Nature Done Wright

Cutline: A male cardinal has enjoyed my bird-feeder makeover. Credit: Jim Wright

By Jim Wright
Special to The Record | USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY

   I’d had the backyard bird-feeder blues for more than a month. Then, on a recent Sunday morning, I hit rock bottom. Although I was hearing birds a-plenty, none came to the feeders.

The usually trusty cardinals were no-shows. The chickadees had hightailed it. Even the downys were downbeat.  

   That’s when it hit me. Like the big bag of bird seed in my garage, my feeder set-up had gone stale. I was down to two feeders – an upside-down suet feeder and a conventional tray – and the birds had gone AWOL.

   I decided it was time for a major makeover. Here’s what I did, in case you want to give your backyard buffet a boost:

   *I bought a new nyjer-seed feeder, so the finches and (heaven forbid) the occasional house sparrow could have their little cafeteria. Who knows? Maybe it will attract pine siskins this winter.

   *I dug out my old peanut feeder and filled it with new raw unsalted peanuts. 

   * I replaced the mostly ignored suet. 

   * I sanitized my old tray feeder with a mild chlorine/water solution and filled the tray with brand-new no-mess bird seeds. 

   * On our picture window, I replaced the old bird-deterrent stickers with a series of evenly spaced black cords called Acopian BirdSavers. (You can make them yourself.) That way, when the birds did return, they were less likely to fly into the window with that dreaded “thud.” 

   Then I waited. 

   I’m pleased to report that slowly but surely, the birds have returned. First, a downy woodpecker found  the peanut feeder. Then, cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and a white-breasted nuthatch were back in the groove. Mission accomplished.

   Maybe the birds would have come back regardless. Maybe I was just in a slump. Maybe the birds had plenty of other food sources for a while. Still, I had been a slacker when it came to feeding my backyard buddies. Now I can rest easier.

   If you’re looking to do a feeder makeover or hankering to start attracting birds to your yard, here’s more advice.

Tip No. 1: If you live in bear country, keep in mind that the state DEP advises taking in your feeders at night until December. (And err on the side of caution.)

   Tip No. 2. If you’re still ground-feeding birds, please stop. Scattering bird seeds is a sure way to attract deer, rodents and squirrels. It will also infuriate your neighbors. Bread also attracts varmints, and it’s bad for birds. 

   Tip No. 3 (for newbies): To keep squirrels from chowing down at your feeder, a baffle on the feeder pole is a must.

   Tip No. 4: To deter deer from dining, keep your feeder at least six feet off the ground. Another deterrent: buy bird seed with cayenne pepper or add it yourself.

Good birding!

     The Bird Watcher column appears every other Thursday.  Email Jim at celeryfarm@gmail.com.