8 Mistakes You Might Be Making with Your Bird Feeder

If you’d like to attract wild birds to your yard, putting out a bird feeder is a great start. But to successfully draw in a variety of birds, you’ll need to do more than throw out some bird seed in a feeder. Here, wild bird experts weigh in with common mistakes people make with bird feeders and ways to remedy them. From putting out more seed variety to positioning your feeder well, try these strategies to host a beautiful array of feathered friends in your backyard. 

You Put Out Too Much Feed

People often get excited when putting out a new feeder and throw in too much bird feed. Put out a moderate amount of seed and replenish it every few days, as needed. 

“If you don’t have many birds around, don’t put out too much seed when you start,” says Maren Gimpel, associate director of Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory at Washington College. “It may take birds a while to find your feeders and seed doesn’t last forever, so start small, especially if you have purchased expensive seed like nyjer or hulled sunflowers.”

You Put Out One Type of Feeder

Another common mistake is to only put out one type of bird feeder. If you want to attract a variety of birds, use different feeders. And if you want to entice birds that don’t eat seeds, like hummingbirds or woodpeckers, add a hummingbird nectar feeder and a suet feeder for woodpeckers to your buffet, Gimpel advises.

“Different bird species eat different things in different ways, so having a variety of feeders can increase your bird diversity,” Gimpel explains. “Smaller birds can sit on feeders with perches while they eat (think of finches and chickadees and sparrows).”

Gimpel adds that some larger birds need more space or don’t balance as well, so some kind of platform with seeds is better. “If you can tolerate a little mess, the seed spilled below a feeder is great for those larger birds too,” she says. “Doves and sparrows are happy to scratch around on the ground to find seeds.”

You’re Hanging Your Feeder in the Wrong Place

People often hang their feeders in areas that can be sabotaged by squirrels, cats, and other creatures. When choosing a placement, a tree branch with nothing around it is a good option. Then birds can wait to feed in the sanctuary of the tree without threats from predators. 

“Make sure that birds are relatively safe from being ambushed by predators, including free-roaming cats, when they are at the feeder,” says John Griffin, senior director of Urban Wildlife Programs at the Humane Society of the United States.

He suggests the below guidelines for placement:

• Place the feeders approximately 12 feet from any surrounding dense landscaping like evergreen trees, bushes, and brush piles.
• Make sure that your feeder placement isn’t increasing the potential for birds to fly into your home’s windows.
• Place feeders either more than 30 feet from a window or closer than 3 feet.

“A feeder that is 30 feet or more from a window is a safe distance from confusing reflections, while one within 3 feet prevents a bird from building up enough momentum for a fatal collision,” Griffin adds.

You’re Not Cleaning the Feeders Enough

Cleaning your bird feeders regularly allows birds to enjoy their feed without dirt or debris. It also helps prevent the spread of common diseases among birds. “Just as you don’t want to eat from dirty dishes, birds appreciate having clean plates!” says Gimpel. “If you put out feeders, be sure to clean them from time to time with a bottle brush to remove any moldy or stuck-on debris and rinse them in a very mild bleach solution.”

Griffin recommends washing your feeder in a mixture of nine parts water to one part bleach every two weeks, being sure to let it dry completely and scrub off any caked-on debris before re-hanging.

You Have One Type of Seed

Birds enjoy a variety of seeds, and providing a wide range of food helps attract different species of feathered friends. 

“It’s best to try and get a mixed bird seed to accommodate as many wild birds as you can,” says Kathleen Rogers, president of Earthday.org. “Black oil sunflower seeds are the ones that most birds especially love. But safflower, thistle, cracked corn, milo, millet, flax, and canary seed are all good too.”

Rogers adds that you should never give birds salted nuts of any kind, and no bread either. Blocks of suet or lard are great in the winter as they’re added fuel for insect-eating birds like woodpeckers and wrens. (Avoid suet or lard in the summer though, when it’ll go rancid quickly.)

Not Putting Out Enough Water

Birds need water year-round, not just in the summer months. “Birds need fresh water throughout the year so always leave them water bowls spotted around the garden, and when it is cold make sure it has not frozen over,” Rogers says. “In snowy conditions, they will often be especially thirsty. It’s not just about the summer.”

Using Stale Food

“It’s easy to leave the bird food in a feeder too long when the birds aren’t eating,” says Brian Cunningham, chief naturalist at Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., in Carmel, Indiana. “Fluctuating temperatures and moisture can encourage food to go bad, clump together, or just go stale.”

According to Cunningham, the food may look ‘fine’ but the birds know better. Similarly, saving bird food too long before it gets into feeders can make it look okay but it is stale. “Sometimes a bag of bird food may sit in storage for weeks, months, or longer,” he explains. “That is when it can become stale, or worse, it gets buggy.”

Keep your bird feeders filled with a one- or two-day supply of seed to ensure it’s eaten quickly and stays fresh, Cunningham advises. Never mix old seed with new seed and store bird seed in airtight, rodent- and insect-proof containers.

Giving Up With the First Feeder

People often give up too quickly when birds do not immediately find their new feeder. It takes a while for birds to start coming, but once they do, they will keep returning for fresh seed. 

“If you have not yet been feeding birds, a new feeder may take from one day to several weeks before the birds in your area discover it,” Cunningham says. He recommends putting only a small amount of food in the feeder and keeping the food fresh and the feeder clean.

“Once the birds find it, they will start coming on a regular basis,” Cunningham says. So patience is key here!