Do you enjoy feeding birds? Having a bird feeder in your backyard can bring you closer to the birds in your community. In winter, you can supplement natural food sources and give birds an extra boost of energy to make it through the cold months. For the warm summer months, we’re passing along a few tips to benefit the birds in your backyard:
• Build better habitat: Planting native plants in your yard will add insects, seeds and fruits, nesting locations, and shade for those warm summer months. Although it’s tempting to add ornamental, non-native plants, these do not create the same benefits for birds as they haven’t evolved alongside our native breeding bird species. Native plants benefit birds, insects, pollinators, and all wildlife that call your property home.
• Minimize human and pet interaction: If you’re feeding birds, keep the feeders away from windows, pets, or areas where humans might get too close. Window strikes and pets, particularly outdoor cats, kill billions of birds each year in the United States. Keep feeders away from locations where cats could ambush birds, and if you notice outdoor cats near your feeder, it’s best to discontinue feeding. To prevent window strikes, consider modifying windows to minimize collisions.
• Add a bird bath: On hot days, birds will seek to cool off in water—especially in urban and suburban areas where natural water sources and trees are scarce. Bird baths can offer some respite on warm days, just remember to change out the water frequently. This can be as simple as a shallow dish. Be sure to place it in the shade, add rocks or pebbles to provide a landing spot, refresh water daily, and thoroughly clean weekly.
• Be bear aware: Black Bears are opportunists that will take advantage of a snack, especially in spring, early summer, and before entering their winter slumber. We encourage you to take down feeders in the spring when Black Bears are becoming active. Once a Black Bear associates a location with an easy food source, they will return, leading to challenges for both humans and the bear.
• Focus on the right foods: The risk of disease spread is higher in the summer months. DEC advises taking feeders down between April 1 – Dec. 1, especially if you live in an area with bear activity, but if you do feed, focus on nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, fruit for Orioles, sunflower seeds for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and mealworms for Eastern Bluebirds.
• Keep your feeders clean: Regularly empty and clean your feeders, especially in the summer months. Humidity encourages mold growth and the risk of spreading illness to birds. Remember to rotate your feeder locations to minimize waste buildup—it also makes the birds work for their free meal!
Although feeding birds can offer us great birding experiences in our backyards, feeding birds on state lands is not allowed. A combination of habituation to humans, concentrating birds to smaller areas which increased risk of predation and disease spread, and changing wild characteristics of our shared public lands are a few of the reasons why.
