It's cheap, it's fun, it's for the birds

Backyard bird feeders akin to watching nature's 'television'

Jon Pleizier loves to sit in a lawn chair, pull out the binoculars and see what the neighbours are up to.

Now, don't get the wrong idea.

Pleizier, a student of zoology at the University of Guelph and sales associate at Wildbirds Unlimited, likes to watch his fine-feathered neighbours, who drop in to dine at the bird feeder he set up in his backyard, to splash in the bird bath and to squawk, play and chase each other.

"It's easy, cheap and you can learn a lot by having a bird feeder around," said Pleizier. "I find it addictive. You never know what kind of bird you're going to get next."

Statistics from the U.S. suggest one in five Americans feed birds in their backyard feeders and spend a whopping $2.6 billion on bird seed.

Pleizier didn't know of any corresponding Canadian statistics, "but it's definitely popular here," he said, noting the steady stream of foot traffic through Guelph's southend store.

There's no right time -- or wrong time -- to start the habit and Pleizier said there's no danger of creating human-dependent birds who will then die if said human forgets or stops filling the feeder.

"The amount of food birds take from feeders is only a portion of their entire diet," he said.

"And migration is controlled by the length of day and not the amount of food available. So it's an entirely guilt-free habit."

And it's easy. All you need is a feeder and some food. It won't take the birds long to put your feeder on their daily flight path.

There are only a few basic types of bird feeders -- the elaborate ones are really only variations of the basic styles.

The tray or platform feeder: This is as it sounds, a tray that's placed on the ground or on a pole, with or without a roof. Bird seed is placed on the same platform on which the bird perches. A platform with a roof helps keep the seeds dry and any pole feeder with a cone-shaped baffle will keep squirrels and chipmunks from raiding the 'cookie jar.' Bigger birds like this kind of feeder because they have space to perch. Smaller birds like them too but often have to wait until the big birds move on.

The hopper or house feeder: This is basically a platform feeder with walls and a roof. The roof protects against the weather and the walls contain the feed that falls out an opening at the bottom.

The tube feeder: Bird seed fills the hollow cylinder of the tube feeder and perches and feeding holes allow birds access to it. There's usually a domed cover above the feeder to shelter birds from rain or snow while eating. The Nyjer feeder is a small tube feeder with extra-small feeding holes and perches. Nyjer seeds, also called thistle seeds, are favoured by finches and the small openings keep larger birds from squeezing out the finches.

The suet feeder: Can be a wire mesh cage or bag with suet inside either attached to the trunk of a tree or suspended from a branch. Suet is beef fat mixed with sunflower seeds, peanuts and bird seed and woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees love it. Suet will melt on a hot day but it's great in winter because it wont' freeze solid.

The hummingbird feeder: These are special bottles or tubes, usually constructed of plastic or glass that dispense nectar through small holes. Hummingbirds love nectar -- a mix of sugar and water -- but so do bees, wasps and ants, so take care when filling and cleaning the feeder.

Homemade feeders: There are lots of ways to make a bird feeder, from kits to milk cartons to pop bottles with holes and perches poking through the sides. One of the easiest feeders to make -- kids will love the messiness of it -- is to smear suet or peanut butter over a big pine cone and hang it from a tree.

Wildbirds Unlimited sells its own all-natural blend of bird seed that's filled with food most birds love, but black oil sunflower seeds and smooth peanut butter (not the crunchy varieties) are also popular with birds.

Janine Bernard, who also works at Wildbirds Unlimited, said it's important to clean your bird feeder periodically to remove any mould or bird droppings that can make a bird sick.

"The surrounding habitat is also important to birds," said Bernard.

Shrubs afford shelter and some produce berries. Birds also like flower seeds and are busy this time of year helping themselves. Birds also eat bugs, which often come with flowers.

Feeding birds can be done year-round but it's during the bleak, winter landscape when they are most visible. And to attract a colourful variety is particularly joyful and uplifting.

It's also educational.

"My son knows so much about nature by watching birds," Bernard said.

"Feeding birds in itself won't make a huge difference to bird populations or improve the environment, but it builds an appreciation of nature," Pleizier said.

"And when people appreciate nature, they are less-inclined to damage it."