
If you put live ones on the ground, they will crawl away.
Birds also enjoy fruits, especially in the spring. Do not ever feed birds avocado, items that contain salt (watch out for peanuts for example), or bread. It has been commonly noted in recent years that bread contains very little nourishment for birds, filling them with a lower-grade food source.
Also, it is dangerous to the birds if the bread is moldy. Suet and peanut butter are also good, high energy food sources. Suet can be mixed with other nuts or fruits and some come with pepper to keep the squirrels from eating it. Birds do not have heat receptors in their mouths, but squirrels do.
Hummingbirds migrate and follow the warm weather. So, you can begin to put feeders out around early March and bring them in around mid-September. The solution made for hummingbird feeders is one-to-four, meaning one cup of (boiled) water to ¼ cup of white cane sugar. Cane sugar is the closest to mimicking the nectar in flowers.
Too little sugar won’t provide enough calories. Too much sugar can damage the bird’s liver and kidneys. Never use any other sweetener such as honey, molasses, brown sugar, or raw sugars as they can harm the birds. Also, do not use red dyes to attract the birds, as they can also cause harm.
Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, so plant bee balm, bleeding hearts, or salvias. Hummingbirds like flowers that are tubular such as trumpet vines as well.
Orioles will sometimes feed from some types of hummingbird feeders, but there are also special feeders just for them that you can spear orange halves on and include a cup for the grape jelly they seem to love. Be aware fruits will rot quickly depending on temperatures as well as attract insects such as yellow jackets, so keep the feeder clean and change the food often. Orioles follow a similar migration timeline as hummingbirds.
Dudine said the most important thing you can do when feeding birds is to keep the feeders clean as “It can get moldy.” Dudine recommends mixing a capful of bleach per gallon of water and making sure your feeders are well scrubbed out.
“Also, make sure the feeder is rinsed and fully dried before putting feed back into it,” he said.
A good food for finches is thistle seed, Dudine said, and the feeders are either “sock-like” so more birds can hang onto the feeder or tube feeders that have tiny holes.
“You have to have feeders (for finches) that have limited ports, two to six at the most to limit the number of birds,” he said.
Dudine said it is important and sometimes critical to have a water source for the birds and to place bird feeders in safer locations. He said it is good to place feeders near shrubbery, trees, and brush to give the birds a place to hide from cats and other predators.
It is good to clean up under the feeder as well. The seed can turn to mush and get moldy. Many birds such as juncos and cardinals are ground feeders so this will help them stay healthy.
Another tip is to put decorative stickers on windows that are near feeders to deter birds from flying into the windows.
If you plant fruit trees or berry bushes you will also attract birds. Cedar waxwings, in particular, are fond of berries and you can attract large numbers for short periods of time. For example, they come en masse annually to Third Street in Turners Falls to enjoy the crabapples.
For more help, books and information on feeding birds, contact The Greenfield Farmers Farmer’s Exchange, 269 High St., 413-773-9639.
Cris Carl is an avid local gardener, licensed therapist and certified herbalist. She is an experienced journalist who has written for the Recorder for many years. cstormfox57@gmail.com.