Backyard Birding
Turn your backyard into a bird haven with tips on feeders, habitats, and attracting your favorite species.
Feeders and Food
Backyard Tips: How to Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar
Hungry hummingbirds sip at a backyard feeder. Photo by J. Quinn. ’Tis the season for hummingbirds! Hanging a hummingbird feeder in your…
Do-It-Yourself: Prevent Squirrels from Raiding your Bird Feeder
This baffle prevents squirrels from accessing a hanging feeder from above. Two metal salad bowls, one 10-inches and another 18-inches in diameter,…
Top 10 Foods for Winter Bird Feeding
Winter: ‘Tis the season for feeding birds all across North America, especially in those regions where it gets mighty cold and snowy….
Common Backyard Feeder Problems (and How to Solve Them!)
Bird feeding provides enjoyment to millions of North Americans each year. However, this hobby we all enjoy comes with its own challenges….
The Well-Equipped Birder: Squirrel-Proof Feeders
BWD Editor Dawn Hewitt and Production Director Bruce Wunderlich tested out a two different squirrel-proof feeders. Here are their reviews. Dawn Roamwild…
A Recipe for Suet Dough
This peanut butter and lard suet dough recipe from Julie Zickefoose is popular with woodpeckers, jays, titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, sparrows, towhees, cardinals,…
Feeding Bluebirds
As insect-eaters, bluebirds are attracted by mealworms. Photo by Bill Thompson, III. If you are lucky enough to have one or more…
What Foods for What Birds?
The experts at Bird Watcher’s Digest have compiled this informative bird food and seed list to help you attract the birds that…
Cleaning Bird Feeders in Winter
It’s wintertime here in Ohio, and that means keeping an eye on the weather forecast on the regular. As a steady supplier…
DIY Projects
Build Your Own: Build a Brush Pile
Create a winter shelter for wildlife in your backyard High on the list of important microhabitats you can create for wildlife in…
Build Your Own: Easy Platform Feeder
Attract Birds and Protect Seed With a Simple and Effective Feeder Design The more places birds can feed in your yard, the…
Do It Yourself: Birdbath Tips
Easy Drippers We know that water in motion attracts birds, and I’ve discovered an inexpensive, easy way to add a dripper to…
Backyard Tips: How to Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar
Hungry hummingbirds sip at a backyard feeder. Photo by J. Quinn. ’Tis the season for hummingbirds! Hanging a hummingbird feeder in your…
How To: Woodpecker Box
Build an Easy Box for Golden-fronted, Red-headed, and Hairy Woodpeckers Download detailed plans you can use to build your own woodpecker box….
Do-It-Yourself Stovepipe Predator Baffle
Materials: Aluminum electrical conduit, ½-inch diameter, 5-foot length Iron rebar, ½-inch diameter, 5-foot length One hanger iron (two 7-inch strips attached with…
Do It Yourself: Bird Bath Heater
Keep your birdbath water warm all winter long When winter comes to our farm, the daily ritual of feeding our birds intensifies…
These Recipes Are for the Birds!
The holiday season means lots of different things, like Christmas Bird Counts, family gatherings, and food—lots of food! As you busily prepare…
Do-it-yourself Pipe House
A new use for PVC pipe! by A.J. Hamler, excerpted from the March/April 2011 issue of Bird Watcher’s Digest Many do-it-yourselfers use…
Hummingbirds
An Introduction to Hummingbirds
General Info The hummingbird family, Trochilidae, occurs only in the Western Hemisphere, where it is second only to the tyrant flycatchers in…
How to Revive a Faded Hummingbird Feeder
Using a shockingly bright red nail polish, I carefully paint a red flower around the feeding hole, being sure to avoid the…
Frequently Asked Questions About Hummingbird Feeders
Feeder Placement There are a few things to keep in mind when placing your feeders. First of all, the feeders need to…
Frequently Asked Questions about Hummingbirds
1. How I can estimate how many hummingbirds I feed each day? A: Hummingbird experts Nancy Newfield and Bob and Martha Sargent…
Tips for Identifying Hummingbirds
Identifying a hummingbird is very similar to identifying other bird species—if the hummer is sitting or hovering in one place long enough…
Top 10 Things You Can Do to Attract Hummingbirds
1. Add a new native plant species to your garden. You just can’t have too many good hummingbird plants in your garden…
Foiling a Bully Hummingbird
Conventional wisdom said to offer multiple hummingbird feeders out-of-sight from each other—perhaps a feeder in the front and the back of your…
Autumn is Here! Should I Take Down My Hummingbird Feeder?
This answer depends upon where you live. Some regions of North America host hummingbirds all year long, so the answer for them…
Prepare for Peak Hummingbird Season! Here’s How
For those of us who adore hummingbirds and enjoy watching their antics, late July and August are an exciting time of year,…
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