G3176 Feeding— Tips for beginners & veterans

 Contents Enjoying close to home 1 Feeders 2 Feeder placement 4 Food 5 Some tips on buying birdseed 7 Water and grit 7 Coping with squirrels 8 Sanitation 9 Pest birds 9 Some general tips 10 For more information 11 ii Enjoyng brds close to home ird feeding is one of the most There are certainly right and wrong This publication is a basic guide for popular ways to enjoy wildlife. ways to attract and feed birds. Feeding the beginner embarking on the hobby In 2006, researchers estimated can be harmful if it is not continued of feeding birds, but it should also that 55 million adult Americans through the winter. The severity of help veterans improve their feeding fedB wild birds and other wildlife. the weather and availability of natural stations. It contains tips that will help We suspect the activity is at least as foods and other feeding stations in you maximize your feathered guests’ popular today. Americans spent an the neighborhood determine the benefit and safety, deal with pests estimated 3.3 billion dollars on wild actual potential for harm. Feeders and select equipment and food. If you in 2006. The annual figure contaminated with bird droppings heed the cautions, both you and the has continued on a steady upward and moldy seed can facilitate disease birds should enjoy the experience. trend. transmission. Before setting up a is the only interaction feeding station, be sure you are willing many people have with wildlife. to make a commitment to maintain a Compared to many other forms of dependable food supply throughout recreation, it can be an inexpensive the winter and to keep the health and activity. Birds are diverse, colorful safety of the birds in mind. and entertaining; they add life to a sometimes monotonous winter Black-capped chickadee landscape. Watching birds at a feeder is excellent therapy for people confined indoors by illness, accident or winter weather. Feeders bring birds in close where they can be observed, identified, photographed or simply enjoyed. Most amateur and professional ornithologists feel that feeding is Dark-eyed junco mutually beneficial to birds and people, but it may not always be entirely in the birds’ best interests. Tufted titmouse Feeding reduces natural competition among birds and can subject them to diseases and predation. Certain species—the cardinal is a good example—have extended their ranges farther and farther north, probably in response to the availability of feeders. Depending on one’s outlook, such range extension can be viewed as Redpoll good or bad.

White-breasted nuthatch

1 Feeders here are nearly as many sizes More sophisticated versions of this and styles of feeders as there type of feeder may be made of are species of birds to attract to metal or plastic and may include them. A feeding station may be modifications to keep squirrels off, Tone simple feeder or a dozen or more increase seed holding and dispensing different ones scattered around a yard. capacity, or feed only certain species. The type and number of feeders you We will discuss anti-squirrel tactics Shelf feeder set out will affect the diversity and later. Feeders can be made selective abundance of birds you will attract for certain species through the use of to your yard. Let your interest and a counter-balanced treadle device as financial resources determine your a feeding perch. The device can be set level of involvement. to close off access to the seed when a The shelf or platform feeder consists heavy bird such as a pigeon, crow or of a simple platform that should grackle lands to feed, while allowing be elevated from the ground by smaller, more “desirable” species to mounting it on a post or window sill. feed without interference. It suits many different species and Whether you want to select for types of food, can be built easily and certain species is, of course, a matter Wooden feeder inexpensively at home, and is easy to of personal preference. A bird one fill. On the negative side, it is exposed person considers a pest may be to snow and rain (unless you put a another’s favorite. There are other roof on it), provides easy access for methods to favor certain species; squirrels and facilitates accumulation specialized feeders and special food of bird droppings. Be sure there are items may be just as effective. drainage holes in the bottom of a tray and nuthatches can feeder. In addition, birds can scratch be attracted to feeders or log large quantities of seeds onto the feeders. A suet feeder can be as ground. This may mean a loss of seed simple as a mesh bag—such as an but it will also help some ground onion bag—filled with suet and hung feeding birds and small mammals. from a limb. Or it can be a basket The traditional wooden feeder is constructed from scrap wood and really a shelf with a roof and several 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth. Melted, modifications for dispensing a variety suet can be mixed with a dry food of food items. Typically, it has a glass and packed into virtually any kind of or plastic hopper that holds and mold or container. Feeders designed dispenses seeds to the feeding area to hold commercial suet cakes are also by gravity. Some models have rack-like available. structures on the ends to hold suet The log feeder, a common rustic cakes and/or wooden pegs on which design, consists of a 1- or 2-foot to impale bakery products or scraps section of a log or limb, usually 2–3 to prevent them from being carried inches in diameter. Suet or peanut Feeder with counter- away whole. This type of feeder is butter mix can be packed into holes balanced treadle usually mounted on a post or railing bored into the log. Usually a small peg and is suitable for most birds. If you is added just below each hole to serve are considering only one feeder, this is as a perch. probably the best style to select.

