Wild Birds Unlimited

The first step is to make sure you are using a broadly popular seed: I would suggest shelled sunflower (sunflower hearts or sunflower chips). Beyond that it is most likely simply a matter of patience: new feeders often take a few weeks to get adopted. If this is 1) the first feeder in the yard, 2) a small feeder, 3) against a wall of the house, reducing visibility, 4) against a window, where human movement can alarm birds, and 5) possibly a small feeder that doesn't easily accommodate some larger or clumsier species, any those features will contribute to it taking longer on average for the feeder to be adopted: if most of those traits apply to your feeder, I would not be surprised if it takes some months for the feeder to start being used regularly.

Hi Paul, as of 1/18/21 we continue to be open for in-store shopping. Nyjer feeders actually see the most activity during the winter months, from October through March or so. Depending on your yard, you may continue to see either sparse or moderate activity at those feeders during the spring and summer months.

Try offering them their own feeding station with their favorite foods like corn or nuts. Use a squirrel-proof bird feeder, like the Eliminator. Place a baffle on your feeder pole. Use dome baffles above bird feeders. Try an OnGuard™ wire mesh cage around your existing feeders to keep squirrels from reaching the food. Fill your bird feeders with safflower seeds, many songbirds will eat safflower, but squirrels typically won't.

Here are a few options: Set up a window feeder, it will keep the birds safe from striking the window and provide close views of them feeding. If your feeding station is in the direct vicinity of a window, move it to within three feet of the window. Install window screens. Decals and stained-glass decorations are moderately successful. Hanging vertical exterior tape stripes across the window at 4 inches (10 cm) intervals.

After installing a new feeder it can take a day or a number of weeks before the birds will readily take to it even if it replaces an existing feeder. Patience is key when birds are getting used to a new feeder. Birds generally find their food by sight. Placing your feeder where it will be visible to them should decrease the time it takes for birds to start feeding. Sprinkling some food on the ground or on top of the feeder can help, too.

The best thing to do if you find a baby bird is to leave it alone. If the bird appears as though it has fallen from a nest, an attempt to locate the nest can be made, and the bird can be carefully returned. If the bird has feathers, it may be a fledged bird and a parent bird is probably close by. It is best to watch the bird from a distance to see if a parent returns after an hour or so before determining that the bird needs human help.

We don't sell birds. We sell backyard bird feeding supplies including seed, feeders, and bird baths.

We don't currently have any birdsong CDs in stock. There is still one commercially available that I know of (Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs: Western Region), but overall these products have declined in popularity with today's abundance of online/app options. Check out Cornell's "All About Birds" website or free Merlin Bird ID app, for instance. All the major field guides (Sibley, National Geographic, Peterson, etc.) now have digital app versions with integrated audio recordings as well.