Summer Bird Feeding Tips

It’s that time of year again!

The weather is beautiful, and it’s the perfect time to sit outside and enjoy watching all the birds visiting your backyard.  Don’t forget to keep your feeders filled during the summer months.

You may assume that birds have a lot of food to eat in the wild at this time of year, and while this may be true, they can still benefit from our help.  Many birds are breeding and nesting during the summer, and by keeping our feeders filled, it allows these birds to stay close to their young ones.

Here are a few summertime tips to keep the backyard birds happy and healthy throughout the season:

1. Add water to your backyard:  Birds really love water, and even though water is more accessible during the summer months, bird baths are great to have in your backyard.  Having a bird bath will attract more birds into your yard.  Just be sure to keep bird bath clean, empty the old water and refresh it on a daily basis.  This will help to make sure that your bird bath will not become breeding grounds for pesky mosquitoes. 
2. Set up a sugar water feeder:  If you would like to attract a wider range of birds, such as hummingbirds, orioles, sapsuckers, purple finches, tanagers, and warblers, you can set up a sugar water solution feeder. Just make sure that the water gets changed every couple of days when it is hot outside to prevent it from getting mouldy. 
3. Protect bird health by keeping feeders clean:  It is also very important to ensure that you are keeping your feeder clean at all times during the year, but especially during the summer months. Summer temperatures bring with it an ideal time for bacterial growth in your feeder. You can keep your feeders clean by following these simple steps:  

• Scrub your feeder with hot soapy water about once per month & allow them to air-dry afterwards.
• Wipe down perches and feeding portals on the feeder with a cloth dipped in a weak bleach solution,.  This will prevent the spread of salmonella. 
• Fill your feeders with small amounts of seed more frequently rather than large amounts all at once.  This will keep the food from spoiling which could pose a health risk to the birds. 
• In an open tray feeder, remove any food soaked by rain, as well as any bird droppings.  This will also help prevent the spread of diseases. 

If you follow these simple tips, your backyards birds will be happy and healthy, and you will surely enjoy seeing various birds visiting your backyard throughout the summer season.