Fall Preparation for Bird Feeders

With the coming of cooler weather, your backyard birds will see a decrease in their natural food supply. For migrating birds, this will signal a time to start the flight south. But many of our backyard birds stay with us all year long. Providing good food for them through the Winter time is a good way to keep them showing up in our yards. So take a little time this Fall and prepare the bird feeders in your yard.

This doesn’t take long to do, really! But, there are some things that you need check, clean and/or repair. The first thing I always do is to check that the protective roof over my feeders are still intact, strong and without holes. I certainly don’t want to have snow and ice on the bird food, so the top part of the feeder needs to be able to protect both the food and the birds eating there.

Then it’s time for a good cleaning. If you have been providing bird food all year long, you know how dirty your bird feeder can get. If you allow the birds to eat their natural foods from nature, your bird feeder will still need some cleaning. Cobwebs, leaves and debris can clog up feeding holes or standing places for the birds. So get out the hose and give your bird feeders a good jet spray. Make sure to allow them to fully dry before adding new bird food.

Fall is also a great time to replace feeders or add new ones to your backyard. Whether you like the fancy decorative styles or want a more natural look, there are great choices for good bird feeders. And be sure to stock up on plenty of good seed for your birds.

Most of us will be supplying feed for song birds. That means good seed to keep them healthy and keep them coming back to our feeders and backyards all season. Bird food manufacturers have pretty well done their homework for what seeds are best for song birds. So look for feeds blended especially for them.

It doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare your bird feeders for the colder weather. But every second you spend will be repaid to you with a wonderful collection of birds in your backyard.

• Posted in: Backyard Birds
• Tagged: backyard birds, bird feeders, bird food, feeding the birds, seasonal outdoor activites