2 A thistle (niger) sock is a fine-mesh impaled is also very attractive. Such tubular bag designed to dispense features can be added to existing thistle seed. Small birds, especially feeders or commercial oriole feeders Mscellaneous goldfinches, cling to the sock and are available. remove the small seeds. It is an All of these basic feeder designs feedng statons inexpensive feeder that quickly pays can be modified to meet your If you live in a rural area, you can for itself by conserving the expensive needs. “Designer” feeders shaped construct large feeders to attract thistle seeds. like football helmets, train cars, or , quail, turkeys and other Tube feeders are very popular and miniature Victorian mansions are species. A tepee or lean-to made of easy to use. They consist of a tube more popular with feeder purchasers tree limbs or lumber provides shelter of clear plastic or glass with feeding than with the birds. In fact, very and a place to spread grain. Because perches and access holes spaced effective, inexpensive feeders can be of legal bans on feeding deer where evenly through the tube. It is a created from recycled materials like disease control is an issue, you must modern version of the log feeder that 2-liter soda bottles and milk jugs. be sure your bird feeders are not also dispenses seeds rather than suet. It is serving as “deer feeders.” efficient and durable and comes in a variety of sizes. feeders are popular in the summertime when are present. The most common version is a plastic bottle fitted with one or more tubular funnels to hold Droll Yankee® and dispense sugar water. On many tube feeder models, the dispensing tubes are decorated with colorful (usually red) plastic flowers, which presumably help hummingbirds find the feeder. “Instant ” powders are available for feeding hummingbirds, but a simple mix of one part sugar to four parts water, boiled, then cooled, is easy to make and inexpensive. Do not use honey as it tends to get moldy. Also, red coloring in the sugar water is not necessary. When the sugar water gets cloudy or goes unused for a week or so, replace it with fresh solution. Thistle sock Ant traps can be used with Log suet feeder hummingbird feeders to keep ants out of the sugar water solution. Sticky compounds are not recommended to keep bees and ants out because of the risk of fouling the birds’ . Tepee shelter Orioles respond to a simple feeder with a small dish or container to hold grape jelly— a favorite food. A peg or nail on which half an orange is 3 Feeder placement ou should consider several things Millions of birds are killed by window when deciding where to place collisions annually. Recent research feeders. First, you will want them has found that placing feeders closer to be visible from a favorite to windows results in fewer window Ykitchen or living room window—after strikes and dead birds. When feeders all, seeing and enjoying birds is one are placed close to windows, startled of the main reasons for feeding them. birds are less likely to impact the glass Second, feeders should be sheltered with enough force to cause injury. from prevailing winds and snow Researchers recommend placing drifts that make filling difficult or feeders within three feet of windows. unpleasant. Third, feeders mounted on poles or suspended from limbs or wires should be 5 to 6 feet from the ground. Fourth, increasing the number of feeders available will reduce competition among birds visiting your feeders. Last, and perhaps most important from the birds’ standpoint, feeders should be near cover—shrubs, trees or both—to provide a place of retreat from cats or other threats, a gradual approach route for “shy” birds, or a convenient perch for opening a sunflower seed. We recommend having some cover within 5 feet. In the absence of natural cover, a tree branch with lots of twigs can be attached to the feeder support post or .

