Birders who put out bread for wild visitors often end up giving birds low nutrition that could even make them sick. Instead, try offering chickadees or grosbeaks black oil sunflower seeds or finches nyjer seed.
Nuts are high-energy treats that attract woodpeckers, wrens, chickadees and nuthatches. Old bananas and melons may also attract birds; be wary of fruit flies which could transmit disease.
Contents
1. Suet
Suet is made with lard or rendered beef fat combined with seeds, nuts and fruit that provide replacement protein sources to insect-eating birds during times when insects may be scarce. Suet should be offered all year-round but especially during fall and winter when insect populations may decrease significantly.
Suet attracts woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and other songbirds as an easily prepared snack that requires no preparation whatsoever. Just be mindful when monitoring feeding stations in hot weather; suet can become messy quickly! For an alternative treat you could even make your own suet by melting lard or butter and mixing in bird seed, corn meal, raisins or bits of sliced fruits to form homemade blocks of suet to stuff into log feeders and hang from trees.
2. Nuts
Nuts are an integral component of many wild birds’ diets and serve as an energy-rich source of fuel for flight, preening, nesting and feeding activities. Furthermore, nuts also contain protein, calcium and other essential vitamins.
Owinging whole, in-shell nuts to attract larger birds like jays, crows and grackles will bring large flocks, while smaller birds such as chickadees and titmice prefer soft shelled varieties that can easily be broken apart into pieces.
Be mindful that giving high-fat foods, particularly to species such as crested cockatoos and Amazon parrots that tend towards obesity, can contribute to their weight issues and limit how often you provide high-calorie snacks. This applies especially when feeding them.
3. Fruit
Fresh fruit can make an excellent treat for birders with multiple species to feed, providing additional vitamins and potassium.
Cherries, for example, can provide delicious treats for many bird species including bluebirds, catbirds, finches, robins, thrushes and waxwings. Just remember to remove the pits as these may present a choking risk.
Kiwis and pineapple are delicious treats that many species of birds will appreciate, with citrus fruits being particularly high in sugar levels that could pose potential issues for some birds. As an alternative, try offering dried fruits such as cranberries and raisins which provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and more! Jelly may also make for tasty snacks in small doses!
4. Seed
Assuring your backyard birds with access to an assortment of seeds is an enjoyable and easy way to attract them, but it is essential that you understand that commercially available bird feed typically only contains a fraction of the nutrients necessary for wild bird populations and is frequently contaminated with old or rancid seed, insect larvae and rodent droppings which attract less desirable scavengers or foragers.
Some of the highest quality seed treats for birds include safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) and Nyjer seed (Thistle, Echinops ritro), both enjoyed by American Goldfinches. Milo or sorghum is another high energy treat found in value mix packages that is consumed by grackles, doves and strong-billed finches alike. In addition, perennial plants like cup plant (Silphium spp), featuring daisylike flowers with blue, red yellow or pink daisies; Hesperis matronalis) produce seeds as do perennial perennial perennial plants with bright white or yellow flowers which birds love as treats for American Goldfinches!
5. Shelled Sunflower
Hulled sunflower seeds make an excellent mess-free bird food option, reducing chaff under feeders while being enjoyed by all types of birds. You can find them at hardware stores, bird-feeding specialty shops, pet supply outlets or online. In addition, their hulls can be turned into garden mulch or fiberboard.
Sunflower seed hearts and chips provide another easy way to attract birds without creating an untidy mess beneath your feeders. Hard-billed birds like cardinals and rose-breasted grosbeaks find these easier for eating, eliminating the energy-intensive task of breaking open shells themselves.
Whole or roasted peanuts make an easy and mess-free way of feeding wild birds, providing protein, fat, vitamins A & E, calcium & iron – as well as other important essentials – without creating an additional mess in the form of seed mix. They can be provided using small peanut feeders, tube feeders or hoppers; salted or seasoned peanuts may harm wildlife instead!
