6 SNACKS TO ATTRACT BACKYARD BIRDS
WHILE THEY MAY NOT BE DESIGNATED PETS, THE FEATHERED FRIENDS THAT FREQUENT OUR YARDS IN SPRING BECOME WELCOME VISITORS AS WE WATCH FROM OUR WINDOWS. KEEP ’EM COMING BACK FOR MORE BY FEEDING THEM SOME FAVORITE FOODS YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR KITCHEN.
PEANUT BUTTER
Peanut butter is a popular base for homemade suet cakes, but many birds will go for it on its own, as well. To serve it outside, stuff the holes of a log feeder with peanut butter or just smear it on the bark of a tree. Both blue jays and woodpeckers relish creamy peanut butter snacks.
JELLY
What goes better with peanut butter than jelly? Grape jelly is a go-to offering for orioles. Gray catbirds, tanagers and red-bellied woodpeckers are among the other species that can’t resist the sweet, fruity stuff. You can buy a special jelly feeder at a bird feed supply store, but any shallow container about 1 inch deep will do the trick.
BAKED EGGSHELLS
These provide calcium, which can be especially important for females during nesting season. But it’s essential that you wash and bake the shells to kill off any potential pathogens. After you bake the shells, crush them and add them to birdseed, or just sprinkle them on the ground. You can also offer them up in a standard platform feeder.
NUTS
If you have unsalted nuts that are past their prime, put them out and see which birds will take a bite. Salted nuts are OK, too, but put them in a paper bag first and shake off some of the excess salt. A little salt won’t hurt birds, but too much isn’t good for them.
ROASTED SEEDS
Plenty of birds are seed eaters, but you might think beyond the usual sunflower and safflower varieties. Try roasting pumpkin or squash seeds—you can bake up a batch, share half with the birds, plain, and season the other half to your own liking. Then you’ll be snacking right along with the birds that you’re watching. Northern cardinals, sparrows and other seed specialists will especially enjoy the variety.
FRUIT
Many lodges in the tropics offer fruit to draw birds in for close-up viewing. Tanagers are keen on these fruit feeding stations, and some people who live farther north have been fortunate enough to lure the brilliantly colored western, summer and scarlet tanagers to their own backyards. Orioles love orange halves; when they’ve eaten the fruit, fill the empty peels with jelly. Also try putting out berries or raisins, or experiment with any fruit you happen to have. You just might attract mockingbirds or robins.