Wild bird feeders are just one of many great accessories that will draw birds into your backyard.
What’s so great about wild bird feeders?
Wild bird feeders are wonderful because they are a delightful backyard decoration that also attracts local wildlife. Wild bird feeders come in all shapes and sizes and are designed to hold all kinds of birds that are attracted to all different types of bird food.
Platform wild bird feeders actually have a platform at the top of the feeder so the birds can comfortably stand while they eat. Platform bird feeders are made of several different materials and can hold all kinds of seed.
You can also find wild bird feeders that are shaped like gazebos and barns. These wild bird feeders are called hopper feeders and they’re designed to support larger birds.
Maintain your wild bird feeders
Like everything else, wild bird feeders get dirty. To keep your winged neighborhood friends healthy, keep your feeder clean. The frequency with which you need to clean your wild bird feeders really depends on the area of the country you live in. If you live in a dry climate, you’ll probably need to clean the feeder less frequently. If you live in a wet region and the seed gets wet, you'll need to clean your feeder at least once a week. This will prevent mold from building up on the seed and making the birds sick.
Keeping the squirrels out
Keeping squirrels out of your wild bird feeders is not easy, but it’s worth the trouble because squirrels love to steal the seed out of your wild bird feeders. They also love to tip the feeders over, which causes a mess and tosses lots of seed on the ground.
To keep squirrels off of your wild bird feeders, get wild bird feeders that simply can’t support squirrels. Tubular wild bird feeders can’t hold squirrels. These feeders are long cylinders. They have an upside down feeding tray, which allows small birds to feed from them, but not squirrels. These feeders are also too slight to support a squirrel and do not have perches that are large enough for squirrels to land on. Squirrels know this and stay away from them.
Now, if you have any other kind of wild bird feeders, say a hopper feeder, you can cover the bar or post leading up to the wild bird feeder with PVC. Squirrels cannot scale PVC. They slide down it making this material a great watchdog for your wild bird feeders.
