Backyard Birding
Turn your backyard into a bird haven with tips on feeders, habitats, and attracting your favorite species.
Feeders and Food
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…
Tips for Better Bird Feeding
American goldfinches flock at backyard thistle feeders. Photo by Randall Sholten. Bird feeding provides enjoyment to millions of North Americans each year….
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…
Hummingbird Feeding Tips
Ruby-throated hummingbird (male). Photo by Bill Thompson, III Find me a person who does not like hummingbirds. I’ll bet you can’t. Even…
Top Four Foods to Attract and Feed Woodpeckers
Suet Suet is number one on most woodpeckers’ list of preferred foods offered by humans. Suet is dense, hard, white beef fat….
Top 10 Weird Things to Feed Birds
A male Baltimore oriole visits a feeder offering grape jelly. Photo by Tammy Simmons. Sunflower seed may be the hamburger of the…
Essential Tips for Summer Bird Feeding
Bird feeding is a rewarding pursuit—for us and the birds!—that can be enjoyed year-round. Whether you’re offering sugar water to hummingbirds, suet…
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…
Feeding Eggshells
The Shell Game One of the lesser-known ways to attract birds is by putting out eggshells. Female birds, drained of calcium by…
DIY Projects
Build Your Own: Bird Bath Fountain
Birdbath and fountain: sound and motion make for special allure A home-made garden sculpture at a fraction of the retail cost. A…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
Hummingbirds
Hummingbird Behavior
Feeding, Foraging, and Reader Observations Article Topics The Avian Nectar Feeders True Nectar Feeders Bill Shape Foraging Efficiency Flexible Bills Feeding Sugar…
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…
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…
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…
General Hummingbird Feeding Rules
Where do I place my feeder? There are a few things to keep in mind when placing your feeders. First of all,…
Red Food Coloring and Hummingbirds
What about red food coloring in hummingbird nectar? Is it harmful? I decided to research this question when an injured hummingbird came…
How to Revive a Faded Hummingbird Feeder
Each spring when I pull my hummingbird feeders out of storage in anticipation of the hummingbirds’ return, the red parts of the…
What do Hummingbirds Eat?
Introduction “What do hummingbirds eat?” is a question often asked of hummer enthusiasts. It’s a simple question, and you’d think the answer…
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