Best Bird Feeders for Backyard Birding

There is definitely a lot of debate regarding the best bird feeders. While there is nothing wrong with shopping around, it really isn’t that difficult finding a really good bird-feeder, even if it is only going in your backyard. When selecting the right backyard bird feeder, here are some characteristics that you should look out for:

Versatility

Simply put, your bird feeder needs to be sturdy, tight, easy to put together, and easy to keep clean as well. Sturdy is the name of the game simply because winter weather can certainly wreak havoc on all of your backyard items, not to mention squirrels might invade the bird feeder as well. The bird feeder has to be tight or the seeds will get too wet.

What type of bird do you want to attract?

The type of bird you are looking to attract will largely depend on the type of bird feeder you acquire. For example, if you want to attract pigeons, house sparrows, grosbeaks or ground-feeding birds such as juncos and doves, you should absolutely consider a tray bird feeder. Hopper or “house” feeders can easily attract jays, buntings, titmice, and finches; and window feeders can attract finches and chickadees.

Be sure to get a bird-feeder that will fend off the unwanted animals.

You might think that your bird-watching will be just like a fairy tale after you finally break down and purchase one. However, attracting birds isn’t an automatic thing. Believe it or not, one of the main obstacles will be from squirrels. These furry tree-dwelling animals actually enjoy birdseed every bit as much as the birds do, and they will perform some rather amazing circus-like acrobatics to get to it before the birds can. If this doesn’t sit well with you, then rest assured that there are many different bird feeders that are designed in a way to fend off the squirrels and still save the treats for the birds. These bird feeders will usually have such things as a tube entry that will respond to the extra weight of the squirrel. That is, they will essentially close off the door for the squirrel and still leave the seed for the birds. This type of bird-feeder isn’t totally fool-proof, but it will often cause the squirrel to give up completely. One sample product of this type would be the Squirrel Buster Bird Feeder.

As you can see, when it comes to bird feeders, it really is to your advantage for you to do your homework. Doing as much research as possible is one of the best ways for you to find the right bird feeder for all of your needs.