6 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Bird Feeder, According To An Expert

Whether you’re a longtime birder or looking to start feeding your backyard birds, selecting a bird feeder is just the start of your journey. From there, it’s crucial to consider placement in your yard and the type of seed you’ll fill it with so that birds are attracted.

Audubon South Carolina’s Jen McCarthey Tyrrell tells Southern Living that there are a handful of common mistakes when it comes to feeding birds, especially as it pertains to bird feeders.

McCarthey Tyrrell shares six mistakes she sees people make when setting up and using their bird feeders.

• Jen McCarthey Tyrrell is the Community Science and Research Program Manager at Audubon.

Not Getting Quality Seed

McCarthey Tyrrell says that getting your bird seed from a reputable source will ensure that the birds will eat everything in the bag, it won’t be elderly or laced with chemicals and pesticides, and you shouldn’t end up with a sprouting mess on the ground from discarded filler seeds that birds don’t eat. 

“Shelled seed varieties, while more expensive, get you more bang for your buck, you’re not paying for the weight of shells. Shelled seeds also won’t sprout below the feeder. Doves, sparrows, and blackbirds are like spilled seed Roombas, and will ensure every spilled seed gets eaten,” she says.

Not Being Consistent 

Birds are adapted to forage from multiple food sources so that they aren’t completely dependent on that one spot in case the food runs out. 

“However, if you live in a very cold and snowy place and you feed the birds in the wintertime, it is important to be consistent with filling your feeders,” McCarthey Tyrrell says. “In very cold climates birds become reliant on scarcer food sources. If you don’t want that guilt and level of responsibility, maybe sticking with warmer season bird feeding is a better plan.”

Doing It For The Wrong Reasons

McCarthey Tyrrell says that it is crucial to remember that bird feeding is more for our enjoyment as humans than it is for the bird’s benefit.

“Feeding birds brings them close to you to observe and can help supplement their natural diets,” she says. “If you choose to participate in bird feeding, you must do it responsibly so you’re not negatively affecting the birds that you’re attracting.”

Prioritizing Looks Over Function

Something McCarthey Tyrrell calls a “common mistake” is prioritizing a bird feeder’s looks over functionality. 

“Finding a bird feeder that is made out of a sturdy material that is designed to be easily cleaned, will save you a lot of trouble and will ensure the birds you’re feeding won’t get ailing from moldy seed,” she explains. “Many decorative bird feeders don’t come apart easily to clean out all the hard-to-reach places. Quick clean feeders and feeders made of recycled plastic clean up with little effort, disassemble and reassemble in a snap, and have surfaces that don’t absorb moisture and bacteria. These feeders are also easy to disinfect if a sick bird appears at your feeder.”

Not Cleaning Feeders Regularly

Bird feeders need to be cleaned, because moldy and mildewy seeds and feeders can make birds ailing. Keeping your feeders–and bird baths–cleaned regularly will ensure you’re not spreading illness and disease amongst your local bird populations.

“A bird feeder is also like a highway rest stop, lots of individuals are coming and going, touching the same surfaces. Bird feeders and baths can be a place where germs and diseases are easily exchanged among individuals,” McCarthey Tyrrell says.

Don’t Give Up When Squirrels Get Involved

McCarthey Tyrrell says there are ways to manage squirrels when bird feeding, but it needs to be done correctly. Spoiler alert: avoid the Pam-greased poles, slinkys, and other homemade obstacles. When feeding the birds and attempting to not feed the squirrels, Tyrrell says you have three options, and most of them are based on the area in which you are feeding them.

For open yards

If you have an open yard, McCarthey Tyrrell says to get a sturdy pole system–not the garden center shepherd’s hook–and install a sturdy squirrel or raccoon baffle, with the top being at least four feet above the ground. 

“When placing this pole system, it needs to be ten feet from any roof, tree branch, or fence that they can jump horizontally from,” she explains. “It may take a little guess work on the perfect placement, but this is an achievable feat.”

For yards with trees

If you have a yard with more trees, you may want to consider finding a good branch to hang a weight sensitive squirrel-proof feeder on.

“The main thing to remember with weight triggered feeders is that it needs to be about two feet from a pole, fence, or trunk of the tree, otherwise they’ll stretch their rascally little arms to pull the feeder to them and not trigger the weight mechanism,” McCarthey Tyrrell explains. “They must have to jump to it from the side or climb down from the top to access the feeder and have the weighted mechanism engage to close it off to the squirrels.”

For those concerned about deterring larger birds, McCarthey Tyrrell says not to worry. 

“While some birds can look hefty, I assure you they are much lighter than they appear, and if a few get on the feeder and it shuts, they figure out to take turns,” she says.

For all other yards

The last method of squirrel abatement is to employ food that is too warm for them, or food that they don’t prefer, such as safflower, a seed variety that many birds eat, but squirrels tend not to prefer. 

“Using safflower seed may not be as effective forever as squirrels can acquire a taste for it,” McCarthey Tyrrell explains. 

Another option is using warm pepper laced seeds, which is perfectly unthreatening for birds, and it can be a very effective deterrent. 

“Sometimes you get that one squirrel who must have Cajun roots, and it decides the heat doesn’t bother it,” she cautions. “You also need to be careful when filling your feeders with the hot pepper seeds, use gloves or remember to wash your hands and don’t rub your eyes, that’s a painful mistake.”