TIME TO ASSESS YOUR BIRD FEEDERS (12/20/02)

Now is a good time to assess your bird feeding equipment. If you already have a feeder or two, this consider upgrading your current ones with those that feature the latest innovations, including improved models that foil squirrels.

If you are new to feeding birds, I hope this article and the one that will follow in two weeks will help you to get up and running with an occupation that will bring you much enjoyment. If you are already a veteran feeder watcher, please bear with me. Maybe you will discover a pointer or two that you have forgotten.

First off, there are three basic styles of feeders: Tubes, platforms and hoppers. Tube feeders come in many sizes and attract finches, chickadees and other small birds. Even our blue jays, oversized for this type of feeder, have learned some tricks so that they, too, can imbibe. Tubes come with a number of openings down the sides, each with its own perch, allowing a number of birds to feed at one time. Tube feeders are designed to dispense either sunflower seeds or thistle. Some of the tubes require birds to feed head down, deterring only the goldfinches and chickadees that are willing to eat in this manner.

Platform feeders are just as they sound. You merely put your feed onto a flat tray that may sit atop a post or be sheltered within a framework. Many birds feed comfortably on a platform, especially the sparrows, juncos, towhees and doves that are referred to as ground feeders.

Hopper feeders come in the widest assortment of all, from plain ones where all you do is lift off the top and fill a central area that dispenses food out the bottom to fanciful ones that resemble Frank Lloyd Wright edifices. It's not the looks that appeal to birds, however; it's what is inside. Some hoppers are built to be squirrel proof. A few models of hopper feeders can either attach to windows or are desgined to fit into an opening so that you can see the bird visitors very well.

As to food, first and foremost are the oil sunflower seeds. Although cardinals, chickadees, titmice, blue jays, nuthatches and finches will eat the large striped sunflower seed, there is much less waste and a bit more nutrition in the small, oil type.

Goldfinches are especially crazy about thistle seed, but house and purple finches enjoy it, too. Although expensive, it is good to offer as it may also attract the more unusual pine siskin.. White millet is important for many of our wintering birds, and you can include cracked corn in your offerings, scattering it on the ground or platform feeders, but not below other feeders for cleanliness sake. Mixed bird seeds should be bought with caution, as many mixes contain large amounts of seed, especially red millet and rape, that birds simply won't eat. What looks good to our eye is not necessarily viewed the same way by birds! Cracked corn appeals to many of the ground-feeding birds, but also to pigeons (rock doves), which you may not want to attract.

Suet is as important as seeds when providing food for birds. You can obtain fresh suet from a meat market or buy rendered cakes in supermarkets and at specialty shops; set suet out in commercially sold wire containers or in holes you drill yourself in small logs or in those mesh bags that onions come in. Secure the suet to the side of a tree or suspend it from a post. Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, creepers, nuthatches, Carolina wrens — and unfortunately, starlings — all depend on suet. You may need to bring your suet in every night to protect it from being stolen by raccoons and other nocturnal mammals.

Grit is used by many birds to help them grind their food in their gizzards. Mix a little sand, dirt or fine gravel in with the seed or corn you supply. In addition to a variety of seeds, suet and grit, birds need a continuous source of water, especially in the winter. There are electrical gadgets, essential for those of us who live in the snow.belt, that keep water in a bird bath from freezing.

Right now there is one more important step you can take to help our wintering birds. Save your Christmas tree and gather others. Pile them near your feeders as shelter for the birds or “decorate” them with strung popcorn, grapefruit or orange cups filled with suet or bacon grease, and whatever else your imagination can supply.

You will find that whatever methods you use to feed our wild birds will reward you many times over. I hope your bird diners are now open with a broad menu for your patrons!

If you can access the Internet, you’ll find the following sites full of helpful information: http://www.duncraft.com and the National Bird Feeding Society at http://www.birdfeeding.org/. Join the Society and start reading The Bird's Eye reView, a bimonthly newsletter filled with tips, tactics and tales.

Next time, I’ll present you with a list of “do’s” and “don'ts” for feeding birds, along with a lot of helpful tips.