Attract Local Feathered Friends to Your Backyard

If you’re looking to make your home a bird’s paradise, Bruce Horwith says think food, water and shelter.

“Anything you do to improve these will benefit birds, not only in your yard, but beyond,” the owner of Wild Bird Crossing in East Hampton said. “Proper, environmentally-friendly management of our yards is probably the most significant contribution we can make to protecting birds, and other animals, including humans.”

There are about a dozen year-round residents that use backyard feeders, Horwith said, including chickadees, titmice, blue jays and cardinals. Seasonal species include white-throated sparrows and juncos in the fall and winter, and warblers, or songbirds, in the spring and summer.

The most basic feeders provide for a mix of sunflower and other seeds. More specialized feeders offer sugar water for hummingbirds, oranges and jelly for orioles and suet for birds that eat invertebrates as well as seed.

Frank Quevedo, executive director of the South Fork Natural History Museum, said other local birds include American robins, mourning doves, blackbirds and woodpeckers.

Black-oil sunflower seeds in a feeder appeal to the widest variety of species, such as tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees, northern cardinals, blue jays and many more seed-eating birds, he said, while nectar and fruit feeders will bring orioles and hummingbirds. Suet feeders draw red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches and hairy woodpeckers, while thistle feeders entice a variety of finches, siskins and juncos.

“If you are looking to attract warblers, it may be difficult, because warblers are insectivores, not seed eaters,” Quevedo said. “They are most likely to search for insects in specific areas within specific type of trees.”

The executive director said now’s the perfect time to invite some feathered friends into your backyard, because most birds are looking for nesting sites in the spring.

“Putting up nest boxes to attract cavity nesters could be very rewarding,” he said.

Eastern bluebird nest boxes and purple martin gourds are also available to purchase. They can be very attractive to tree swallows and house wrens, as well.

“If birds establish a nesting site on your property, most likely you’ll have bird activity throughout the summer,” Quevedo said. “But if you have a cat or dog that plays in your backyard, that can be a deterrent for any birds to stay long.”

He advised never to feed birds bread, but instead, choose nutrient-rich snacks like most fruits and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and lettuce.

Stephen D’Angelo, owner of North Sea Hardware, said he sells a lot of bird feeders, and customers can choose from several food options like wild bird mixes for those who just want to start attracting a variety of birds, and seed that will turn squirrels away if they are not something you want to feed. He said drawing in birds can also be beneficial to insect control.

“Customers take their birds seriously,” he said. “For the most part, the ‘If you build it, they will come’ applies. Put a feeder out with seed and you attract wildlife pretty quickly.”

He believes suet, a quality bird seed with nut meats that is higher in easily digestible fat and calories, so it provides quick energy to hungry birds, is an excellent option for a low-mess, low-maintenance feeder.

“It’s also easier to store,” D’Angelo said. “If I were to choose a seed I would go for the Feathered Friend Bird Snack, which is a variety of seed that attracts multiple species of birds that we have out here on the East End. I do caution customers to back off a bit in spring and summer for some of the species, though. You don’t want them to get too dependent on the feeders.”

Pam Healey, who has 40-plus years of experience at Fowler’s Garden Center in Southampton, said the best way to attract birds is with a water source, like a pond or bird bath.

“Even a saucer with rocks for birds to perch upon,” she said. “Also, good coverage like plants and shrubs. Birds need to be able to hid from predators, and many shrubs also have berries that will attract birds.”

Healey said it’s important to continue to feed birds if you start, but to never overfeed, and make sure you include water. You should also never stop feeding a bird cold turkey.

“While much of the food we humans eat might attract birds, it will also attract scavengers such as rats,” Horwith said. “Bird seed, when offered properly, will favor birds over the rodents.”

Healey added that whiles squirrels are a natural and oftentimes unavoidable aspect of bird feeding, their antics should be embraced.

“It’s enjoyable,” D’Angelo said of helping care for our local feathered friends. “It’s relaxing, and can slow down your day.”

Quevedo said, though, that bird feeders are not important for the survival of birds, especially this time of year. In fact, only 25 percent of their daily energy can come from feeders, while the rest is from natural food supply.

“It’s more helpful to birds if feeders are available during the winter months rather than in spring and summer,” he said. “With habitat destruction as the main cause for population declines, home landscapes with native plants and shrubs are vital for the sustainability of our avian friends.”

Planting an assortment of local native plants such as nectar-producing flowering plants, fruit-producing shrubs and trees and a variety of other trees for seeds, nuts and possible nesting sites is best, Quevedo said, as is the removal of nonnative invasive weeds.

“Birds are an important part of the ecological balance,” Healey said. “They are pollinators and plant seed distributors, which is very important.”