Backyard Bird Feeding

The photographs below are of the bird feeding area at Ojibway Nature Centre. The feeding area can be viewed from the covered porch of our shed or from the Nature Centre's wildlife viewing alcove! Both the porch and the alcove provide wonderful viewing and photographic opportunities.

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Ojibway bird feeders in winter

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Ojibway bird feeders in summer

Click on any of the elements in the above feeder scenes for a closeup photo. Each image is 12k to 48K in size.

**Choice Foods of Winter Birds**
Striped Sunflower -	Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Evening Grosbeak, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, House Finch, Tufted Titmouse, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Oil Sunflower -	House Finch, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch.
Sunflower Chips -	American Goldfinch, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch.
Mixed Seed -	Ring-necked Pheasant, Mourning Dove, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Dark-eyed Junco, Rufous-sided Towhee, House Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, House Finch.
Peanuts -	Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch.
Suet -	Downy, Hairy, Red-headed, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Black-capped Chickadee, Brown Creeper, European Starling.
Niger Seed -	American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, House Finch.

General Hints For Better Feeding

The best times to put out bird seed are early in the morning and at dusk when birds prefer to feed.
Keep one feeder just for sunflower seed as it is a favourite for Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees and Nuthatches.
Putting out table scraps and bread will attract Starlings but few other birds will eat these foods.
Provide feed in different areas. While jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches prefer to feed off the ground many birds are just as happy to feed on the ground.
Place feeders close to areas with protective cover. A row of evergreens or a thick patch of shrubs is ideal. You can even put out your Christmas tree and anchor it by the feeder to provide extra cover.
A shallow pan of water or bird bath can attract as many birds as the best equipped bird feeder.
To prevent squirrels from reaching your bird feeders, hang a squirrel guard or baffle above hanging feeders and for pole feeders, attach a section of stove pipe around the pole directly under the feeder. These methods will only work if the squirrels can not reach the feeder from other directions.

Save money by buying your bird seed in bulk rather than small bags.
The Ojibway Nature Centre stocks a wide selection of bird seed in large and small quantities.

To send comments or questions:
Information last updated: December 2005
URL of this page: http:///www.ojibway.ca/birdfeed.htm
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