Random question on birds

[Holii]

My young child is now infatuated with birds (watching them). She watches them at my parents. We don't have bird feeders up but we are planning on it. I rarely notice birds around here in the winter and honestly I'm clueless when it comes to birds. I'm going to put out suet feeders today (my daughter and I are doing this). How do birds know that we are trying to feed them? How long will it take to train them so that they will come?

 

[RichZ]

Birds are very observant in looking for food sources, and some species of birds, such as chickadees, are very adventurous in checking out possible food sources. Less adventurous species of birds watch the more adventurous ones, to see if they are finding food. Chickadees are often the first birds that will visit a feeder, and then other birds will join in. Suet feeders will attract woodpeckers, nut hatches and other birds who mostly eat insects, as suet is fat and good good winter source of food for insect eating birds.

My wife and I have an assortment of different feeders for different birds. We enjoy observing them and we like to help them survive difficult winters. By putting out feeders you'll have an interesting hobby and help some really beneficial critters.

 

[Holii]

@RichZ I swear we have had the same 10 birds each day. My daughter has named them. We have one really big woodpecker and two smaller ones. Two of them have red on their heads.
We have been picking out new feeders and can't wait to get them all out. We even bought socks for the finches.

 

[RichZ]

Very nice!!! Now you need a bird guide. This is the one that I suggest...

Item no longer available

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www.abebooks.com

 

[TammiT]

@RichZ Thank you for posting the book. I have looked on Amazon for one and there are way too many to choose from! I'll take a look at this one.
@Holii I love that your daughter is naming the birds. I bet you get a lot more in the spring and summer. It'll be hard to name them all.

 

[RichZ]

That is the field guide that serious birders always keep handy. I've been a birder since I was a little kid, and that is the best and easiest field guide to use. We have several feeders that we can see from our kitchen window, and we keep a copy of it on the window sill. When we hike, I have another copy in my backpack.

 

[leon]

Very nice!!! Now you need a bird guide. This is the one that I suggest...

Item no longer available

The item you are looking for is no longer available.

www.abebooks.com

You have shared a ton of necessary information @RichZ. Watching birds makes me happy, so it must be a joy to feed them. Thank you for this guide, which I believe is a useful resource for anyone interested in birds!

 

[RichZ]

You're welcome. I enjoy watching and feeding birds. I have been a birder since I was a child. Feeding birds gives you an opportunity to watch them and allows you to help birds survive what may be a difficult winter.

 

[Charli]

We love to feed the birds too. In the process of feeding the birds, we feed the squirrels too. We have several feeders throughout our property! Just keep feeding them and they will keep coming back.

 

[Syd. L]

May I recommend your child start watching crows if they are in your area. They are the smartest birds out there and their behaviors, from what I understand, are fascinating to watch.