Mice and Rats Under the Bird Feeder: How to Stop It
Rodents are eating what falls, not what is in the feeder. Fit a seed catcher tray, switch to hulled sunflower chips or safflower, rake the ground daily, and store seed…
Backyard Help
Fixing what goes wrong: empty feeders, squirrels, grackles, sick birds, bears and window strikes.
Deer Eating Your Bird Seed: What to Do About It
Hang feeders at least 6 to 8 feet up — a white-tailed deer can reach the best part of 7 feet standing, and higher on its hind legs. Stop offering…
Raccoons at Your Bird Feeders: How to Stop Them
Bring feeders in at night. That is the answer, and everything else is a partial measure. Raccoons are nocturnal, strong enough to pull a feeder off a hook, and dexterous…
Cats and Birds: What the Research Says and What Actually Helps
Keeping a cat indoors, or outdoors only under supervision, is the only measure that removes the risk entirely. Short of that, a brightly patterned collar cover has better evidence behind…
Why Birds Fly Into Windows and How to Stop It
Birds do not see glass. They see the reflection of sky and trees and fly into it at full speed. The fix is to break up that reflection on the…
Birds Nesting in Your House, Vents and Chimney
Identify the bird first, because it decides what you are legally allowed to do. House Sparrows, European Starlings and Rock Pigeons are non-native and their nests can be removed. Almost…
I Found a Baby Bird on the Ground: What to Do
If the bird has feathers and can hop or flutter, it is a fledgling. Leave it alone — its parents are almost certainly nearby and still feeding it. If it…
How to Keep Grackles, Starlings and Blackbirds Off Your Feeders
Switch to safflower and nyjer, which grackles and starlings largely ignore, use caged or weight-activated feeders, and hang suet in an upside-down feeder — starlings will not hang inverted, woodpeckers…
Bears and Bird Feeders: When to Take Yours Down
In bear country, take seed and suet feeders down from around April 1 to November 30 — that is the guidance from Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland and Virginia…
Why Hummingbirds Aren’t Coming to Your Feeder
Check the nectar first — cloudy, fizzy or more than three days old in hot weather explains most cases. Then check the recipe: it must be 4 parts water to…