We have enjoyed feeding birds in our backyard for many years.   We offer food throughout the year feeding them extra during the winter and spring.

Since our home is in a rural area feeding birds can be a challenge when you also find other animals attracted by the food.  We have two squirrel proof feeders which do exactly as they promised.  In our squirrel proof tube feeder we offer sunflower seeds, a very popular item.  We have seen little black capped chickadees and much larger red bellied woodpeckers at that feeder. Some of the other birds that come to that feeder are cardinals, titmouses, and nuthatchs.

We also have a squirrel proof hopper feeder that we fill with a general seed mixture that contains millet, cracked corn, and sunflower seeds.  It’s fun to watch the squirrels when they get on the hopper feeder trying to get to the bird seed.  They usually wind up hanging off of the feeder or sliding off the roof to the ground.

An old stump provides a natural platform feeder and we also spread seed on the ground.  This is where the squirrels usually wind up.  So we also provide dried corn, a favorite of the squirrels and the blue jays, and occasionally add stale bread, fruits and nuts such as apples oranges, raisins and peanuts.

We continue feeding the birds in winter by also offering suet cakes and plain suet, a favorite, among others, of the downy and red-bellied woodpeckers in our area.