How to Start Feeding Birds: A Beginner's Guide
You don't need much to start feeding birds. One good feeder, the right seed and a smart spot will bring birds in within days or weeks. Here's exactly how to start.
Step 1: Start with one feeder and one seed
A simple tube or hopper feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seed will attract more birds than any other combination. Chickadees, cardinals, finches, titmice, nuthatches and jays all eat it.
If squirrels live nearby (they almost always do), start with a squirrel-proof feeder so you don't spend the first month feeding them.
The same weight-activated idea in a smaller, cheaper size. A great first squirrel-proof feeder for chickadees, titmice and finches.
Check price on Amazon for Brome Squirrel Buster Standard (opens Amazon)If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)Step 2: Pick the right spot
Birds like cover nearby, so a spot about 10 to 15 feet from shrubs or trees gives them somewhere to dart to when a hawk passes, without letting squirrels jump onto the feeder.
To prevent window collisions, put feeders either very close to a window (within 3 feet) or far from it (more than 30 feet). Close feeders don't let birds build up speed, and far feeders keep them away from glass.
A simple, sturdy hook that pushes into the lawn and lets you hang a feeder anywhere. A cheap way to move a feeder into a better spot.
Check price on Amazon for Gray Bunny Shepherd's Hook (opens Amazon)Step 3: Add water
A bird bath can bring in as many birds as a feeder, including species that don't eat seed. Keep it shallow and change the water every few days.
In freezing weather, a heated bath is one of the best things you can offer birds.
Open water in winter brings in birds that never visit seed feeders, like robins and bluebirds. This bath has a built-in thermostat, so it only heats when the water is close to freezing.
Check price on Amazon for API Heated Bird Bath with Stand (opens Amazon)Step 4: Keep it clean
Clean feeders every two weeks, and more often in wet or hot weather. Scrub with hot soapy water or a dilute bleach solution (about one part bleach to nine parts water), rinse well and let it dry before refilling.
Rake up old shells and seed under feeders. If you ever see sick birds, take feeders down for a couple of weeks and clean everything.
Step 5: Be patient
Birds can take a few days to a few weeks to find a new feeder. Once one bird finds it, others follow quickly.
When birds arrive, add a second food to bring in new species: suet for woodpeckers, Nyjer for goldfinches, or mealworms for bluebirds.
High-fat suet cakes that fit standard suet cages. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees rely on fat like this to get through cold nights.
Check price on Amazon for C&S Hi-Energy Suet Cakes (opens Amazon)The tiny black seed that goldfinches go crazy for. Use it in a finch feeder with small ports.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Nyjer Seed (opens Amazon)Bonus: Get to know your visitors
A field guide and a pair of binoculars make it much more fun to learn who's visiting. Or let a camera feeder do the work and send photos straight to your phone.
The friendliest field guide for beginners. Edited photos and plain-language notes make identification easy without knowing any jargon.
Check price on Amazon for Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America (opens Amazon)The feeder that turned bird watching into something you check on your phone. A built-in camera snaps photos when a bird lands, the app sends you a notification, and it suggests which species you're looking at.
Check price on Amazon for Bird Buddy Smart Bird Feeder (opens Amazon)Frequently asked questions
How long does it take birds to find a new feeder?
Usually a few days to two weeks. Scattering a little seed on the ground or a platform nearby can help birds find it sooner.
Is it okay to stop feeding birds?
Yes. Feeder food is a supplement. Healthy birds also find natural food, so a gap in feeding won't harm them.
Will feeding birds attract rats?
Spilled seed can. Use no-filler seed, clean up under feeders and store seed in a sealed container.
Not sure which feeder fits your yard?
Answer three quick questions and we'll match you with the right setup.