Bird behaviour

Bird behaviour at the feeder

Hironbec

To everyone who loves the birds around their home

A FEW BASIC RULES

FEEDING THE BIRDS AT THE FEEDER

Winter is without a shadow of a doubt the best time of year to attract birds to your feeders. Since food is scarcer in the fields, birds are quickly drawn to the many feeders that enthusiasts set out in their yards.

WATCHING THE BIRDS IN YOUR YARD

It is well known that birds live in trees. They feed there abundantly, they nest there and they gladly hide there. But when the leaves fall, the birds are left in plain sight. That is when you can watch them to your heart's content, especially if you have provided for a few fruit trees and put out enough sunflower and thistle seed.

BIRDS GATHER TOGETHER

Birds gather together to get through the winter. They form groups of up to several hundred individuals, depending on whether the feeding stations that attract them can take them all in at the same time. This is a golden rule. Birds are like company: you have to be able to seat them all at the same table.

THE MANY BIRDS AT THE FEEDERS

The more feeding stations there are, the more birds there will be. They all want to eat at the same time. When the boldest one gives the signal, all the other birds with it immediately swarm the feeders.

What happens to the ones that cannot eat at the same time as the others? They wait their turn, of course, but hunger soon gets the upper hand. So off they go elsewhere, to other feeders, taking with them a good number of birds that may never come back.

SPECIALIZED FEEDING STATIONS

At the feeders, the bigger birds always get their way; they drive the smaller ones off. Why not specialize your feeding stations?

It is better to avoid hanging a peanut feeder right in the middle of the thistle. A single call from a blue jay instantly sends the common redpolls or the goldfinches flying, and even the evening grosbeaks will abandon the site.

It would be better to have one corner for the birds that feed on thistle and another for those that are fond of sunflower. If you want to attract the blue jay, the peanut feeder could be set off to one side.

To enjoy the show even more, the feeder can be attached to a window frame, where you can watch them often.

A GOLDEN RULE

To attract birds, you must feed them without fail. Birds get used to a feeding station, and if you neglect to fill your feeders, you will lose them, sometimes for a long time.

Success comes from the enthusiast's determination to keep feeding their favourites. Whether the rain is pouring down or the snow is falling so hard you cannot see a thing outside, seed must be available at all times. That is our golden rule, the one condition for keeping the birds at home. The choice is yours!

WATCH OUT FOR PREDATORS

Cats above all. They creep up silently to get closer to their prey. The poor frightened birds flee wildly, often striking a window.

To protect your birds, choose a spot in the yard that is clear of any obstacle. If cats keep on disturbing your birds, make a bed of dried branches under the feeders. When the cats come near, they cannot help snapping the twigs. These branches will also keep cats from sprawling under the feeders.

Do you have squirrels at your place? They are fond of sunflower. They gnaw wood, plastic and metal. Yet there are ways to keep them from climbing up to the feeders or landing on them.

Hang your feeders from a pole and fit it with a squirrel baffle. It works, provided the pole is a good ten feet away from the longest branch.