Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Things that keep the birds away
One of the joys of winter is feeding the birds. But there are some things we do that keep them away.
Cats is one of the first things. In my neighborhood we have a lot of stray cats, one of the neighbors feeds them.
Don’t be THAT guy. While he’s trying to be kind, it’s not helpful to the bird population! Something I USED to do, give birds my stale bread. This is a no-no. It’s just Avian junkfood.
There’s no nutritional value for them. Sure, they love it, like I love a Snickers bar but it gives them nothing of value. Birds that rely on stale muffins and such can become aggressive and develop other behavior issues.
I turned my back on landscape fabric YEARS ago but I know a lot of people still use it. The problem is, it makes it very difficult for birds to forage for insects.
Granted that’s not THIS time of year, but it’s something to keep in mind. They can’t get their beaks through that fabric to get those juicy bugs.
Dirty bird feeders are also really bad for birds. They can harbor bacteria, mites, mold, and other threats that can spread diseases.
Many of which are spread through feces and saliva, making it easy to contaminate a lot of birds from one small feeder. AND keep the feeder filled!
They won’t come back if it gets so low they can’t get at the food. Think how frustrating it is when you’re digging for that last wonderful bite of a snickers bar. Well, maybe that’s not the BEST example, but you catch what I’m saying!
Keep the bird bath clean too! I know it’s winter and not always fun to trek out there, but you’re doing them and yourself a favor by keeping it clean.