Problems with my backyard feeders (1 Viewer)

C

Caden2005219

New member

• Jul 4, 2019

• #1

Hello, I live in Illinois and my feeders have not been getting much attention. I’ve made sure that there are trees and areas for the birds to flee. The feeders are in an open area where birds flying overhead can see them. I have mealworms, sunflower seeds, thistle seeds, suet and a premium blend, I also have a bird bath that has a fountain that has never been visited once. If anyone has any tips that would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

Steve

Member

Staff member

• Jul 4, 2019

• #2

Welcome to BF

 

KC Foggin

Very, very long time member

Supporter

• Jul 4, 2019

• #3

Hi there Caden and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum :t:

With the warmer weather there are more bugs around so the birds tend to gravitate toward the bugs. Once you've got some fledgling birds, I'm sure the activity at your feeders will increase as the parents will find it easier to feed the youngsters with feeder food. At least that's how it is in my yard. As to the bird bath, not sure what to tell you but give it some time. When it gets really hot, the birds, most especially the Jays, will be bathing the water out of the bath

 

Ruff

Two birds in one.

• Aug 26, 2019

• #4

It usually takes a fairly long time for any feeder setup, no matter how attractive, to start working and the numbers will build only gradually. Even once established there may well be periods when no birds visit, these will mostly be for reasons known only to them.

 

N

Nefdouglas

Member

• Aug 31, 2019

• #5

Birds not visiting feeders

It might help to only offer one or two types of food to start. Once a few come to the feeders, others will surely notice and then you can gradually add more types of food. I agree with other replies that indicated it does take a long time sometimes. I've discovered that a mixed seed can be at times disadvantageous, as a bird who likes one type of seed (Ex. black oil sunflower) will sift through and discard other types that are in the feeder to get to what that bird is looking for. It all ends up on the ground, which can be good for ground feeding birds, but still, can be a waste.

 

Ruff

Two birds in one.

• Sep 2, 2019

• #6

I was recently offering advice to a person with a similar issue that might work here: basically, put out some white bread for a short while to attract some bird traffic in. You'll get grackles, starlings and blackbirds and probably some city pigeons but the larger birds may draw the attention of other birds to the fact that real food is there and safely accessed. Use of white bread was common in the bad old days and I'm sure it should not be continued for long, but I did see it working back in my childhood years.