4 Food Food preferences of common brd speces he food you provide is more Blue jay whole peanut kernels, large striped important than feeder design in sunflower seeds determining the success of your Brown-headed cowbird white proso millet, other millets, feeding station, both in terms canary seeds Tof numbers and species of birds you Cardinal oil-type sunflower seeds, large striped attract. Seeds may be purchased by sunflower seeds, safflower seeds individual variety or in mixed form. Chickadee oil-type sunflower seeds, large striped What and how you buy will depend sunflower seeds, safflower seeds on a number of factors such as bird- Dark-eyed junco red and white proso millet, canary seeds, feeding goals, cost and availability. fine cracked corn The table to the right shows the food oil-type sunflower seeds, large striped preferences of common birds as Evening grosbeak sunflower seeds determined by the Fish niger seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, and Wildlife Service and the Cornell Goldfinch oil-type sunflower seeds Laboratory of . Grackle hulled sunflower seeds, cracked corn Many of the seeds commonly found in inexpensive commercial mixes— House oil-type sunflower seeds, large sunflower seeds, millets, niger seed such as , millet, peanut hearts, hulled oats and rice—are relatively House sparrow white proso millet, most small seeds unattractive to most birds. These Mourning dove oil-type sunflower seeds, white and commercial mixes may be cheaper, red proso millet but you will attract as many or more Purple finch oil-type sunflower seeds, large sunflower birds with “preferred” seeds. This does seeds, millets not mean that unattractive seeds will Song sparrow white proso millet, red proso millet not be eaten, but preferred seeds peanut hearts and hulled oats, table scraps will be eaten first and tend to attract Starling birds that might not otherwise visit Tree sparrow red proso millet, white proso millet, a feeder. Thistle (niger) seeds, hulled fine cracked corn sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and Tufted titmouse peanut kernels, all types of sunflower fine-cracked corn are very useful for White-crowned sparrow oil-type sunflower, white proso millet attracting particular species. White-throated sparrow same as white-crowned

Canary seed Red proso millet Niger thistle seed Black oil sunflower seed

Cracked corn Striped sunflower White proso millet Hulled seed sunflower pieces

5 Overall, small black Seed supplies can oil-type sunflower be supplemented seeds and white proso with stale bakery millet give the most products, table for your bird-feeding scraps and fruit, but dollar. The larger, these foods have gray- or black-striped some disadvantages. sunflower seeds are Fruit is attractive also excellent food, to robins, starlings, but given a choice, most birds take mockingbirds, catbirds and orioles, so the small black ones. All sunflower it is better as spring and summer food. seeds have high caloric value. About Diced apples and raisins are good for 70 percent of the weight of an oil- helping robins through late spring type seed is kernel, compared to 57 storms. Grape jelly and orange halves percent for the traditional types. Black attract orioles. Table scraps and bread sunflower seeds are readily available often attract less desirable species, and black sunflower alone or simple such as house sparrows, starlings, mixes such as equal parts of black grackles and pigeons, not to mention sunflower, white millet and cracked raccoons and other unwanted corn now dominate the seed supply mammals. market. Most attempts to grow bird food Suet is very attractive to a number of in a backyard garden meet with species, especially woodpeckers and disappointment. Birds usually harvest chickadees. Most people use beef sunflower seeds themselves long suet, but hunters will find that suet before you get the chance, and the from a deer is also quite attractive to yield of other seeds does not justify birds. Beef suet used to be free for the the effort required. But you may want asking at the local butcher shop or to plant bird-food-producing annuals, grocery store. But you will probably shrubs and trees as part of your have to pay for it now; its popularity landscaping, especially plants that as a bird food has created a market provide food through the winter for it. Suet can be fed “as is” or melted when natural food sources can be and mixed with dry foods to attract scarce. Consult the University of a variety of species. We recommend Wisconsin–Extension publication combining suet with oatmeal, hulled Landscape Plants that sunflower kernels, peanuts or cracked Attract Birds (G1609)or corn to obtain a mix that is entirely the Minnesota edible. Whole seeds can be provided Department of more efficiently in other feeders. Natural Resources Bacon fat can be used, but tends to popular book Wild be soft and messy. Peanut butter can About Birds. be used in the same way and is very attractive but also relatively expensive. Mix peanut butter with dry foods, suet or both because birds can find straight peanut butter difficult to swallow. Hairy on suet bag 6 Some tps on buyng brdseed Buy in bulk. Buying in 50-pound Before buying seeds for the winter, bags will not only save money, but check with local Audubon Society you can get the seeds you want chapters, nature centers or Water and grt and make your own mixes. Do sportsmen’s clubs. Many of these hese materials can make a not underestimate the quantity organizations sell seed as a fund- feeding station more attractive. of seed you may use. While 50 raising activity. The seed is usually By providing water, which pounds of seeds may last all season good quality and reasonably priced, birds use for both drinking and at an urban feeder, an active, and your money will help the Tbathing, you may save your birds a rural feeding station may use 500 birds through the organization’s long flight to a natural source in very pounds or more in a single winter. conservation activities. cold weather. Several commercial Be prepared—at least mentally—for Store your seed in a dry place. watering trays are available, but the costs at the start of the season Plastic or metal trash cans with you can use almost any shallow so that you will not have to close tight-fitting lids make excellent container (the container must be down your feeder in mid-January storage containers. For smaller shallow if the birds are to bathe in for financial reasons. Thistle (niger) quantities, you may be able to get it). A wooden frame makes perching seed at about $1 to $2 per pound 5-gallon plastic buckets at cheese for a drink easier. Small heating can add up very quickly if you are factories, ice cream parlors or other elements, available from bird-feeding fortunate enough to have a flock food-handling establishments. equipment suppliers, farmers’ co-ops of hungry goldfinches or house Metal storage bins may be and some hardware stores, will keep in the neighborhood. It is preferable if you store seeds where the water from freezing. If birds do not better to put out less-expensive rodents could be a problem. seem to notice the water you provide, (and less-preferred) commercial create a slight drip with a hose or mixes for the entire feeding season faucet to disturb the surface; this than to stop feeding in mid-season. should attract them. Unlike feeders, locate water baths in open areas with good visibility. This gives water-soaked birds a little extra time to evade predators. Seed-eating birds need grit to digest Watering tray with wooden their food. They use it like teeth to frame and heating element grind the food, although they may obtain minerals from some of it. Roadsides and sanded sidewalks are common winter sources of grit, but many birds will accept it readily if it is offered in addition to foods. Do not mix grit with seeds. Coarse sand or oyster shell grit are both suitable; others are available from poultry suppliers or game bird breeders. Oyster-shell grit also provides calcium important for eggshell production in the spring. Small species such as goldfinches, siskins and redpolls use canary grit.

