Okay, it’s October, which means Halloween is in the air, and believe it or not, your backyard birds can get in on the fun, too. With a few clever tricks and a handful of special treats, you can attract more birds and make your feeders the place to be this fall.
A Few Backyard Bird Tricks
Let’s start with a few simple strategies. These aren’t tricks in the Halloween sense, of course, but practical tips that can help entice birds to discover your backyard.
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The sound of moving water is a bird magnet. Adding a water feature with a circulating pump or dripper can lure new birds to your yard to investigate the water and maybe your feeders, too.
Birds may take weeks to discover a new feeder or food. To speed things up, scatter a small amount of seed on top of or beneath the feeder. Because birds often locate food by sight, that extra visual cue can help them find it faster.
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Special Treats Birds Love
As for treats, we are not talking about candy corn. We are talking about special foods beyond the usual seed and suet you may offer every day.
One popular option is Jim’s Birdacious Bark Butter, a spreadable suet known for attracting species that do not always visit traditional feeders. To help birds find it, smear a small amount on the side of a favorite tree or on top of an active feeder.
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Another easy fall favorite is unsalted peanuts. They are a high-energy food enjoyed by many birds, including woodpeckers, titmice, nuthatches, chickadees, and more. Offer them in a peanut feeder or tray feeder for best results.
If you enjoy watching jays, try peanuts in the shell. Jays actively hide peanuts for later use and can make repeated trips to a feeder, quickly emptying a tray as they cache this nutritious food.
Other special offerings can include mealworms for bluebirds, fruit and jelly for orioles, and nectar for hummingbirds.
With a few clever tricks and a few irresistible treats, your backyard can become a favorite fall stop for birds and a little more entertaining for you, too. This Halloween, the best visitors may be the feathered ones.
Ready to treat your backyard birds? Stop in to pick up Bark Butter, peanuts, mealworms, and other fall favorites, and we’ll help you choose the right treats to bring more feathered visitors to your feeders this season.
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Wild Birds Unlimited is located in the Landfall Shopping Center off Military Cutoff Road. The shop is open Monday through Sunday so you can pick up nutritious treats for your backyard birds any days of the week.
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