Keeping Seed Dry in Wet Spring

Early spring brings with it spring rain, which can be fun to watch but is less enjoyable when we are faced with wet, unusable bird seed in our feeders. Not only can this be harmful for your birds, but it can make it more difficult to keep your feeders clean. 

In order to keep your bird seed dry and prevent it from molding or harming your birds, there are a few steps you can take.

Using feeders with domes or large overhangs can help keep rain from getting in your seeds at all. While not foolproof, it can reduce the amount of rain that manages to enter your feeder. If your feeder doesn't have enough of an overhang, you can use something, such as a wooden shingle, and screw or nail it to the existing roof to extend it out farther. Just keep in mind that this will also make it more difficult for larger birds to get into your feeders.

The Backyard's "Nanaimo" Fly-Through Feeder

Using feeders that have mesh trays or, if plastic, plenty of well-placed drainage holes can help air circulate and keep water from pooling in the feeder. Mesh trays are preferrable when possible as they allow considerably more water to flow out while letting air circulate through the feeder easily.

Putting out less seed at a time, roughly around enough for your birds to finish in one day, can help reduce the amount of seed that sits outside wet. Seed can get wet without much issue, the problems arise when it sits for a while and is still wet and begins to mold. Filling feeders more frequently with smaller amounts during wet seasons can make sure seed doesn't sit around long enough to cause problems.

Using seeds with shells, such as black oil sunflower instead of hulled sunflower. While seed with shells can be messier and leave shell debris in your yard, the shell is added protection against moisture. 

Black Oil Sunflower Seed

Adding Feeder Fresh to your bird feeders can help keep moisture out of your seeds. Feeder Fresh is a product made with bird safe silica that absorbs moisture and keeps it out of your bird seed. Filling tube feeders and adding layers of Feeder Fresh every two inches or so, or mixing the silica in with your bird seed, is effective. Birds tend to avoid eating the silica as it doesn't have the nutrition they are looking for, but if they do ingest any it's not harmful to their systems. Add new Feeder Fresh every time you change your feeders or refill them, and off you go.

Feeder Fresh

Cleaning feeders regularly can also help cut down on issues. Check out our last blog post to see tips for what to use to clean feeders and how often to clean them. Always make sure to keep an eye on your feeders regardless of whether or not you are using any of our tips to ensure that there won't be any problems without you noticing. Using one or many of these suggestions can help keep issues down and your birds happy, healthy, and hanging around. 

Bird Feeders and Wet Weather

There are two main reasons why people feed the birds; for the enjoyment of watching them, and to help the birds through tough times. Our intentions are good and the last thing any of us wish to do is harm our feathered friends. Cleaning our bird feeders is as much a part of bird feeding as filling the feeders with seed. Making sure to keep feeders clean and full of fresh seed makes watching the birds more enjoyable and healthier for your backyard birds.

As we head into spring, we still have to make sure to keep an eye on our bird feeders and keep the area around them clean of old seeds. By keeping feeders and feeding areas clean, we can help stop the transmission of diseases and keep mold from forming in our bird seeds. Diseases are passed between birds through their droppings, which can be a concern when birds congregate around feeders. Birds that flock together in large colonies, such as Pine Siskins, are at a higher risk than others. Pine Siskins especially are prone to interbreeding in their colonies and have a weaker immune system than other finches, making them highly susceptible to disease. 

Mold will build in bird seed that is left either on the ground or in feeders for too long, and even if the birds are able to avoid eating it directly they can still inhale the spores and become ill. The easiest way to help prevent illness and keep mold from growing is to clean your feeders and feeding area at least once a month, and dispose of old seed. Keep an eye on your feeders and if you notice any issues clean them more frequently. We've found the sweet spot for keeping them problem free is roughly once a week if you are able, especially when the weather gets nasty. 

When cleaning feeders, use a bleach-water mix of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. This can be kept in a spray bottle for ease of use. Not comfortable using bleach? Industrial white vinegar, or cleaning vinegar, is also a great disinfectant and can be found in hardware stores and can be mixed with water in a 15-50% ratio. Using cooking vinegar will not clean or disinfect your feeders! The bleach-water or vinegar-water solution can be used with wooden or plastic feeders, hummingbird feeders, and bird baths to keep everything clean and disinfected.

Remove all old seed and throw it in the garbage. Do not put any back in the clean feeder even if you think it looks alright. Use a small brush or whiskbroom to clean out whatever may be stuck in the feeder, then spray liberally with your cleaning solution. Scrub it again with a stiff brush, then rinse with fresh water and let it dry. Make sure it is fully dry before refilling with seed. An easy trick is to clean your feeders in the evening and let them air dry overnight.

Remember to also clean around your feeding area and get rid of any seeds that have dropped or that you may have put out. Rake up seeds that may have fallen into dirt or grass, or if you are feeding over stone or a patio you can rinse the area with your cleaning mixture followed by fresh water.

An important thing to note when choosing a bird feeder is to make sure you can get everywhere when cleaning. Mold likes to grow in corners that may be hard to reach or difficult to notice. Wooden feeders that can be completely disassembled, or plastic feeders that come apart easily are always good choices. Fresh bird seed is like a wick that soaks up water, especially in feeders with a wooden base. When choosing a feeder, look for ones that allow water to drain out quickly. Wooden feeders with screen bases instead of solid wood are an excellent choice to allow air circulation and water to run out instead of pooling. Plastic feeders with a roof and drainage holes are also a good option.

Feeders with a large roof can help keep seed drier, and a roof that is too short can be extended by attaching a wood shingle or similar to the existing roof. The larger overhang can keep seed drier and keep larger birds out of your feeder. 

Enjoy your birds and happy birding.

Rufous Hummingbirds

 It's March and that means Rufous Hummingbirds are on their way! 

While the Anna's are a non-migratory, year-round resident of Vancouver Island, the Rufous Hummingbird is commonly seen on Vancouver Island only during the spring and summer. They arrive in March from Central Mexico to do their nesting. Once they've nested, the males begin to leave in July with the females and juveniles following shortly after.

Male Rufous - R. Hocken

The Rufous are slightly smaller than the Anna's and the male can be identified by their rufous (rusty orange) body and white chest patch. They have a brilliant red gorget, or throat patch, that they flash to attract a mate or show aggression. Female Rufous are green with a white or silver-gray underside, smaller red gorget, and the same rufous colouring in their under wings and tail base. 

Female Rufous - R. Hocken

Like the Anna's, Rufous are open nesters. They build their nests out of soft plant down held together with spiderweb. The outside then gets camouflaged with moss, lichen, and bark. Hummingbird nests are about two inches in diameter, with the inside cup being an inch wide. The nest can be reused the next year, though not always by the same birds.

Check out this link for more information on the Rufous migration.