Enjoy bird watching at home. Learn the 6 best tried & true bird feeders. Know the types of wild bird seeds that attract many feathered friends. How to easily stop squirrels from eating seed.
I am a self proclaimed bird lady. Our home is a bird sanctuary. Funny story, there was a month after my mother in law visited. She enjoyed the birds, so much, during her visit, that she went only and ordered us a variety of food. Us meaning me and all my flocked feathered friends. She did not tell me but suddenly all these bags of bird seed were showing up at my door. I had no idea the reason for this but joked the birds must be sending them. Truth was, it was form the original bird lady herself.
We live in the sticks (only a few miles outside of the district of Columbia). Just like my mother in law, our family has loved watching the birds off our deck. Being in Virginia, there are a variety of birds we see. I think our home must be on the bird migration line, because they always seem to find our home as a layover…. and sometimes they stay awhile. I think it is because of our variety of feeders and bird food.
Since I have tried all the seeds and all the bird feeders, take a look at what I have found to be the Best Bird Feeders and the Best Wild Bird Seeds.
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The Best Bird Feeders
Bird feeders can vary on the type of bird you are looking to attract. Because of this reason, it’s important to have a variety of seeds as well as bird feeders. Being in the woods, our seeds attract squirrels, mice and (most annoying) raccoons, that is why I swear by the Brome Bird Care Squirrel Buster Bird Feeders.
Squirrel Buster Plus Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
I swear by this bird feeder. It is well worth the price.
Pro: Durable. Amazing warranty and great customer service. Call and they will send any replacement parts.
Con: On occasion it’s easy to loose the medal perch pegs. The coloring fads.
Squirrel Buster Suet Squirrel-Proof Suet Bird Feeder
Suet is very hearty for the birds. The wood-peckers especially appreciate this feeder.
Pro: Durable. Amazing warranty and great customer service. Call and they will send any replacement parts.
Con: Amazing puzzle that keeps squirrels out but until you get the puzzle down, it can be a bit challenging for humans too!
Double-Suet Bird Feeder
I also love this cheap suet feeder. If you are getting it with squirrels around, invest in the best hot pepper suet.
Pro: Holds enough suet cakes, birds can eat on both sides of the feeder. A lot of room for larger woodpeckers to grip.
Con: Easy for squirrels to open unless you use the right type of red pepper suet.
Large Humming Bird Feeder
Red is best Hummingbird feeder because it attracts the hummingbirds. I picked the larger 22 oz because I was frequently refilling my nectar hummingbird feeders, especially in summer.
Pro: Bright colors to attract hummingbirds. Large so you can fill less frequently.
Con: Red coloring can fad with time.
Oriole Bird Feeder
Oriole birds are absolutely gorgeous. Attract them with a brightly colored feeder, oranges and Bird Jelly.
Pro: Bright range to attract birds. Glass easily holds jelly and mealworm. Can be easily cleaned to prevent mold and bacteria.
Con: The jelly dish can also attract bugs.
Thistle Feeder
This wire mesh on perky-pet yellow finch thistle tube feeder (aka Nyjer feeder) is excellent for Nyjer seeds.
Pro: The enclosed tube easily keeps away other animals but brings the most beautiful birds.
Con: Attracts a smaller selection of feathered friends.
Hopper Feeder with Tray
A popular choice for feeding wild birds.
Pro: Enclosed container or hopper that holds the bird seed and keeps things more tidy and sanitary.
Con: Larger animals can easily snack off the tray and grasp on the circular perch.
Squirrel Buster Warranty
I especially love Brome Bird Care Squire Buster Bird Feeders because of their warranty policy. This company is run by a family and has an amazing policy of replacing any parts. Pay no shipping for your replacement parts, just call and have it sent out to you. That alone, makes an incredibly longevity of the bird feeder.
When you get your purchase, register your squirrel buster. This puts you in their system. Don’t worry, you won’t be spammed. You can reach Brome Bird Care customer service at 1-800-856- 5685 for any part issues.
The Best Wild Bird Seeds
If you are wondering how do you get birds in your backyard, the answer is a variety of feeders and a variety of seeds. You can buy a Wild Bird Seed Variety, but also buy individual bags to mix your own bird seed recipe. The best wild bird seeds include a mixture of This wild bird seed mix includes black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, nyjer seeds, peanuts, and millet seeds.
I used the variety bird seed bag mix as well as these best loved bird seeds to fill our Squirrel Buster Plus.
Wild Bird Seed Online
- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds – the most common bird seed, attracts 40 species of birds including American goldfinches, cardinals, bluebirds, wood peckers, nuthatches, titmice and more.
- Safflower Seeds – attracts a large number of birds including chickadees, blue jays, downy woodpecker, and more. (Squirrels do not like this seed.)
- Nyjer Seeds – attracts finches, house sparrows, pine siskins and doves.
- Shelled Peanuts – attracts chickadees, crows, doves, cardinals, blue jays, and more.
- Millet Seeds – attracts juncos, doves, towhees, sparrows, quail and more.
It is best to store your bird seeds in a dry place that is secure from outside elements including heat and moisture like rain and snow. We store our bird seed in a Rust-Proof Steel Locking Lid Trash Can. I used to keep this on the deck, but the raccoons either found a way to get into it or if I was able to keep it locked, I felt it was just teasing them. Now I keep it inside our home by the back door (out of racoon view!)
For our humming bird feeder, we make our own food.
How to make hummingbird food
To make your own hummingbird food, mix water and white sugar. The recipe is mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water. Use very hot water to get the sugar to dissolve quickly.
Do not add red dye.
Bird berry jelly
To feed a bird jelly, we use an Oriole Bird Feeder. Put the Oriole bird feeder in the open so they can see it when flying high about the tree line. We purchase Songbird Essentials Bird Berry Jelly. You can store the jelly in your fridge.
We love this Amish-made Oriole Bird Feeder house. It is strong.
If feeding Oriole birds, it is important to keep your orange and jelly fresh. They will attract bees and other flying insects.
How to stop squirrels from eating bird seed
Squirrels robbing the bird feed is a common problem. Just read Those Darn Squirrels! for affirmation. If the squirrel jungle gym, author Adam Rubin, created for squirrels is not a solution for you, you try some of these squirrel buster solutions.
Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce
Wild Delight Sizzle N’ Heat Bird Food
C&S Hot Pepper Delight No Melt Suet Dough Cake
Brome Bird Care Squirrel Buster Bird Feeders
Baffle above and below the Bird Feeder
In all honesty, I have tried all of these squirrel-proof bird seed solutions, and the two I found that work best are 1.) Squirrel Buster Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders 2.) Hot Pepper Suet. The seed sauce and the expensive sizzle and heat bird seed were not successful or too costly for our squirrel friends.
One genius squirrel hack I have not tried is adding a metal slinky to the bird feeder pole, but readers on our Facebook Page have found it resourceful. Plus they can get the fallen seed on the ground. (Source)
Wondering how to hang a slinky on bird feeder? Use a zip tie to the top of the bird feeder pole and tighten it to the first ring of the slinky. Let the rest fall down.
Also enjoy these free vintage bird prints downloads including where to get Audubon prints free. Pin to Pinterest.
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