Want to make your backyard a natural oasis where you can sit back, relax, and enjoy all that nature has to offer? There are many ways of doing this, from planting lots of trees and flowers to building a pond with a small waterfall.
One of the best, and easiest ways, to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature is to add some bird feeders to your yard. Once your local birds realize you have a feeder, they are likely to come by each day for a snack. And if you choose the best wild birds food, they’ll bring their friends with them.
Birds are fun creatures to watch, and they are enjoyable to listen to. So if you want to relax in your backyard, reading a book, taking a nap, or even working on your laptop, having birds chirping in the backyard can create a peaceful location.
If you are ready to start attracting wild birds to your yard, then keep reading to learn how to choose the right type of bird food for your feeders.
1. Feed the Easy Birds First
Every area will have backyard bird species that are super common, like sparrows or robins, and some that are a little more exotic looking, like the Eastern Bluebird.
Most people will want to attract these wild birds to their yard, not necessarily the common birds already present. So you would think you should choose wild baby bird food for the exotic species first, right?
Not so fast. Birds are attracted to other birds. So if you got bird food for the common birds in your area, like sparrows, then the exotic bird species will take notice of the commotion going on in your yard.
After a few days or weeks, they’ll notice that your yard is the place to be, and they’ll come to explore for themselves. This is the time to put out some bird seeds for these other types of birds.
First, you attract the wild birds by feeding the common birds. Then, you keep the wild birds around by putting out food specifically for them as well.
2. The Best Wild Bird Food Focuses on Seeds
Birds like to eat seeds much more than they like to eat grains. Since many bird food options are blends, you need to consider all that goes into the blend.
Many times, when you choose cheaper blends, they’ll have some seeds mixed in with filler ingredients like grains or corn. While birds do eat these, they don’t prefer them.
So if you want to attract higher quality birds, you need to put out higher quality food. The bag you choose can have some grain, so long as the tastier seeds, like sunflower seeds, are present in a greater proportion.
Unless, of course, you love having ground-feeding birds like grouse, doves, and even wild turkeys who enjoy cracked corn that falls off the bird feeder.
3. Choose Food that Fits Your Bird Feeder
Not all types of wild bird food will work well with every type of birdseed. Some seeds are much larger than others, for example.
If you have a bird feeder with very small holes designed for smaller birds, then the larger pieces of food may get stuck and clog the entire bird feeder. This could limit the amount of food that birds can get.
So for larger bird seeds, choose a bird feeder with larger holes. And for smaller birdseed, choose a feeder with smaller holes, so all the food doesn’t pour out of the holes before the birds get to it.
It also helps to have a bird feeder with multiple holes so that you can enjoy several birds feeding at one time. If you need a new bird feeder, check out the bird feeding stations on Nature Niche.
4. Provide Options
Who says you only need to choose one type of bird food? Lots of birds, and other animals, are like people. They enjoy a variety of different foods throughout the day.
If you truly want to create a natural escape in your yard, add different types of food options. This might mean having nectar inside a hummingbird feeder. You can also plant fruit trees and bushes, such as raspberry or blueberry plants.
Birds also enjoy nuts, which you can place in a feeder or toss a handful into the yard every morning. The more variety you offer, the more you’ll attract different bird species. And the more that these birds will stick around, enjoying your backyard buffets throughout the day.
5. Buying in Bulk
It’s hard to justify expensive bird food. For one, it’s just a bag of seeds, which should be relatively cheap. And second, once the birds know your yard has food, they’ll be around all day, every day.
Bird food will go quick.
Therefore, the best bird food options balance quality and price. And to get the best deal, you’ll want to buy in bulk. Sure, you can buy smaller packages upfront to test out which bird food works best in your yard.
But once you have developed a bird food routine, try buying the biggest bag you can. This typically means shopping locally, as shipping a 50 lb bag of bird food to your door can be pretty expensive.
Check with local pet shops, as well as hardware stores that often have backyard plant and animal feed sections. Just search the internet for “wild bird food near me” to find all of your local options.
Bird Feeding Tips
Anything that birds will eat, squirrels will try and eat as well. The problem is that if a squirrel can access the food in a bird feeder, they’ll take it all.
Choose birdfeeders that have anti-squirrel protection. If hanging a feeder from a tree or stand, make sure it’s low enough that a squirrel perched on a branch can’t reach.
It’s fun to watch them try, however.
Choose the Best Wild Bird Food with Confidence
If you enjoy spending time in your yard, you might as well share that experience with some of your natural neighbors. Birds can help create a relaxing environment, and they are easy to attract and feed.
Choosing the best wild bird food is often a case of trial and error, as it always depends on the local bird species in your area. If there is a bird-specific pet shop in your area, they may be the most qualified to provide recommendations.
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