• Home
  • About Us
  • Blog

Maintaining a Clean Bird Feeding Station

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Rosann Kovalcik

The onset of autumn is a great time to check your feeding stations for cleanliness and functionality. With feeding the birds comes the responsibility to reduce the risk of disease and illness and keeps pests away (this is good for your birds and for you)! The following tips should help you achieve these goals.

This time of year, I find the non-migrant birds such as Chickadees, Cardinals, House Finches, and Nuthatches come to the feeders less often, as they feast on the natural foods that are in abundance. Once those seeds and insects start to lessen, birds look to supplement their diet with feeder offerings. The most favored seed option to offer is black oil sunflower, preferred by more birds than any other seed. Using sunflower as the main seed in a blend and adding other favored seeds including white proso millet will satisfy the needs of the local bird population as well as the migrants. Birds that perch while they eat prefer the sunflower, whereas the ground feeding birds (like doves, juncos, and certain sparrows) prefer the millet that falls to the ground from the feeder.

Choosing high-quality seed is the most important factor in crafting your tidy feeding station. The birds toss aside seeds they do not prefer, which leaves a food source for rodents. Check the ingredients within your seed blends and do not buy any blends with wheat, red proso millet, canary seed or oats as these seeds are not high on the list of bird’s favorites. A No-Mess Blend can be the best option for a pest-free, clean feeding station. With no shells under the feeder, there is no place for insects that gather under the decomposing shells. If you live near large groups of House Sparrows, it is definitely a challenge to keep seed off of the ground. If this is your situation, consider feeding only thistle, suet or seed cakes, which leave less mess. Cylinder feeding is another option for reducing seed debris, as the seed stays tightly packed in is cylinder form as opposed to loosely falling to the ground.

Regular cleanup efforts can also make for a happier and healthier clean bird feeding station. One way to alleviate messes is to attach a tray to your feeder, which catches seeds scattered by the sparrows and other feeder birds (we’re convinced they are trying to share with their brethren below!). No matter what, there will always be a least a small amount of loose seed which falls to the ground. Try to clean up any seed which has been sitting on the ground for long periods of time, as this can collect droppings, mold, and other germs which can negatively affect the birds. A hardware cloth or screen placed on the ground below the feeders can allow for a much easier cleanup. Simply pull away the cloth or screen, dispose of the seed, rinse or replace, and repeat as needed. Mulch can also be used on top of landscape cloth. When seed collects, roll it up and place dirty mulch and cloth in composting pick-up.  Start fresh for the best health of your birds.

Cleaning and sterilizing feeders should be done when you notice the feeder is getting dirty, that is whenever feeders have an accumulation of bird droppings. A good soak in some warm water will loosen all of the dirt that builds up in most tube feeders. We carry an excellent soy-based cleaner that works very well to clean feeders of oil that builds up as a result of seed as well as removing the accumulation of dirt. We also carry cleaning brushes with soft bristles, allowing you to scrub without scratching the feeders. To sterilize, add one part of vinegar or chlorine free bleach to ten parts water.  Always rinse thoroughly and then let the feeder dry completely before filling. With a wooden feeder, follow the same steps without a prolonged soak. A good alternative to wood is the recycled plastic feeders that are now being made. The plastic does not allow organic material to grow as readily as wood does.

Store seeds in galvanized cans inside of the garage or a shed. Storing seed in the house can be a bad idea, as the higher temperatures of our homes can prompt cereal moths to hatch. These moths come from eggs laid in the seed shells of the sunflower plant as it grows in the field. We recommend galvanized cans, as rodents are able to chew through plastic. Whether the little teeth of mice or the larger teeth of squirrels, plastic is ineffective at keeping rodents out.

I hope that these tips help you to enjoy the influx of fall migrants as well as the continued visits of your local birds.

Enjoy your birds!

Rosann Kovalcik

Store Owner, Wild Birds Unlimited, GPW

Posted in Bird Feeding Solutions, Fall |
« Chimney Swifts – Aerial Artists
A Fall Bird Walk at Elmwood Cemetery »

Leave a comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts

  • Killdeer – our most common Plover returns
  • Red-tailed Hawks, the Common Buteo
  • Bald Eagles –
  • What other owls can you find ?
  • Eastern Screech Owl

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • September 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • February 2016
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • October 2014

Categories

  • Bird Feeding Solutions
  • Bird Songs
  • Events & Outings
  • Fall
  • Native Plants
  • Nesting
  • Spring
  • Squirrels
  • Summer
  • Uncategorized
  • Wild Bird Facts
  • Winter

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

© Wild Birds Unlimited of GPW - Website by TBD Web Services