Attracting Birds

[twfranz]

Good Day Everyone,

My daughter and I built a birdfeeder this past weekend, I'm not entirely sure what it's called but it's a wood feeder with plexiglass windows that control the flow of the seed, a hinged roof for filling it, and a perch on either side.

We filled it with a mixture of seed, I have no idea what kind of seed it is the only thing I recognize from the mix are the sunflower seeds (the oil type).

We've only had the birdfeeder up about three days and haven't seen any birds around it yet. We also have a nest of some type of bird living in a roof overhang in our backyard. I think they're Starlings, but I'm not entirely sure of that.

What's the best way to attract birds to get the feeding started? I tried dancing out there and flapping my arms... but that didn't work very, odd really considering my daughter thought it was the best thing she had ever seen. I originally thought the birds living under the canopy would be delighted to have food right outside their front door... but that doesn't seem to be the case.

We also want to build another birdfeeder to put in our front yard. Does anyone know of any websites with free plans that we can print out? It took quite a while to find the one we used.

I'd also like to build a tray type birdfeeder onto the side of our garage. Is there anything I need to be aware of when mounting it to the garage? I'm mostly wondering about mounting it overtop of the aluminum siding.

Thanks for the help everyone.

[digi-birder]

twfranz, on behalf of admin and all the moderators, let me welcome you to Bird Forum.

I'm afraid I don't know all the secrets to attracting birds to feeders, but dancing, I'm sure, does not work. Usually they will get used to the feeder in a few days and start using it.

Also you need to make sure you are putting out the correct type of food for the birds that visit your garden. Seeds for the seed-eaters, etc. Just put a good mix of stuff out and you should soon see a range of birds visiting.

We look forward to hearing how you get on, and hope that you will continue to enjoy participating in the discussions. If you have any questions at all, just ask.

[Tammie]

Hello and welcome from a fellow Canadian and Ontarian... although I'm up at the other end of the province! :)
I'm sure the birds will find your feeder in short order. I have tons of feeders out but when I put out a new one, it still takes them a few days to begin using it. You could also try putting out some water. A big plus too is to make sure the feeder is near cover for the birds so they feel safe.
Good luck!

[twfranz]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I replied earlier... but I think I used the wrong reply and sent it to digi-birder directly. Oops, sorry about that.

I've been browsing the forums a bit, and there are alot of good informative posts that I'm starting to garner some ideas from. Thanks again!

Here's a link to the bird feeder that we made last weekend, just in case anyone's interested.

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/woodwork/birdfeeder/birdfedr.htm

We're originally from Northern Ontario ourselves, Sault Ste. Marie actually... we miss the outdoors, but I can't say we miss the snow! :)

Thanks again, and take care.

[digi-birder]

I replied earlier... but I think I used the wrong reply and sent it to digi-birder directly. Oops, sorry about that.

No - nothing has come to me personally so no problems there. Maybe you forgot to press the Submit button - I do that sometimes and the post just disappears. Most annoying when it's something along the lines of War and Peace!

[pduxon]

Hi twfranz and welcome to BF.

Not an expert on attracting birds to the garden but make sure the feeders are close to cover. Also it takes a while for the birds to find once they do find it.... with your winters I'm sure they'll pick up on the new food source.

Have a look through the garden birds forum to see what you can find.

[Tammie]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I replied earlier... but I think I used the wrong reply and sent it to digi-birder directly. Oops, sorry about that.

I've been browsing the forums a bit, and there are alot of good informative posts that I'm starting to garner some ideas from. Thanks again!

Here's a link to the bird feeder that we made last weekend, just in case anyone's interested.

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/woodwork/birdfeeder/birdfedr.htm

We're originally from Northern Ontario ourselves, Sault Ste. Marie actually... we miss the outdoors, but I can't say we miss the snow! :)

Thanks again, and take care.

Hi again,
Thanks for posting that link... I've saved it and may use it in the future. I'm a little further north than the Sault.... I'm more up around Hearst and Geraldton... like I said, the other end of the province! Snow? What snow? We only have 4 feet... it's not that bad! ;)
Glad you're finding some useful information on the forum. It's definitely got lots of that!

[twfranz]

Hi again :)

I'm glad to report that we now have a small plethora of birds in our backyard! Mostly blackbirds (I think, the ones with the greenish tinted head), sparrows, a couple of Morning Doves that seem to lay in the grass under it during the day now (or at least before we got snowed on again), and the odd Cardinal.

They sure seem to appreciate it the last couple of days since we got dumped on with snow :)

I have another question though. The first bird feeder we made, we didn't bother finishing with any type of paint or varnish since it was somewhat of a trial run on the building process; but we've made another one (it turned out alot better than the first). I'd like to protect this one from the elements and am wondering what the best finish would be to use on it?

A lady at the Building Box told me Varnish, Polyurethane, etc would be fine, but I'd like to make sure whatever we use isn't toxic to the birds. Does anyone happen to know what a good finish would be?

Thanks again for the help everyone, and take care.

[snowyowl]

Hi again :)
I have another question though. The first bird feeder we made, we didn't bother finishing with any type of paint or varnish since it was somewhat of a trial run on the building process; but we've made another one (it turned out alot better than the first). I'd like to protect this one from the elements and am wondering what the best finish would be to use on it?

A lady at the Building Box told me Varnish, Polyurethane, etc would be fine, but I'd like to make sure whatever we use isn't toxic to the birds. Does anyone happen to know what a good finish would be?.
I never paint or stain feeders or nest boxes. Even unpainted they last for years and weathr to a nice silver colour.