7 Copng wth squrrels eople’s attitudes toward Prevent their access to feeders. This Learn to live with them. If all else squirrels vary tremendously. may not be as easy as it sounds. fails, provide a feeder for the If you enjoy squirrels, feeding The acrobatic abilities of a squirrel squirrels away from the bird them is easy and they need trying to get into a suspended feeders. Stock it with corn or nuts littleP encouragement. However, most feeder almost defy imagination. and hope that this distraction will bird-feeding enthusiasts view them Some techniques that help keep keep them away from the birdseed. as pests. The most serious offenders squirrels away from feeders include An ear of dried corn attached to are common gray squirrels and placing sheet metal sheathing or a cable and hung from a limb will sometimes their smaller cousins, red cones on feeder poles, hanging also keep the squirrels busy. One squirrels. Nocturnal visits by a family feeders from support cables or from frustrated person we know drilled of flying squirrels are usually viewed horizontal lines threaded through holes through several nuts and much more favorably. a 6-foot length of garden hose or nailed them to a tree to keep the The case against gray squirrels tubing, or using “squirrel-proof” squirrels busy! centers on their seemingly insatiable feeders. Remember, in your anti- appetites, their interference with squirrel scheming, that in winter birds’ feeding, and the damage their squirrels may be able to jump from gnawing does to wooden or plastic snow banks. feeders. Squirrels are persistent and Hot pepper formulations or acrobatic in their efforts to obtain additives are available to be food intended for feathered guests. mixed with seed to repel squirrels. There are several approaches to However, if you try this technique, problem squirrels. be alert for undesirable effects Remove them. Squirrels can be on birds. captured in commercial or homemade live traps, but this raises the question of what to do with Line running captured squirrels. If they are to be through garden hose released, move them to a wooded rural area or park at least five or six miles from the capture site. You must have permission from the landowner or public property manager before releasing any captured animals.

