Perch & Plume: Field notes for backyard birders
This month at the feeder
November
High-fat foods like suet and black-oil sunflower help birds through cold nights.
New today
Hummingbird Feeders: Placement, Nectar and Cleaning
Hummingbird feeder tips on a budget: where to hang it, the 1:4 sugar nectar recipe, how often to clean, and when to put it out and take it down.
Plate I. Hummingbird feeder tips
Recent entries
- Hummingbird Feeders: Placement, Nectar and CleaningFeeders & Food
Hummingbird feeder tips on a budget: where to hang it, the 1:4 sugar nectar recipe, how often to clean, and when to put it out and take it down.
- How to Stop Birds From Hitting Your Windows: Fixes That WorkProblems & Pests
Why birds fly into glass and how to stop it: the 2-inch spacing rule for decals and paint, low-cost window fixes, and where feeders are safest near a window.
- Winter Bird Feeding: Foods, Water and Shelter in Cold WeatherSeasons & Migration
What backyard birds need in cold weather: high-fat foods like suet, open water from a birdbath heater, and shelter from wind, plus what is worth buying.
- How to Keep Squirrels Off Your Bird Feeder: What Actually WorksProblems & Pests
Baffle heights, the 10-foot placement rule, safflower and hot pepper seed: what Cornell, Audubon and extension sources say about keeping squirrels off feeders.
- How to Clean a Bird Feeder (and How Often You Really Need To)Feeders & Food
A step-by-step routine for cleaning seed, suet and hummingbird feeders, how often to do it, the bleach ratio Cornell Lab recommends, and the signs of sick birds that mean you should take feeders down.
- Which Bird Seed Attracts Which Birds? A Feeder Food GuideFeeders & Food
Black-oil sunflower, nyjer, safflower, millet, suet, peanuts and more: which backyard birds each food attracts, which feeder it needs, and how to avoid paying for seed birds kick to the ground.