How to get more birds to your feeder
While you can appreciate the birds you got now, there's always an opportunity to attract more birds to use a feeder, with type bird food and feeders in use the key to success.
To attract more birds to your bird feeders you must diversify the types of bird feeders in use; they must be more accessible to less able birds, while offering a varied diet of bird seed mixes, peanuts, suet and dried mealworms. More birds will come if using an open to all platform, with this bird feed and many more.
What is a common sight when attracting wild birds to your yard, then too bird feeders, is the same old feeders are used.
Can be used with great success I might add, though unless you are prepared to upgrade to all types of bird feeders, then you'll only be visited by the same familiar faces.
Not all birds can tackle a compact, restricting hanging bird feeder, thus a bird feeder dish may lead to more birds to feed at your bird feeding station pole.
And this is what I call diversifying your bird feeder selection, as less restricting feeders can be open for all bird species, large or small.
Where to place a bird feeder matters of course, with this location being open to the elements so all birds can spot a food source in your yard. Location alone can by key to inviting more birds to your yard - in which can lead to them eating off bird feeders.
Expand your bird feeder collection to include a more accessible tube feeder for seed mixes, wire feeder for nuts or sunflower seeds - plus a vital cage bird feeder for fatty suet in fat balls or suet cake form.
Birds can be attracted to color so plant colorful flowers near the feeder location, while any bugs they attract can tempt insect eating birds.
While this all relates to attracting common backyard birds, let's not forget you can attract more hummingbirds to a feeder if setting up their nectar-filled feeder the same way.
Diversity bird feeder options
Believing you can get more birds to use a bird feeder when in fact it was designed to attract limited bird species, would be your first mistake.
Birds that come to our yards do so to feed off bird feeders that is within their limitation; while some birds can tackle a highly complex yet restricting bird feeders - many others can only feed on top of an open bird feeder.
How to get more birds to your feeder then is to diversify the types of bird feeders you have in your backyard.
Now I will say identical tube seed feeders hanging up can still limit the number of birds who will use it - while in fact familiar faces may be the only ones using it daily... so its time to add a new kind of bird seed feeder.
Seed bird feeders will only attract seed or nut eating birds, so one or a group of seed feeder types needs to be expanded on.
Whilst the seed feeder is a must, use a wire mesh feeder to hold peanuts, and a cage to hold suet cakes or fat balls - along with a dish to hold all these... plus dried mealworms.
What I am getting at is to get more birds to use your bird feeders, they must be compatible with many birds limited ability at the feeders; all while birds feed on a varied diet so as much wild bird food must be offered at any one time.
Open up to all on platform
Rather than testing different kinds of hanging bird feeders for seeds, nuts or suet, why not give an open top platform bird feeder a go.
Why won't birds use your bird feeder is because they are simply not capable of clinging too it, or landing on a small perch to feed.
Open up to all common backyard birds with help of an open to the elements, open top platform feeder - designed to be on a post, be hung or can be on the ground.
To be an open top wooden platform bird feeder on a pole, up to 4 feet off the ground, I can guarantee species like Robins or Bluebirds who otherwise struggle on hanging bird feeders - will be able to perch on the rim of this platform on a stand.
Whilst these bird species are ground feeding birds, they can still happily feed on an elevated point if it isn't restricted in any way.
With that in mind an open to all ground platform bird feeder which sits a little way up off the ground, can attract these birds and many more ground feeding birds in the yard.
Benefit being is you don't need to throw bird food over the lawn as a ground platform of this kind can preserve the bird feed for longer.
Continuing with the option to hang a bird feeder of the platform type, why not allow birds to feed in safety off a bird feeder pole or tree branch - with a hanging platform bird feeder in use - to which is similar to an open dish tray.
Surround pole in flowers
To get more birds to come to a bird feeder, or should I say multiple bird feeders only and not just the one - you'd need to group them all close together so feeders are made to be seen.
Group all bird feeders within a foot of each other on what is a handy bird feeding station, made with 4 to 6 brackets for hanging all kinds of bird feeders available.
Birds are sure to spot a bird feeder grouping just as they're, whereas to plant colorful flowers surrounding the bird feeder pole can potentially lead to attracting even more birds.
Surround the base of the pole in these flowers which should take up too two to three months to bloom; then what comes next is going to help you not only attract more birds with these vibrant colors... insect eating birds in particular can be tempted.
