By Calvin R. Finch
Guest Columnist

For a unique experience, consider setting out bird feeders this winter. Bird feeding will bring a large number of colorful South Texas birds in to a central location for easy observation. That, in turn, adds action to the winter garden.

There are different bird feeders to choose from and several types of food to consider:

Sunflower seed is the most popular seed for area bird feeders because it is a favored by so many of our favorite birds such as cardinals, chickadees, titmice, Inca doves, goldfinches, woodpeckers and blue jays. Unfortunately, sunflower seed is also a favorite seed of white-winged doves, English sparrows, grackles and squirrels.

The usual way to feed sunflower seed is with a hopper-type feeder with a perch for the birds at the opening where the seed leaves the hopper. To reduce feed consumption by squirrels, white-winged and grackles, purchase a steel feeder with a weight-sensitive perch. The steel construction prevents the squirrels from chewing in to the feeder. The weight-sensitive perch can be set to shut out heavier birds (white-winged doves, grackles) and squirrels.

Another way to reduce squirrel feeding is to replace sunflower seed with safflower seed. Safflower seed is a white seed with a shell like a sunflower. Cardinals, chickadees, and titmice like safflower seed almost as much as they do sunflower seed. Squirrels and other birds are not very fond of it.

Using safflower seed is a good option to attract cardinals without encouraging squirrels. Safflower seed can be fed from hopper feeders or tubular feeders with perches.

Thistle seed is the favorite food of lesser and American goldfinches. House finches also like it. Thistle is usually fed from a tubular feeder with the seed access under the perch to encourage the goldfinches to show off their acrobatic abilities.

Most insect eaters will pass up seed feeders, but they will often accept beef fat and/or a dough mixture from a suet feeder. The suet blocks come in every flavor you can think of including plain, citrus, pepper, berry, nuts, and seeds. Birds may have a preference, but they seem to eat all of them equally well.

The advantage of the pepper-flavored suet is that squirrels do not like it. Squirrels will eat most other suet flavors. Birds that are readily attracted to suet are kinglets, woodpeckers, mockingbirds, some warblers, and starlings.

Birds such as chipping sparrows, song sparrows, Lincoln’s sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, doves, thrashers, and towhees will usually not eat from a hopper or tube feeder hanging in the air. They would rather feed on the ground or on a platform close to the ground. Provide them a mixed seed mix that includes sunflower seed, millet, and even cracked corn.

To reduce the number of rodents that also use the seed, only feed enough seed that the ground feeding birds clean it all up by early afternoon. The same plan is also best for bread crumbs.

Fruit will attract several desirable species of birds as well. Feed pieces of apple, orange, banana, and grapes in a wire mesh basked hung from a tree limb or arbor. The baskets designed for seed blocks are available at pet food stores, feed stores, retail nurseries, and wild bird seed outlets. Mockingbirds, orioles, jays, thrashes, woodpeckers and house finches will visit a feeding station supplied with fruit.

An obvious point: Place your feeders where you can easily see them. Watching the birds at the feeders is the goal of feeding the birds. Happy bird watching.

Calvin R. Finch, Ph.D., is a horticulturist and the director of water resources for the San Antonio Water System.