Howard County Bird Club
Backyard Birding
Feeder watching can be an enjoyable pastime and provides an educational opportunity for the study of wild birds and their behavior.
Whole Sunflower (black oil) – Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Northern Cardinal. Some years Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Peanuts whole or hearts – Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, and Tufted Titmouse.
Nyjer Thistle – Pine Siskin, House Finch and American Goldfinch.
Safflower – Northern Cardinal, House Finch, Carolina Chickadee. Squirrels do not eat Safflower!
Mix or Blend – Sparrows, finches, Mourning Dove, and Northern Cardinal.
Whole Corn – Ducks and geese.
Cracked Corn – Mourning Dove and Rock Pigeon.
Suet – Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Carolina Wren and many more. For hot summers, no melt suet is best and less messy. Squirrels also love suet but can be deterred by using a suet that has pepper ingredients.
Syrup – Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Finches: Expect American Goldfinch year-round and they prefer thistle seed. House Finch are also year-round and will eat thistle or black-oil sunflower seed. Pine Siskin and Purple Finch are uncommon late fall, winter and early spring visitors to our area. Siskins prefer thistle seed while Purple Finch prefer black-oil sunflower seed.
Sparrows: Sparrows will mostly feed on the ground or from platform feeders. They are attracted to mixed seed combinations. Song Sparrow and House Sparrow are year-round birds. Chipping Sparrow is a spring and summer bird. The rest of these visit in the late fall, winter and early spring – Dark-eyed Junco, and White-throated Sparrow are common at feeders. Uncommon but possible are White-crowned Sparrow and Fox Sparrow.
Chickadee and Titmouse: We have the Carolina Chickadee in our area which is often misidentified as Black-capped Chickadee (rare). Tufted Titmouse and the chickadee are year-round and common feeder birds that prefer black-oil sunflower seed. White-breasted Nuthatch is another year-round visitor that feeds on sunflower and peanuts. Some late fall and winters we have Red-breasted Nuthatch visitors which take sunflower and peanuts.
Woodpeckers: Expect Downy Woodpecker and Red-bellied Woodpecker if you feed suet or peanuts. Uncommon but possible are Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpecker will take peanuts but is an uncommon feeder visitor in Howard County.
Others: One of the most popular year-round backyard visitors is the Northern Cardinal and they prefer black-oil sunflower seed and safflower. Mourning Doves will often feed on the ground or on platform feeders and eat all seeds. Blue Jays and American Crows will sometimes stop by to take whole peanuts or suet. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have specialized requirements; the link provides more information.
Tube – A long slender tube that helps keep seed dry and offers multiple feeding ports from which birds can eat. Many tube feeders are now manufactured to be squirrel proof. Attracts finches, chickadees and titmice.
Thistle – Often a tube feeder that has smaller feeding ports to accommodate finches. Many are made of a wire mesh that allow birds to feed anywhere on the feeder. Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch can feed upside down, sideways and right side up on mesh thistle feeders.
Hopper – Many are designed with a locking top and spring activated perch that work together to keep squirrels away. Attracts most birds.
Platform – Platform feeders are often referred to as tray feeders, table feeders or fly thru feeders. Many birds love this type of feeder because they are easy to land on and fly away from. Attracts most birds.
Window – Small plastic tray feeders that attach to windows with suction cups. Affords close-up viewing without binoculars and is safe for birds. Attracts finches, chickadees and titmouse.
Suet – Usually a metal cage that holds one or two suet cakes. Some are specially designed to attract uncommon species such as Pileated Woodpecker. Attracts a wide variety of birds.
Hummingbird – Hummingbird feeders come in many shapes and sizes. For best results the feeder should have red colors and an ant guard. If your hummingbird feeder does not have an ant guard they can be purchased separately.
Bird Bath – Water is important not only for drinking but equally necessary for bathing. Regular baths enable birds to maintain their feathers in peak condition for flight and insulation. Available water in freezing weather is often essential to attracting birds and for some is more important than food. Electrically heated bird baths are available. Attracts a wide variety of birds.
Search the web for pictures and vendors of feeders.
When deciding where to place your bird feeder consider 1) can you see the feeder well and 2) is the feeder in a safe location. For maximum enjoyment you will want to place your feeder where it is best for you and the birds and also fits your outside environment.
Mounts and Hooks– Feeders can be placed anywhere in your yard or on your deck by using either a pole mount or a shepherd’s hook. This allows flexibility to place the feeder where it best suits you. Baffles placed on poles will deter squirrels (and raccoons) but are not effective if the squirrel can jump from a fence or tree to reach the feeder.
Safe Place – Window strikes kill millions of birds each year, and the last thing anyone wants to do is kill them in the yard. To avoid window strikes, feeders are best placed at least thirty feet from your windows or counterintuitively within three feet of your windows. A feeder three feet away or less does not allow the bird to gain enough speed to injure itself should it hit a window.
Window Protection – When your yard does not allow a safe place for feeder placement then it is best to place ultraviolet window decals on the outside of your windows to deter window strikes. You can see out and it glows like a stoplight for birds.
Cover – Feeders placed near natural cover such as bushes or evergreen trees provide a resting place for birds and quick refuge from hawks. Cover, just as importantly, offers shelter from chilling winds which are prime killers on winter nights. Brush piles, evergreen plantings, and groups of discarded Christmas trees can all provide additional cover. When adding cover, consider plantings that attract birds and pollinators. Audubon Society of Central Maryland has a page Native Plants for Birds and HCBC has a reference on the Pollinator Resources page. Both of these strongly recommend using plants (trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants) that are native to Maryland because they will do better here and are better for the environment.
Feeder care: Any style feeder will become dirty over time, and they should be cleaned regularly. Dirty feeders increase the risk of disease transmission. A good cleaning method is to scrub your feeders with soap and water and then soak them for ten minutes in a diluted bleach solution. Dishwashers are effective as long as they are on a hot setting.