Warmer temperatures, budding flowers, wearing flip-flops. They’re all signs of spring’s arrival, but hearing birds chirping is one of my favorite indications of a new season unfolding. To help mark spring’s arrival, here are a few birds to keep an eye or an ear out for!

The Eastern Bluebird will appear in gardens and orchards slightly before or at the arrival of spring. These creatures are about 6 and a half inches long and can be attracted using dried fruit, chopped peanuts, or live mealworms. They enjoy being in meadows or fields surrounded by trees for adequate nesting.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is also a good sign spring is present, especially if you live in the northern United States. Adult males sport emerald green plumage on their backs with ruby red on their throats. They begin arriving to their spring and summer destinations in late March until mid May, as they follow flowers blooming northward. Because they are quite curious and inquisitive birds, they are easily drawn to feeders.

Canada and Wilson Warblers make their appearance between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, with Yellow-rumped Warblers completing their migration a bit earlier. The latter is a sizable bird with a large head and a long, narrow tail. Varieties of Warblers include colorful plumage consisting of yellow, red, blue, black, gray, brown or orange!

The medium-sized songbird known as the Baltimore Oriole lives and breeds in open woodland areas or heavily wooded urban areas. With a length of 6.5-7 inches, the Baltimore Oriole can be attracted to your backyard feeders using oranges, nectars, or peanut butter.

All of the birds mentioned above make their presence known in the spring, but to ensure that you have a great backyard bird watching experience hang a variety of feeders to attract all types. Hanging feeders to accommodate seed-eating birds, hummingbirds, and orioles will bring an assortment of feathered friends to your yard.
 

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The other day the seed level in my feeders was incredibly low. Actually, a few of them were empty. My mother let me know this was unacceptable and she mumbled something like “What if I didn’t feed you when you were little.” She’s a huge advocate of the avian race. Being the researching type, I sat at my laptop and did some reading on why keeping your feeders filled was so important. I thought I’d share what I found with you.

When the days get shorter and temperatures get lower it is more important than ever to fill your feeders. Insects take off in the winter and are very scarce. Birdseed becomes one of very few food sources for birds to eat.

Birds also need water, like humans, on a daily basis to remain healthy and happy. During the winter finding water sources is especially hard for birds because most ponds and rivers freeze in the frigid temperatures. After researching, I was able to find birdbaths that are built with heaters that keep water from freezing in low temperatures. Even in snowy conditions, users of these birdbaths were pleased to find feathered friends frolicking in their pools!

You can also put the water source in an area with direct sunlight, where during the day the sun is able to melt the water. If you own a Sip & Seed it would be wise to pole mount the feeder where the sun hits around 11:30. This allows for the sun to help melt the ice when temperatures are at a high. This is a cheap and easy way to help your birds get the water they need!

By keeping your yard stocked with the necessities crucial to a healthy life, birds will continue to visit you even in the coldest of months!

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If you’re like me, you find a ton of joy in watching birds gather at your feeders. In the summer, it’s the hummingbirds. I love watching their territorial nature and the dive-bombing. In the fall and winter, it’s the finches and the cardinals that are especially enjoyable for me to watch. Their beauty can bring life to a dull day and add a pop of color to my yard. Squirrels, in my opinion, have found a way to make enjoying this scene nearly impossible.

Squirrel proofing bird feeders is extremely important because not only does it help the birds enjoy the feeders, but it helps you enjoy the birds! One of the easiest ways to squirrel-proof your feeder is to check its location. I like hanging my feeders on branches, but found it helpful to keep them at least 10 feet from the tree trunk and large limbs. Keeping them at least 4 feet above ground level has helped keep squirrels from jumping up to them as well!

If you’re more a fan of pole mounting your feeder purchase one that is at least 5.5 feet high, so that after you put the pole a foot into the ground you still have the feeder sitting higher than 4 feet off the ground.

Squirrel baffles are an easy deterrent for squirrels as well. You may want to try the Perky-Pet^® Squirrel Baffel and place it above or below the feeder to keep squirrels away. The baffles are domes that can be found in clear or a wide range of colors.  There are also special feeders you can purchase that are known to be squirrel proof, meaning that they are specially manufactured to prevent squirrels from being able to get the seeds from the feeder. This doesn’t mean they won’t try though, and could result in your birds not visiting when a squirrel is around.

Havahart^® Brand makes a great squirrel repellent called Critter Ridder^®. This can also be used on the ground near your feeder or sprayed on the branches above your feeder to keep the squirrels away.

Personally, using a baffle and locating the feeder correctly have done wonders for my feathered friends and me! It is much more pleasant to look out the window and watch birds feeding rather than squirrel acrobatics.

Have you gone to great lengths to keep squirrels from your birdseed? Share with readers below by posting a comment!

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