Feeding Birds in Your Backyard is Fun

The food you put out in your backyard "bird bistro" will depend upon which species you wish to attract. Some wild birds are content to feast on seed cuisine; others prefer snacking on suet cakes and suet balls. Bluebirds and robins are primarily insect eaters, while hummingbirds are known nectar lovers.

Less common wild birds like grosbeaks, mockingbirds, orioles, cedar waxwings and scarlet tanagers will dine more frequently in your backyard buffet if you offer fresh fruit. All this might make feeding wild birds sound confusing and complicated, but it's really not. All you need to do is a) decide which wild birds you would like to invite to your backyard café; b) do a little research to find out their food preferences, and c) put out bird feeders with the corresponding food.

Alternately, if you want to attract a wide variety of wild birds to your feeders, your best bet is to offer a varied menu! Put out several feeders stocked with different kinds of seed or seed-and-nut mixtures. Hang up ready-made seed cakes and suet balls. For the fruit loving birds, offer apple slices or a handful of strawberries, blueberries and grapes on a hanging skewer or fruit spike feeder. And don't forget the hummingbird feeder!

There is a smorgasbord of wild bird food available commercially from catalogs, pet stores and big-box retailers. The best seed catalog I've come across is Doctors Foster and Smith. They offer every kind of food imaginable, as well as a big selection of bird feeders, birdbaths and birding accessories.

If you'd like to try making your own bird feed, here are some easy recipes:

Seed Diet #1

50 percent black oil sunflower seeds
35 percent white millet
15 percent finely cracked corn

Seed Diet #2

An equal mix of pistachios, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts and dried raisins.

Woodpecker Cuisine

An equal mix of sunflower seeds, peanuts, tree nuts, dried apples and dried cherries.

Hummingbird Nectar

One Cup Sugar
Four Cups Water

Heat the water to boiling, then add the sugar, stirring continuously. Boil and stir for one minute. Remove pan from the heat and let sugar mixture cool to room temperature before filling a clean hummingbird feeder.

Offer your neighborhood feathered friends some of these tasty treats, and it won't be long before your back yard is teeming with ravenous birds enjoying their feast.