On a slightly different note, to get more hummingbirds to feeders, insect attracting flowers can be inviting to hummers, as well as their reliable nectar filled hummingbird feeder which more bird species will use.
Insect eating birds can be seed or nut eating birds, but to get more of these birds you must realize they might just want to feed on insects and bugs in the wild, rather than rely on a bird feeder.
Bird feeders are not commonly stocked with things like live or dried mealworms, thus birds tend to not rely on feeders for this food that is part of their diet for most of the year.
Well then, to plant colorful flowers directly below your hanging bird feeders could be all you need to attract more birds, while guaranteeing the same birds return.
Plant fruit growing plants
On the subject of attracting more birds with the use of vibrant flowers to draw the eye, while in turn birds can use the bird feeder near by - why not really commit by attracting fruit eating birds.
Much like birds who feed on insects for much of the year, there are birds who will eat berries or fresh fruits all year in the wild.
Of course none of this will get more birds to use your bird feeders, while the hope is once birds arrive in your yard - with bird feeder sat near by to the fruit plants - birds may be up to paying the feeders a visit.
Plant fruit growing plants on the boundary of your yard if it remains only several feet away from your bird feeders.
Fruit growing plants only cost a few bucks at the garden center, while a long wait of one to three years will be on the cards, insects can be attracted to these plants to which birds will come down to eat them in the process.
Its not all about getting more birds to use your bird feeder directly, you may have to go around the houses so to speak - to which the birds will then hopefully use your bird feeders.
While fruit growing plants grow over the next few years, expect to see more Orioles, Robins, Sparrows, Chickadees, Warblers, Blue Jays, Grackles and many more as a reward for your commitment.
Erect noisy bird bath fountain
While I've provided a few notes to get more birds to use your bird feeders directly, in-directly you can rely on a less used bird bath, which is an ornament that can be useful
Bird feeders alone will stand you in great stead of attracting more birds to use them, and that is if there's feeders made to their ability, while being more open for all.
Whilst color and bird food will attract any common backyard birds, if its not seen then birds simple won't come at all.
And that's the key, if you can't get more birds to come to a sitting quiet bird feeder, why not invest in a bird bath for birds to use it to preen and hydrate while they're there.
However this isn't why I want you to erect a bird bath in your yard, what you need to do is setup a fountain bird bath which birds like very much. Its not so much the fountain feature birds are attracted to, but the noise it actually makes.
Running water can really draw more birds to it, if to drink or bathe is what birds want.
How to get birds to a bird bath will be with running water made by a solar powered bird bath fountain.
Rather than a flat, quiet bird bath just sitting there, the bird bath is now loud, makes ripples on the water surface where birds can see water glistening as they soar above.
Once birds land in your yard to investigate the bird bath, only then can they spot the bird feeder to which are far more important if birds don't really need to preen or hydrate.
To sum it up
Get more birds to come to your bird feeders if you at least diversify your bird feeder options.
Rather than rely on one to two seed or peanut feeders, continue to feed birds this bird food in many more kinds of bird feeders.
Benefit to that is more birds can tackle the complexity of a hanging bird feeder, while none bird feeder birds may be tempted to perch on an more accessible feeder.
Never rely on the enclosed tube feeders for seeds, wire mesh for nuts or cage feeders for suet cakes or fat balls - when in fact a platform bird feeder is what you really need, to be sure as many birds can use it as the same time.
Similarly, a hanging hopper style bird feeder to hold seeds is suitable for all size birds.
What you need is an open to all platform bird feeder, it can be mounted to a pole, hang off chains or be a ground bird feeder to invite exclusive ground feeding birds to it - such as larger Blue Jays or Northern Cardinals.
Bird feeders must be grouped together as they are sure to catch the eye more than too sparse out feeders. Merge all bird feeder you have to allow birds of any species to feed in a small area of the yard.
In turn the commotion can be within earshot of other birds which can lead to more birds using the feeder.
Birds can be attracted with color so the option to plant vibrant colorful flowers surrounding the bird feeder pole can help, if only a little. And if you are going to plant flowers - why not give fruit plants a go as birds can be attracted to feed on these alone.
Result of all that is birds can then be attracted to use a number of bird feeders, filled with food closely linked to what they eat in the wild.
Last but not least, erect a bird bath with a fountain feature, as you can get more birds to use a feeder by attracting them in the first place with the noise of running water.