Wild Bird Feeders – The Problems and How To Fix Them
Wild bird feeders are a great way to attract birds to your garden and enjoy many years of birdwatching but there is definitely an art to both choosing and maintaining them.
There are also many problems that can arise once you have the bird feeder installed. List below are a few of the most common complaints and how to fix them.
Problem 1: How to stop seed sprouting from under wild bird feeders
One of the most effective solutions to avoid this problem is to simply sterilize the seed before you put it out. It is not as hard as you think – all you need to do is put it in the microwave for around 5 minutes in a paper bag.
It is important to understand that by sterilizing your bird seed, you are not going to put the birds off eating it nor will it diminish the nutritional value.
Alternatively you could look at wild bird feeders that have a tray underneath to catch all of the spillage. This way at the least the seed that does sprout will be separated from the good seed.
Problem 2: How to get birds to visit your bird feeder when you aren’t having much luck
If you think that you have done everything right then it may be that you have a predator lurking in your yard out of sight. It may be a cat, domestic or otherwise, or it could be a larger predatory bird.
Another reason may be that the seed has gone rotten or that there is too much naturally occuring food in the environment for the birds to really need to visit you.
Some people also make the mistake of hanging their bird feeder in the most open space, but this is no way to encourage birds because they prefer to feed in sheltered, foliaged areas. Of course placing feeding stations near foliage may present its own problems if a squirrel starts eating the seed.
Like so many things in life, it is about finding the right balance!
Problem 3: How to stop introduced birds taking all of the spoils
This seems to be a common problem these days, especially in rural areas where people have pushed out many native species by stripping habitat to build roads and other structures.
Unfortunately many introduced species seem to be better adapted to living in built-up areas, and you might find that the native to introduced bird ratio is a bit lopsided.
The best way to fix this problem is to reverse engineer what the pest species likes to eat, how they like to eat it and where. For example you can get rid of sparrows and starlings by removing cracked corn from the menu and some birds will avoid feeding while upside down as is required in a bottom feeder setup.
Small tube shaped wild bird feeders will also only let small birds perch and get at the food with their smaller beaks.
Problem 4: Wild bird feeders result in birds flying into my windows
As beautiful as birds are, they aren’t the smartest creatures in the world. Many will see the reflection of the sky or trees in a window and fly straight into it.
To alleviate this problem consider placing hawk-shaped cut-outs on the window. If you don’t really want to mess with the aesthetics of your house then draw the curtains or blinds whenever possible to remove the reflection altogether.
If all else fails you might have to consider removing the wild bird feeder to another spot.