cedar bird feeders | Bird Watching | Audubon Bird Feeders

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Bird Watching Guide - Audubon Bird Feeders
Bird watching is an enjoyable hobby for many of us. We love the antics of the different birds as they try to get the best and largest amount of food. The bright colors and different species that come to our gardens are also a source of interest. One of the best ways to attract birds to your garden is with a feeder. As there are different aspects to the feeders, you might want to check out Audubon bird feeders just to get an idea of what you can buy.


There are different bird feeders that will suit the eating habits of your garden visitors. Ground feeders are best for birds like Doves, Goldfinches, Cardinals, Juncos, Towhees and Sparrows. These Audubon bird feeders need to kept in open areas, at least 10 feet away from any trees and shrubs. This way the birds will have a good chance of escaping from any incoming danger. The feeder is designed in a way that keeps the seeds fresh by separating the bird droppings from the seeds. Sometimes the ground feeders will have covers over them.

Sunflower seed tube feeders are good as they come with metal ports around the seed dispensers. These metal ports will stop hungry squirrels and house sparrows from raiding your bird feeders. It’s best to position this type of feeder about 5 feet off of the ground. To see more bird varieties coming for some food, you may want to hang your feeder near the windows. Audubon bird feeders like these attract Chickadees,

Nuthatches, Siskins, House Finches, Goldfinches, Titmice and Purple Finches as well

Another type of bird feeder that you should look into is the Suet feeder. Titmice, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers love to eat suet. Wrens and other birds will also sometimes eat the suet cake. You can feed suet by placing it in a mesh onion bag, or your other option is to buy Audubon bird feeders that are specially designed for feeding suet cakes to the different birds.

You can hang your suet feeder from trees or on a wire that’s stretched out between trees. You can also place it near other feeder poles and watch different birds eating both the seeds and the suet cakes. Since the suet can turn rancid you should avoid giving this feed when the outside temperatures rise into the 80 degree range.

Hopper feeders will let larger birds like Jays, Grackles, Red-Winged Blackbirds and Cardinals enjoy the mixed bird seed. You will find that these types of Audubon bird feeders have the smaller bird types coming to eat as well. The feed is released as the birds sit on the feeder trigger.

With so many birds around you should think carefully what type of birds that you want coming to your garden and buy your feeder accordingly. The Audubon bird feeders will allow you a greater choice in feeders and will also give you the opportunity to see lots of interesting birds in the relative quiet of your home.

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bird watching | Attract Hummingbirds | Hummingbird Feeders

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Attract And Keep Hummingbirds In Your Yard With Hummingbird Feeders

Throughout time, people have enjoyed watching birds. So much so that many have even made a hobby out of bird watching. Many avid bird lovers travel all over the world to see birds that are on their life lists. However, you don't have to travel the globe to enjoy watching birds. You can get hours of enjoyment from your local varieties of birds in your own back yard by keeping songbird and hummingbird feeders stocked with specific delectable treats to attract them. Besides installing and stocking feeders, you can plant certain plants, trees, and shrubs to attract birds and house birds. And some people even install birdhouses on posts and in trees.

Watching birds at bird feeders placed near your windows can be extremely entertaining. If you have a sunroom or breakfast nook with lots of windows, you can place songbird feeders on one side and a hummingbird feeder on the other side so you always have something to watch. People say hummingbirds aren't songbirds, but I doubt they have spent much time in close company with many, as the little jewel-throated birds seem to sing all the time!

Hummingbird feeders can be purchased in many shapes, sizes, and materials. A glass hummingbird feeder can double as a piece of art and can refract light and bring sparkle into your home on bright, sunny days. A beautiful glass hummingbird feeder can make a wonderful gift for many occasions such as a wedding gift, a housewarming gift or a birthday gift. There are also Hummingbird feeders that look like hurricane lanterns, a cast reel or a slip float for your fishermen friends, a duck call, or a gondola

for your hunter and outdoorsmen friends.

Shades of reds, pinks, purples and yellows are the main colors that attract birds, so many hummingbird feeders are adorned with flowers or designs in these colors. That's because hummingbirds are attracted to the colors of flowers that produce the sweet nectar that sustains their life. Hummingbird nectar is simple to make and can be made at home. All you need to do is boil water and add cane sugar. Boil the water for two minutes, and add one part sugar to four parts water. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then fill your feeders. Any leftover nectar may be stored in the refrigerator.

You can even get hummingbird feeder mobiles with tempered glass nectar containers that are easy to fill and clean. Less expensive options can be found as well. Those are usually made of clear and red plastic. Quite often three or four plastic honeysuckle or hibiscus blooms lead the way to the feeding stations. A hummingbird oasis is round and flat with a circular perch and six feeders. These are handy if you have a lot of hummingbirds.

Attracting hummingbirds to your hummingbird feeders may take a couple of weeks, so be patient. They become accustomed to feeding from one type of feeder, so if your neighbors use something else it may take them a few days to adjust. If you plant petunias, lilacs, honeysuckle, and geraniums, your chances of the birds staying in your yard are increased. Hummingbirds need plants, ants and spiders in the area before they will call it home. They use spider webs to make their nests, and geraniums make great homes for spiders!

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bird houses - bird watching - Oriole Feeders

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Bird Watching Guide - Oriole Feeders
By Preddy Boise

There are many beautiful birds in the world, but the bright orange color of the Oriole is one of America’s more beautiful summer time visitors. These birds love to sip nectar from flowers and other flowering plants. Besides flower nectar they also love grape jelly, and fruits. While you can watch them eating their nectar straight from the garden flowers, you might enjoy seeing them at Oriole feeders as well.

Oriole feeders resemble hummingbird feeders in that there are little wells that the Orioles can drink their nectar from. These specialized feeders allow the Orioles better access to the nectar. Their bright orange coloring can be detected by Orioles even from a great distance.

The best type of Oriole feeder will have both a bee, and ant guard around it to keep these insects away. Should you leave your Oriole feeder untended then the bees will fight the Orioles for possession of the nectar stand. Therefore it’s wise to invest in a bee and ant guard for any Oriole feeders that you buy.

The Oriole feeder should have a built-in moat so that there is water between the ants and the nectar at all times. A nectar scale on your new Oriole feeders will help you to gauge how much nectar there is in the feeders. A feeder that has perches around the edge will give you the opportunity to view the Orioles without any distractions. The most important feature of the feeder is

that it should be easy to clean. This is very important because an unclean feeder will allow mold to grow on, and in it.

The best time to clean your feeders is every 1 to 3 days. You’ll need to remove all of the left-over nectar and any fruits that are on the feeder. Then rinse out the feeder by washing it with warm water. Adding a handful of uncooked rice to the water and shaking the feeder tube will remove any excess nectar stuck to the sides. Once your Oriole feeders are clean and you are sure that no mold is growing on them, you can refill the feeders with nectar.

Should you prefer you can put grape jelly into your feeders instead. However don’t put food coloring or other dyes as these can be dangerous to the Orioles. A possible recipe for grape jelly follows. Use 1 part water and 1 part grape jelly. Mix them together until it resembles a thick juice. If you want you can use a blender to get the right consistency. Afterwards using a funnel pour the grape jelly juice into the Oriole feeders. Keep the rest of the mixture in the refrigerator.

Another good idea is to place an Orange halve on a twig, or try placing your Oriole feeders in a patch of bright-orange flowers as they’re attracted to orange more than any other color. These few simple steps along with your Oriole feeders are all that is required for attracting the bright Orioles to your garden.

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