Feeding the Wild Birds at My Farm
I always enjoy watching the variety of birds that gather and feast outside my window.
One of the easiest and most beautiful ways to observe and appreciate wildlife is by feeding the wild birds. Setting up a feeder allows one to see avian visitors up close, and to understand the types of birds that frequent the neighborhood. I have a number of feeders at my Bedford, New York farm. Most of them are located on the back of my carport near my Winter House. All the birds love to come by and dine on the seed I provide. Feeding the birds is important - it helps to sustain local wild bird populations, especially during the cold, harsh winters and challenging migration periods.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This is the curved carriage road to the woodland – and the calm before the storm. There is no wind, no swaying trees, just cold and damp weather. The first snow storm of the season was expected to start just hours after this photo was taken.
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- On the other side of the carriage road, the still grove of American beech trees, Fagus grandifolia. The American beech leaves persist into winter – see them on the left still clinging to their branches.
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- And here is a view of my Stewartia garden, now bare for the cold months. The stand of bald cypress, Taxodium distichum, borders this garden on one side. They too have lost their needlelike foliage. In fact, they get the name “bald” cypress because they drop their leaves so early in the season.
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- But there’s lots of activity behind my carport, where I keep a long row of bird feeders for the visiting wild birds.
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- These feeders are located right under the eaves. Feeders should be set up where they are easy to see and convenient to fill. They should be placed where seed-hungry squirrels and bird-hungry cats cannot reach them, and if near a window, no more than three feet from the glass to prevent possible collisions.
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- In winter, my bird feeders are refilled every morning. It’s important to keep feeders full as birds often seek out reliable food sources to help them survive the colder months.
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- While some birds enjoy eating from the ground, others prefer tube feeders – hollow cylinders with multiple feeding ports and perches. Tube feeders attract small perching birds such as finches, goldfinches, titmice, and chickadees. According to our Audubon Society, more than 125 bird species visit my farm.
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- When filling the feeders, we use a pole with a hook on one end. Each feeder is carefully removed from its hanging location and refilled on the ground.
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- Nyjer is a great seed to offer birds, especially in winter because it contains more oil, and a higher calorie content, so birds can store fat to survive the season. Each tube feeder holds about three quart-sized containers of seed.
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- This is a seed mix. This includes white millet, black oil sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds and cracked corn. The birds love this seed as well.
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- These tube feeders allow the seed to flow only when birds peck at it, which helps keep any spillage to a minimum.
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- Some birds patiently wait for the seed to be replenished. Here is one sitting on the window sill nearby.
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- Some remain on neighboring perches watching the activity.
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- When looking for bird feeders, consider the type of feeder and the size of its holes to know what kind of food would work best.
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- These birds also get the seeds that fall on the ground below. A red cardinal is on the left. The northern cardinal is a bird in the genus Cardinalis; it is also known as the redbird, common cardinal, red cardinal, or just cardinal. It can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.
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- I also feel it is important to make sure all the wild birds have access to fresh water. I leave bowls of water on the ground and when they freeze, we remove the ice and replenish the supply.
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- When starting to feed birds, it may take time for new feeders to be discovered. Don’t be surprised if the feeding station doesn’t get visitors right away. As long as feeders are clean and filled with fresh seed, the birds will find them.
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- Here is a sparrow sitting on one of the branches of the apple espalier. Sparrows are frequent visitors to backyard feeders, where they eat most kinds of birdseed, especially millet, corn, and sunflower seed.
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- Downy woodpeckers are some of the most common woodpeckers in the area. This one is across the carriage road on one of the pergola posts. This woodpecker is a male by the red marking on his head. Females are simply black and white.
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- I have long been feeding the birds that visit my farm. It is quite a commitment to keep them filled all year long, but it is comforting to know I am helping our wild bird populations survive and thrive. What birds frequent your yard? Share your comments with me in the section below.
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