Oh summer! What a great time of year and I can not believe it is already half over. I love being in the backyard enjoying a nice summer day and watching the birds come to my feeders. I find that the small birds like the pine siskins and finches are pretty brave and will come to the feeders even with me sitting nearby or while I am working in the garden.
The downside of summer bird feeding is that you have to keep more focus on your feeders in terms of cleanliness. Summer temperatures provide the ideal climate for bacteria growth so it is important to ensure your feeders remain clean. You can do this by scrubbing out your feeders with hot soapy water about once a month and letting the feeder air dry. You could even periodically wipe down the perches and feeding portals with a cloth dipped in weak bleach solution to prevent the spread of salmonella.
Salmonella is a bacterial disease that can kill birds particularly birds like finches, redpolls and pine siskins and it can be easily spread at feeders through bird droppings. If you see a bird that appears sick or see a dead bird under your feeder, this could be a warning that salmonella is present and you should take your feeders down and really work on giving them a thorough cleaning.
In terms of filling feeders, my summer bird feeding strategy is to fill the feeders more often in the summer but with less seed. This ensures that seed that may have become wet due to rain can be removed quickly before it gets bad or spoils. Another thing that I keep an eye on is any bird droppings that might be on my feeder - or in the feeder in the case of my tray feeder.
These few feeder tips will help you to keep the birds at your feeders happy and healthy in these beautiful summer months.
The downside of summer bird feeding is that you have to keep more focus on your feeders in terms of cleanliness. Summer temperatures provide the ideal climate for bacteria growth so it is important to ensure your feeders remain clean. You can do this by scrubbing out your feeders with hot soapy water about once a month and letting the feeder air dry. You could even periodically wipe down the perches and feeding portals with a cloth dipped in weak bleach solution to prevent the spread of salmonella.
In terms of filling feeders, my summer bird feeding strategy is to fill the feeders more often in the summer but with less seed. This ensures that seed that may have become wet due to rain can be removed quickly before it gets bad or spoils. Another thing that I keep an eye on is any bird droppings that might be on my feeder - or in the feeder in the case of my tray feeder.
These few feeder tips will help you to keep the birds at your feeders happy and healthy in these beautiful summer months.
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