Does anyone else feed birds during the Winter? What do you feed them? Suet, etc.?

Question

I enjoy watching them - all kinds. A little chickedee surprised me the other day by staying 6 inches from me while I filled the hanging bird feeder.

I also make my own suet. The stuff they sell in the store is expensive & I've had the birds leave the store bought and eat mine instead. Proabably becuase I spoil them as when I make my suet I put in a can of fruit cocktail juice, some peanut butter and honey. I chop up raisins and cranberries and put the fruit from the fruit cup in along with the regular bird seed and sunflower seeds. I've also added corn flakes and cheerios.

I also will half oranges and grapefruits and when I'm done eating them I put the suet in there and hang them in the tree.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Answer 1

I actually feed year-round, not just in the winter. I have several different feeders in my yard, and at least 30 species of birds that visit regularly. I have a nyger (thistle) feeder, a sunflower feeder, a hanging feeder for wild bird mix, and several suet feeders. I have a dish feeder on my deck where I feed whole corn, mixed seed, black sunflower seed and peanut parts. I also put mixed seed and whole corn on the ground for ground feeding birds.

In the warmer months, I also have a nectar feeder for the hummingbirds and a jelly feeder for the orioles, but I take them down mid November or earlier, depending on the temperatures. I will also feed various types of fruit and berries throughout the year.

I never feed the birds bread, cake, cookies, crackers or any of the other human snacks that people are so fond of sharing with our feathered friends. A bird's digestive system is not designed to deal with the refined sugars and processed flours found in such treats.

In my back yard, I regularly have the following species (depending on season):
American Goldfinch, House Finch, Purple Finch, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, American Tree Sparrow, Baltimore Oriole, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Common Redpoll, Dark-eyed Junco, Europen Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Harris's Sparrow, English House Sparrow, Mourning Doves, Northern Flicker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Tree Swallows, White-throated Sparrows and several Cooper's Hawks that are attracted by all the song birds. I also have an occasional visit from Red-breasted Nuthatches, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, and Pileated Woodpeckers. For about 5 weeks this fall, I had an albino American Goldfinch that was hanging with a flock of English House Sparrows, but he disappeared before the first snow.

Answer 2

Yes we feed the fauna. Our bird feeder is set jutting out from a metal sculpture I made. The problem is that squirrels (Bushy tail tree rats) can climb the sculpture and then reach the bird feeder. They can empty it within an hour or 2. The seeds spill onto the ground and the birds will try and feed, but if the squirrels are around they chase the birds away. When the birds can feed without being disturbed by the tree rats, we will see: Sparrows, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Cardinals, Black birds and others. We also feed a feral cat and whatever else roams around our house at night time. Last year we were feeding a raccoon and she lived in our chimney! She had 5 babies that we had to have a professional animal remover take out. He let the mom and her 5 babies loose in some woods in the country.

Answer 3

I love feeding and watching the birds. I also enjoy the challenge of trying to defeat the squirrels! I feed suet (store bought) to attract the woodpeckers. Sunflower seed for the jays, cardinals, chickadees and the millet mix (cheap birdseed) for the siskins, juncos, doves and sparrows.

Here's my backyard wildlife list I've seen so far this year. (Just moved to a new house a couple of months ago and didn't start feeding until about 4-5 weeks ago.

Blue Jay
Cardinal
Pine Siskin
Sparrow,
Slate Colored Junco
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Red Headed Woodpecker
Starling
Chickadee
Coopers Hawk (once)
Red Squirrel
Grey Squirrel
Black Squirrel

Answer 4

We love feeding the birds (and squirrels and other creatures...) we tend to throw out our scrap fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereal, etc... we make sure everything is fresh and good quality (we don't want to throw out old, moldy stuff!)... a favorite is left over popcorn. We also own a large parrot. He eats colored pellets that have a lot of nutrition (I know, the uncolored would be best)... he'll only eat 3 of the 5 colors in his pellets... so we throw the other 2 colors out and the birds devour them... sometimes we roll them in peanut butter first! Happy bird feeding! :-)

Answer 5

Oh I like you!!! And the birdies love you! It's good to help them out this time of year. Any leftovers are good too like egg yolks, leafy greens. I just put out leftover corn bread...they loved that!

I also have multiple hummer feeders out as well...they really fight over them.

Answer 6

my dad feeds them the cheepest stuff he can buy, and what eats it, eats it. But he feeds birds lots and lots, and they eat it all. them, and the squirrels.