Sheet metal cone

8 Santaton t is very important for the health There’s really no reason to feed of your feathered guests to keep during the summer. Natural foods your feeders clean. If you find are abundant then, and the birds can Pest brds dead birds around a feeder, poor forage for themselves. However, if he best way to deal with pigeons, Isanitation is probably a contributing you wish to continue to attract birds, house sparrows, starlings and factor. High concentrations of birds at practice good sanitation. Nesting crows is to avoid feeding the feeders facilitate the spread of disease, material such as string can make a foods they prefer. You can and feeders themselves may become feeder doubly attractive in spring Talso trap pigeons and sparrows in contaminated. An intestinal infection or early summer. Late April, when commercial traps and remove them. called salmonellosis is spread through buds begin to open, is a safe time to Sparrows avoid unstable feeders, so fecal droppings. As droppings discontinue feeding for the summer any suspended feeder will discourage accumulate, the problem gets worse. in Wisconsin. Hummingbirds are in them. Crows are frightened by the Finches and sparrows are especially a special category, of course. They slightest human activity. Cold weather susceptible to this disease. are present only in summer, and and snow really bring in the starlings, hummingbird feeders are intended for It is a good idea to clean out your so during these wintry periods, summertime use, as are oriole feeders. feeder every week or two. Remove remove scraps, bread and larger As noted earlier, keep sugar water, moldy seed and fecal droppings. food items from your feeder. You can jelly, fruit and summertime feeding Painted, varnished, plastic and metal discourage all these less-desirable foods fresh and clean. feeders are easy to clean. To disinfect species by feeding mainly sunflower feeders, dunk them in a weak bleach Hummingbird feeders should be seeds. Remember to check state and solution (one part bleach to nine taken down, disassembled and municipal laws before you consider parts water) and let them dry before scrubbed with a bottle brush every trapping or using a pellet or BB gun refilling with fresh seed. Remove week or two during the summer. to control pest birds. Firearms laws accumulations of spilled seeds and and safety take precedence over pest seed coats from the ground because control needs. In Wisconsin, only the this material can be the source of pigeon, starling and house sparrows fungal diseases. are not protected. All other species are Disease problems are especially protected by state or federal laws or likely to occur if you continue to both. feed into the summer. Warm weather promotes the survival and growth of many disease organisms. Especially if mourning doves are frequent visitors to your feeders, clean the feeders and do not begin feeding again until fall. Mourning doves are susceptible to a parasitic disease called trichomoniasis that is easily spread at feeders when contaminated food drops from the mouth of an infected bird. House finches are especially susceptible to a disease called conjunctivitis. The appearance of finches with crusty, closed eyes is a sign to clean feeders and stop feeding.

9 Some general tps ■ A discarded Christmas tree provides ■ Suet-seed mixes can be purchased ■ If your feeder is visited by a shelter and cover near a feeder if in cakes, blocks, chunks and other Cooper’s hawk or other avian natural cover is in short supply. forms. They are more expensive predator, don’t panic. It’s a great ■ A clasp from a dog leash makes a than homemade, but more chance to see another kind of bird handy attachment for a hanging convenient. in action. The smaller birds can feeder—it makes the feeder easy to ■ If you attract a rare bird to your take care of themselves. If you wish, remove for filling or repair. feeder, report it to a local Audubon close your feeders and let the birds scatter until the hawk moves on to ■ A good field guide or several office or state wildlife agency. better hunting grounds. hours with a “pro” makes bird ■ If you happen to see a banded identification simple and fun. bird, try to read the band number ■ Cats are a special case, whether they are feral or belong to you or ■ You can mark the passing of and report it to a known bander, a your neighbors. There is a large the seasons by keeping track Wisconsin Department of Natural body of literature on the impact of of the comings and goings of Resources employee or the USGS free-ranging cats on songbirds and different species. See websites and Bird Banding Laboratory (call other wildlife. Keep cats indoors! opportunities for “citizen science” 800-327-BAND or see website). See the American Bird Conservancy contributions to bird management. Banders work hard for the recovery information they get. Banded birds website for information and advice. ■ A tray or pan mounted beneath the are likely to return to a particular ■ If window collisions are a recurring feeder reduces waste by catching feeder year after year, so you can problem, check the Cornell a lot of spilled seeds. But always renew old friendships. Laboratory of Ornithology website provide some seeds on the ground for an excellent review of options to for doves, pheasants, juncos, ■ If you wish to try your hand at protect the birds. towhees, sparrows, blackbirds and homemade feeders or birdhouses, other ground-feeding species. consult the University of We urge you to try bird feeding. If you Wisconsin–Extension publication do, think of it more as a recreational ■ A poor winter at your feeder (low Shelves, Houses and Feeders for Birds activity or hobby than as a way to numbers, few species) is usually a and Mammals (NCR 338). manipulate bird populations. If you sign of a mild winter or abundant are mindful of the potential problems natural food rather than some sort discussed in this publication, both you of catastrophe. and the birds will benefit. ■ Cardinals, blue jays and house sparrows are often the first visitors to a new feeder. When titmice, woodpeckers and nuthatches begin coming in, you know you have established an effective feeding station. ■ Do not be discouraged if it takes time for birds to respond to a new feeder. It makes a big difference whether you live in a new subdivision, barren of trees, or in a heavily wooded acre on the edge of town and whether your neighbors have feeders.

