Trick of Treat is for the Birds!
OK…it’s October…so you have to believe that we would find a way to make a connection between your backyard birds and Halloween.
But trick or treat? This ought to be fun!
Let’s start with trick. Our first thought probably goes to the old adage, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” But, here are a few fun “tricks” of the trade that can help to entice birds to your backyard.
- The sound of moving water is a bird magnet. Adding a water feature with a circulating pump or dripper is sure to lure new birds to your yard to check out the water…and maybe your feeders, too.
- Introducing a new feeder or food can often take weeks for birds to discover and utilize. A little trick to speed up the process is to scatter a small amount of the seeds on top of, or under the feeder. Birds locate their food by sight and this will make it easier for them to find it faster.
How about tricking troublesome critters and large birds?
- Stovepipe baffles, when placed properly on a pole system, can make it virtually impossible for a squirrel to climb onto your pole or post mounted feeders. These smooth metal cylinders are effective when positioned on the pole at least five feet above the ground and when the pole is set at least 10 feet away from any tree, bush, fence, or other surface from which a squirrel can jump directly onto the feeders. This setup turns any feeder hung on the pole system into a squirrel-proof bird feeder.
- If you hang your feeder from a tree, accessible only from above, use a standard tube or hopper feeder with a domed squirrel baffle above. Position the dome directly above the feeder to stop squirrels.
- Another solution is to put your feeder behind bars by retrofitting it with an exclusion cage. These cages come in many sizes and dimensions that will protect almost any feeder from squirrels and large nuisance birds, too.
- A final trick for these critters and heavier birds is weight sensitive feeders that that can be set to close off the feeding ports based on the size of the animals. There are feeders with short, or even no perches that favor small birds and make it hard for larger birds to utilize the feeder.
As for treats…this is a natural…and we are not talking about candy corn. We are talking about offering your birds something that is not the usual seed and suet you provide on a daily basis.
- One of the best examples in this “treat” category is Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter®. Birds love it! It is famous for attracting birds that don't typically come to feeders. In fact, it has been documented to have attracted more than 140 different bird species across North America. Bark Butter is a spreadable suet and the “trick” for helping birds to find it is to smear it on the side of the birds’ favorite tree or on top of an active feeder.
- Peanuts are another great treat for the birds! Peanuts are a high-energy food enjoyed by a wide variety of birds including woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, bushtits and more.
Prevent Window Strikes
Birds will strike a window for various reasons. They hit the window mostly when they are panicked or during territorial chases. Occasionally, a bird will not recognize a window and mistake the reflection of sky or yard for safe passage. Birds that collide with glass while in free-flight are rarely just “stunned”, even if they are able to fly away after a period of recovery. Most suffer internal injuries and should be, if possible, examined by a licensed wildlife rehabber. The best cure is to make your windows bird-safe.
You can make your windows safer with one or more of the following steps:
- Place bird feeding stations within three feet (1 meter) of the window or beyond ten feet (3 meters). Within three feet, birds ‘fleeing’ the feeder area will not have built up enough speed to injure themselves if they strike the window. Beyond ten feet, birds will have enough time to spot and avoid the window.
- Set up a window feeder. It will help increase the birds’ awareness of the window and provide you close views of them feeding.
- Try films or other window applications that create contrast. Research indicates the key to effectiveness is having them close enough together; usually within 2 inches (5 cm) vertically and 2 inches (5 cm) horizontally.
- Soaping the window or using spray-snow is a good temporary solution to deter collisions until you can install a more permanent solution.
How you can help an injured bird?
Taking care of injured birds and wildlife should be left to people who know how to do it best. Contact your local Wild Birds Unlimited store for help locating a rehabilitator near you.