Your First Bird Feeder

I got this question from an old friend, and I thought it might be helpful to share this more widely as well.

So my wife and I for the first time have put up a winter feeder for birds. After a few weeks now of watching activity, it dawned on me, I should probably ask someone like yourself for tips/advice, e.g. dos/don’ts (like should I use spiced seeds to discourage squirrels or is that bad?), suggested identification books/tools, or any other useful things for a backyard n00b? We have it set up so the feeder is directly viewed from our living room where we spend most of our time, so there is potential for our getting overly indulged potentially… ;)

Any tips appreciated! Have a great holiday!

First thing I'd suggest for your feeder setup if you haven't already done it: a nice basic set of binoculars, so you can get good close looks at birds without chasing them away moving to the windows. I have a pair here in my office, and we have another pair upstairs with Laurie's feeders, and they can be quite handy. You don't need to spend a lot, but I wouldn't buy a pair under $100. My suggestions: the Vortex Optics Crossfire HD 10x42 Binoculars (about $150) would be my first choice, but their Vortex Optics Triumph HD 10x42 Binoculars ($99) would be a decent option as well. You could also go with something in that price range from Celestron or Nikon and do well, also Bushnell. I'd avoid the no-name brands.

A good seed mix helps a lot. We buy from the local birding store (google birdwatching store, see if you have a Wild Birds Unlimited or something similar nearby. A lot of cheaper seed mixes are bad; check the % of millet in the mix. Millet is super cheap and birds typically don't really like it, so it tends to get thrown as they look for the better seeds. The bird stores generally sell a "no waste" mix, ours is mostly peanut chips and sunflower chips, and it doesn't have unhulled seeds, so there's very little waste and dropped stuff to have to clean up. You'll find with the really cheap mix a lot of seed gets wasted because the birds won't eat them but instead drop them, so while these mixes are more expensive per pound, they are better values. Also, the cheap mixes and sees found in grocery or places like Lowes may not be as fresh, so they may not be as good for the birds. I love the no waste mixes because the ground feeders like the mourning doves do teh cleanup for me.

I don't modify the seeds in any way, but I do use a squirrel proof feeder. My favorite these days is from brome: Brome Squirrel Solution 150 Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder, 2.6-Pound Seed Capacity, 4 Seed Ports ($45). It really does stop them. It's also raccoon resistant but not bear proof (sigh). I've found they really work without impacting bird species from getting access.

A good field guide helps. I always recommend the The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd Edition. It also comes in Kindle and as an app if you prefer.

It uses illustrations. Newer birders tend to prefer photographs (and I do much of the time to this day), so you might also find National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition or The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (Stokes Field Guides) useful.

For the absolute basics, the $99 Vortex and the Sibley guide would be my suggestion, and the higher quality seed mix. Everything is there if/when you want to upgrade a bit. Once you’ve spent some time with the tube feeder, if you want to expand the food hummingbird feeder is a logical next step. The other item to consider is a suet feeder. I’ve tried a number of different ones (because we have bears!), and settled on this one from Kingsyard, which has the tail board for Woodpeckers and which tend to get opened by the bear rather than ripped apart when it decides to eat the suet on me — so I lose many fewer than I did with other types of feeders. For suet, I buy this pack from Wildlife Sciences and find they last well in warmer weather and the birds like them.

I’ve also — because of bears — gotten to try a number of different feeder stands. I’ve settled on this three hanger unit from Yard Butler. The more common stands that you turn an augur into the ground rarely survive a visit from the bear, where with this one, it just gets pulled over. It’s pretty sturdy, handles winter weather without rusting, and is pretty stable.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask questions if you have them!