10 For more nformaton FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each Webstes species they see at their feeders Publcatons Bird Banding from November through early April. Shelves, Houses and Feeders for Birds U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. FeederWatch helps scientists track and Mammals (NCR338) Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife broadscale movement of winter By G. Barquest, Scott R. Craven Research Center—Bird Banding bird populations and long-term and Robert Ellarson. University of Laboratory. trends in bird distribution and Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative All about bird banding and how to abundance. Extension. Offers information and report a band. www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ construction plans on building houses and feeders for a variety of www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/ Wisconsin NatureMapping— bird species, as well as squirrels and Interactive website for reporting Bird Feeding bats. 47 pages. wildlife observations. Wisconsin More on feeders, feeder placement, http://learningstore.uwex.edu food, feeder maintenance, feeder NatureMapping is an outreach Landscape Plants that Attract Birds pests and predators, avoiding window program that allows school (G1609) collisions. children, citizens, community groups and other city, county By Scott R. Craven and Robert Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s and state organizations to collect Ellarson. University of Wisconsin- page on Feeding Wild Birds: wildlife-related information Extension, Cooperative Extension. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ available to everyone. The program Provides information on plant AllAboutBirds/attracting provides an opportunity for species that attract birds, including National Audubon society’s page on students and volunteers to perform their habitat requirements, Bird Feeding Basics field studies that contribute to the landscaping ideas and sources of www.audubon.org/bird/at_ state’s biological databases. material. 9 pages. homebird_feeding/index.html www.wisnatmap.org/ http://learningstore.uwex.edu Cats Wild About Birds: The DNR Bird Feeding Guide American Bird Conservancy’s page Also worth vstng By Carroll Henderson. Minnesota on Cats Indoors!: The campaign North American Breeding Bird Department of Natural Resources for safer birds and cats Survey (BBS) Publications. Excellent guide www.abcbirds.org/cats www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/ designed to increase the number of Citizen-based monitoring species using your feeder. Includes National Audubon Society’s You can help collect important data workshop basics for construction Christmas Bird Count on the birds you attract. of 26 different feeders and tips www.audubon.org/bird/cbc/index. on 44 types of food, plus detailed Project FeederWatch is operated html by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology descriptions and photos of almost in partnership with the National The Great Backyard Bird Count all the feeder-using species east of Audubon Society, Bird Studies (National Audubon Society and the Rocky Mountains. More than Canada and Canadian Nature Cornell Lab of Ornithology 425 color photos. Federation. Project FeederWatch is www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ To order, write, call, fax or e-mail: a winter-long survey of birds that Minnesota’s Bookstore visit feeders at backyards, nature 660 Olive Street centers, community areas and other St. Paul, MN 55155 locales in North America. 1-800-657-3757 Fax: 651-215-5733 E-mail: [email protected] www.comm.media.state.mn.us bookstore/ 11 Bird feeding notes

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Copyright © 2007 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System doing business as the division of Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. All rights reserved. Send copyright inquiries to: Cooperative Extension Publishing, 432 N. Lake St., Rm. 103, Madison, WI 53706. Authors: Scott Craven is a professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin– Madison and a wildlife specialist with the University of Wisconsin–Extension, Cooperative Extension. David Drake is an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Wisconsin and a wildlife specialist with the University of Wisconsin–Extension. Jamie Nack is a wildlife outreach specialist with the University of Wisconsin Extension. The authors wish to thank William Mueller and Noel Cutright, Wisconsin Society for Ornithology, for constructive comments and assistance. Illustrations by Val Hodgson. Photos by iStockphoto.com. Produced by Cooperative Extension Publishing, University of Wisconsin-Extension. Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may be similar. Persons using such products assume responsibility for their use in accordance with current label directions of the manufacturer. An EEO/AA employer, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) requirements. This publication is available from your Wisconsin county Extension office or from Cooperative Extension Publishing. To order, call toll-free: 1-877-WIS-PUBS (947-7827) or visit our web site: learningstore.uwex.edu. Bird Feeding: Tips for Beginners and Veterans (G3176) R-1/2008