Backyard feeders matter most from late fall through winter, once insects are gone and snow covers the seed heads. Putting them up in October gives birds a few weeks to find them before the first hard cold. Where bears are active, wait until they have denned.
Most of this checklist is about where the feeders go and how often they get cleaned, more than what goes in them. Birds that flush from a feeder can fly into a nearby window. A dirty feeder passes disease between birds that would otherwise never touch.
Hang feeders either within 3 feet of a window or more than 30 feet from it. Close up, a bird leaving the feeder cannot build up enough speed to hurt itself on the glass. Farther out, it is less likely to mistake the reflection for open sky.
- Ask your state wildlife agency whether bears are active near you — Where bears are active, the usual advice is to hang feeders only after the bears have denned for the winter.
- Pick a feeder spot you can see from indoors
- Hang it within 3 feet of a window or more than 30 feet away
- Mark large windows near the feeders with decals or film — The marks need to be close together to work. One hawk silhouette in the middle of the glass does little.
- Keep feeders near shrubs, but not right beside cover where a cat can hide — Birds want somewhere to dart into. Keep your own cat indoors.
- Mount feeders on a pole with a baffle, away from fences, branches and roofs — Squirrels jump farther than most people expect.
- Make black oil sunflower seed the main food — Chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals and finches all eat it.
- Add a tube of nyjer seed if you want goldfinches
- Hang suet once the days stay cold — Suet softens and goes rancid in warm weather, so take it down in spring.
- Skip mixes padded out with red millet or milo — Many birds kick these seeds out onto the ground.
- Don't put out bread or anything salted
- Store seed in a metal can with a tight lid — Mice and squirrels chew through bags and plastic bins.
- Throw out seed that is wet, clumped or moldy
- Give birds open water with a heated bird bath, or put out fresh water every day — Never add antifreeze or salt to stop it freezing.
- Clean feeders every couple of weeks — Scrub them in soapy water or one part bleach to nine parts water, rinse well, and let them dry before refilling.
- Rake up hulls and spilled seed under the feeders — Piles turn moldy and draw rodents.
- Top up feeders before a storm or a cold snap
- Brush snow and ice off feeders after a storm
- Take feeders down and clean them if you see sick birds — Watch for birds that sit fluffed up and still, or finches with swollen, crusty eyes. Wait until sick birds stop turning up before you hang the feeders again.
- Keep feeders well away from backyard chickens or ducks — Wild birds can pass bird flu and other diseases to poultry.
- Leave some seed heads standing in the garden — Uncut coneflowers and sunflowers feed birds through the winter.
- Count your visitors for Project FeederWatch — The Cornell Lab of Ornithology runs this winter count from backyard reports.