Wild birds are animated visitors in our neighborhoods, delightful to watch soar overhead and flit about our yards on their own agendas. In our cities and suburbs, they are some of the most common wildlife we encounter in our everyday lives. Bird feeders and hospitable host plants welcome birds into our yards and gardens. Keep reading for tips on inviting more avian guests into your garden from our team at Cornell Farm.
Why Care for Wild Birds
Even in densely developed cities and suburbs, we share our world with countless species of incredible birds. Some visit briefly on their long-distance migrations, while other birds live rich lives alongside us, foraging for food and raising their young in our neighborhoods. Many of these avian neighbors are beneficial to both our gardens and natural ecosystems – pollinating flowers, dispersing seeds, and eating insects. They’re also a pleasure to observe as natural entertainment, which is a major reason why many people keep bird feeders in their yards.
Though birds are common sights in our communities, they can be vulnerable in our human-centric world. Especially in the winter, bird feeders provide a supplemental food source to provide these feathered creatures with the energy they need to survive the darkest days of the year and thrive in the flourishing warm months. City birds can lack access to the plants and insects they would feast upon in the wild, so bird seed and garden plants are an important lifeline to fill in the gaps. When we consider birds in our landscaping choices, we can create islands of habitat for these nomadic neighbors – both resident and migratory species – to rest and recharge from their lives of flight.
As the Audubon Society says, “by inviting birds to our homes, we have a duty to keep them safe.” We can act as good neighbors to our local birds by providing them with extra food and habitat while being mindful to keep them safe from risks like pathogens. In these ways, we can enjoy each other’s presence in our shared world.
Bird Food at Cornell Farm
Bird feeders are one of the major ways that gardeners can support birds throughout the year, particularly in the winter when other food sources are scarce. At Cornell Farm, we carry two brands of bird seed: Mr. Bird and Audubon Park. Both of these companies are US owned-and-operated and carry bird seed that attracts a wide variety of birds in our area.
Mr. Bird
Based in Texas, Mr. Bird began in a home kitchen and has since grown to become a beloved bird seed supplier. Most of their mixes are mess-free and all of their suet cakes have a no-melt formula for a tidy meal.
Flaming Hot Feast For Birds ONLY! — a rich, spicy mix of sunflower hearts, peanuts, golden safflower, mealworms caters to diverse birds but deters pesky squirrels
- Attracts finches, chickadees, sparrows, grosbeaks, blue jays, and more
Bugs, Nuts & Fruit: A Delectable Feast — energy-rich blend of mealworms, pecans, sunflower hearts, raisins, and cranberries for a delectable feast for an amazing variety of wild birds
- Attracts jays, titmice, chickadees, robins, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and more
Wildbird Feast and Nut Cake — Mr. Birds’s classic melt-free suet-sized cakes, made of seeds and tree nuts for an irresistible, high-energy treat for birds
- Attracts titmice, wrens, robins, chickadees, nuthatches, grosbeaks, and more
Burning Love: All Sunflower Hearts — hull-free, no-mess sunflower heart mix with hot pepper that repels squirrels
- Attracts finches, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, cardinals, grosbeaks, titmice, and more
Audubon Park
Founded 60 years ago in a small town in Colorado, the Audubon Park brand helps support small farms by sourcing the majority of their seed from local farmers.
Wild Bird Food — year-round multi-grain and black oil sunflower, especially attractive to ground-feeding birds.
- Attracts finches, sparrows, juncos, cardinals, towhees, quail, doves, buntings, and more
No Waste Blend — waste-free mix with sunflower shells and millet hulls removed for cleanliness and convenience to birds
- Attracts towhees, mourning doves, sparrows, buntings, quail, finches, and nuthatches
Nyjer® Seed — Nyjer seed, a heat-treated thistle seed resistant to sprouting in your yard, is perfect for small songbirds like goldfinches.
- Attracts goldfinches, buntings, Pine Siskins, redpolls, juncos, and house finches
Black Oil Sunflower Seed — an oil-rich source of protein, providing a wide variety of birds with much-needed energy. #1 favorite seed of backyard birds
- Attracts finches, chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, cardinals, grosbeaks, titmice, and others
Berry Flavored Suet — sweet-smelling block of animal fat mixed with sun-ripened strawberries, cherries, and blueberries, perfect for birds that naturally prefer a higher-fat diet than seed alone can provide
- Attracts nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, jays, titmice, wrens, and warblers
Peanut and Hot Pepper Suet — high-fat, premium suet blend seasoned with spicy habanero pepper that appeals to birds but deters squirrels
- Attracts woodpeckers, titmice, jays, chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, wrens, and warblers
Sunflower Suet — 50/50 blend of suet and wild birds' favorite black oil sunflower seeds, offering optimal nutrition and an excellent source of energy
- Attracts nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers, jays, titmice, wrens, and warblers
Cleaning Bird Feeders
While bird feeders are beneficial to our avian friends for a score of reasons, the gathering place of many birds can put them at risk of spreading bird flu and other pathogens. Luckily, we can minimize the risks by keeping our bird feeders clean.
Project FeederWatch, the definitive research project on backyard bird feeding by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada, suggests cleaning seed feeders at least every two weeks. All feeders should be cleaned immediately if you see mold, insects, or use by visibly sick birds. Project FeederWatch’s research shows the most effective method to clean seed feeders is to disassemble, scrub, and soak the feeder in a diluted bleach solution for 10 minutes. While some birds prefer seeds on the ground, cleaning up the shells and other debris can reduce unwanted pests like insects and rodents. The ‘mess-free’ hull-less bird seed options above are a good solution to keep the feeding area tidy.
Hummingbird feeders require more frequent cleaning because bacteria breeds quickly in the sugar water these tiny fliers love. The Audubon Society recommends cleaning every three days; when it’s hot out, they need to be cleaned every day or every other day to keep visiting hummingbirds safe from harmful bacteria. They should also be cleaned every time you refill the nectar or sugar water. Hummingbirds are somewhat sensitive to soap residue, so it’s best to clean nectar feeders with hot tap water and a small amount of hydrogen peroxide or vinegar.
Plants for Birds
As a garden center, we know plants are powerful allies in creating vibrant landscapes. Birds benefit greatly from the critical food sources that many plants offer when they’re blooming or fruiting, as well as the shelter they provide year-round. Bird feeders, after all, are designed to supplement nature, so tapping into nature is an excellent way to encourage birds to visit your property. There is an almost endless list of plants that serve birds, but there’s no match for native plants. Our local birds have evolved alongside Pacific Northwest native plants for millennia. Not only do these plants provide food and shelter for birds, but they also host a bounty of insects for insectivorous avians to feast on.
For all-around favorites, try the nectar-rich Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) and the reliable, berry-bearing Oregon grape (Mahonia repens). A tubular flower like Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) is perfect for hummingbirds, while willows (Salix sp.) and the Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana) provide shelter for nest-building.
Learn More About Backyard Birds
This guide is just the tip of the iceberg for the wonderful world of wild birds. For more information on backyard bird watching and caring for our feathered friends, the Bird Alliance of Oregon is an excellent local resource. To learn more about using native plants to create a functional ecosystem in your very own backyard, the Backyard Habitat Certification Program offers comprehensive plant lists and consultations to work towards building habitat for native wildlife like birds. On a national level, the Audubon Society offers a wealth of online information on “Birding at Home.” Finally, this guide is heavily inspired by research from the invaluable Project FeederWatch, which provides accessible yet evidence-based resources for feeding wild birds. You can even participate in their citizen science projects at home by tracking the birds that visit your feeders!
