All you need to know about Backyard Bird Feeding
If you want to enjoy wildlife interestingly at home, it is by feeding birds at the backyard or terrace of your house, where a variety of birds will visit your place. Birds usually expect a shelter with food, water and also free from all toxic enemies and that pleasant environment can be made available by us.
And this can be made possible by placing feeders at our homes. Feeders should be placed at places where birds feel safe to eat from attackers or enemies, like cats, dogs and so on.
It is advisable to place feeders at a height of 12 feet on stands, pillars, trees where birds can easily reach out, as predators find it difficult to hide. When you keep the food at ground level, make sure to keep branches or extra cover to protect it from predators.
Foods that can be given at winter season are Peanuts, Cracked Corn, White Proso Millet-High Protein Content and Black Oil Sunflower seed with high fat content that provides high energy as these seeds are small and thin shielded and easy to crack and open.
During spring season foods like Fruits, Baked and Cooked egg shells can be used to feed birds. And for Autumn feeding provide peanuts, millets, and suet cakes. Don’t offer bread (fresh or decayed) to birds, as it provides no nutrition to birds and also chocolate is harmful to birds as it contains theobromine. Leftover food is also harmful to birds.
Guide on Feeders to be placed: Many birds will eat at any level, but some specific birds have preferences
● Ground level – Doves, Sparrows, Towhees.
● Table level – Cardinals, Jays
● Hanging feeders – Titmice, Goldfinches
● Tree trunks – Woodpeckers, Nuthatches
● Table level – Cardinals, Jays
● Hanging feeders – Titmice, Goldfinches
● Tree trunks – Woodpeckers, Nuthatches
How should the feeder be?
While searching for proper feeder, remember few of these points
1.You can use steel or glass as these are easy to clean.
2. Make sure there should not be any sharp edges, add a large dome for birds to eat.
3.Place a sheet over the drainage holes to keep the seeds in the feeder dry.
A small innovative step for society can save the future better, it saves birds from starving thereby reducing the death of these tiny creatures. It can be done anywhere in the city, urban or countryside. These tiny creatures are on the lookout for food, shelter, water that are safe from toxic sprays and prey.
At Irakkam Foundation, we make sure that these helpless creatures are fed. To protect them from extinction and hunger, we set up a feeder system outdoors. We also insist each individual to offer water and meals in your neighbourhood areas and save these hungry souls from starvation.
