DO'S AND DONT'S OF BIRD FEEDING (1/03/03)

In my last column, I promised you a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for bird feeding. Here they are. I suggest that you clip this article and keep it with your bird feeding equipment so that you can refer to it from time to time.

I’ll start off with the positives that should guide all bird feeding and then move into the cautionary notes.

Be sure to store your seed in a clean, dry, airtight container, such as a metal or plastic garbage can to prevent egg-laying moths and other critters accessing your supplies and possibly spoiling them.

If you should be so fortunate to have bluebirds wintering in your yard, or should some show up later on, “Miracle Meal” is something these birds will gladly eat. You will need to spread it on the ground, as bluebirds are not likely go to suet feeders. However, if you have a bluebird house, you can place this meal inside the house!

1 cup peanut butter or 2 cups peanut hearts/bits 3 cups yellow corn meal 1 cup lard (no substitutions) 1 cup white flour.

Bring lard to room temperature or melt it before blending with other ingredients. Store in refrigerator. Use this meal especially after a late and heavy snow, as many birds, especially robins and starlings, will appreciate it.

Here’s a trick from Bird Watcher's Digest: Give your seed feeders (especially thistle and tube feeders) a shake before you refill them, to dislodge any compacted seed. Dump out any wet clumps of old seed.

Place feeders where you can easily see them or else you won’t really enjoy your visitors and may miss a rarity.

Offer a variety of seeds and food in appropriate feeders: Sunflower seeds in tube, hopper, or platform feeders; thistle in tube feeders; peanuts in peanut feeders or on a platform; suet in suet cages, logs with carved-out holes or mesh bag; and mixed seeds in hoppers, on platform feeders or scattered on dry ground, although not under other feeders for cleanliness sake.

Since most birds that eat white millet are ground feeders, place it on a platform feeder or directly on the ground.

Use suet or specialty suet cakes with added berries or peanuts to attract woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, Carolina wrens and wintering warblers. In hot weather, use rendered suet or heat-resilient suet blocks that are available commercially to avoid suet that will become rancid and unhealthy for birds.

Have a shrub or other perching area near feeders to increase bird visits and visibility. Add natural features to your feeding station, such as branches, to make birds feel more at ease and to give birds a good perch for your photography efforts. Make a brush pile or stack a bunch of used Christmas trees near your feeders to protect birds from winter winds and cold and to make sparrows, towhees, and other shy birds feel more at home. Just be sure it won't harbor roaming cats.

Make sure all feeding ports and feeding areas are kept clear of debris so birds have easy access to food, and keep feeders clean so that they do not cause the spread of disease. You can disinfect feeders by scrubbing with a weak bleach solution (1/4 cup of bleach to 2 gallons of warm water) every few weeks, oftener in summer or rainy periods. Rinse and allow feeders to dry before refilling. Keep old spatulas and brushes handy by the feeding station for cleaning purposes.

Reduce window-kills of birds by placing feeders a safe distance away. If birds regularly strike a particular window, place a screen, crop netting, or a series of branches over or in front of the outside glass panel to break up the reflection. You can also hang strips of foil or metal can lids with pull tabs in front of hazardous windows.

Though birds may not be entirely dependent on your feeder, it's best not to leave them totally without food if you plan to be away from home in midwinter. Purchase an oversized feeder with a large seed capacity, or ask a willing neighbor to continue feeding your birds.

Now here are the do nots:

Don't offer so-called wild bird mixes in tube or hopper feeders. These are better fed on platforms. Birds that prefer sunflower seed will just empty the feeders to get at the sunflower seeds.

Don't put hulled sunflower hearts (or bits) out where wet weather can cause them to spoil. Offer them in a tube or hopper feeder. Don't allow large amounts of seed to become wet, as on platform feeders. Instead, when it's wet outside, feed primarily from covered feeders that will keep seed dry, or put out only a handful of seed at a time on platforms.

Don't put out any more seed than can be eaten by the birds by nightfall, especially where raccoons, opossums, deer, or rodents are a problem.

Don't discontinue feeding as soon as the grass greens and the weather warms in spring. Many birds will continue coming to your feeders all summer long.

Don’t use grease, oil, petroleum jelly, or similar substances on your feeder poles or wires to thwart squirrels, ants, or other feeder-raiding creatures. If these substances come into contact with bird feathers they are impossible for the bird to preen or wash out. Gooey feathers can become useless for flight or insulation, thus putting the birds at risk to predators, extreme weather and disease. Instead, use a pole-mounted baffle to thwart mammals. For ants, use an ant guard that prevents ants from reaching the feeder.

If you see a sick or dead bird at your feeders, halt your feeding for a few weeks to allow the healthy birds to disperse. This lessens the possibility of disease transmission. Remove and discard in the trash any dead birds. Report sick birds to your local wildlife officials, many of whom monitor wildlife health.

And, now, 2 final DOs: Keep your cat(s) indoors and visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project Feeder Watch web site at http://birds.cornell.edu/pfw to find a wealth of information.