Birding With The Jays : Birdwatching Adventures & Guide

Just like having people over to your home for a delicious meal, birdwatching requires us to play hosts in a variety of ways to our feathered friends. A couple of additions to your backyard will ensure that you make it a welcoming place for birds.

Photo by Jazmin Barrientos : Going Green plastic bird feeder at Hugh Ramsey Nature Park, Harlingen, Texas

There are a variety of bird feeders on the market. You can go as expensive or as economic as you wish. This also includes DIY (do it your self) projects! It all depends on your budget, wants and needs.

Hummingbirds:

Starting with the easiest identifiable bird feeders: Hummingbird Feeders.

Hummingbird feeders are specialized to distribute “nectar”, which of course you can buy or you can make yourself. The most recognized hummingbird feeders look something like this:

Photo by Jazmin Barrientos : Hummingbird frenzy at feeder, SPI Convention Center, South Padre Island, Texas

Some have yellow flowers, some have red, some have both and some have none. You can experiment with them and see which you or your fast little friends like best.

We have some of these (Best 1 Glass Hummingbird Feeder) mixed with other brands in our backyard, they have these feeders in different oz capacities. We found this particular brand during our stay at the Alamo Inn B&B and during our visits to Quinta Mazatlan.
We’ve also found them at H-E-B for budget friendly prices!

Keep in mind that sometimes, you will attract other birds such as Hooded Orioles with your hummingbird feeders, as seen on our featured image. If you keep up with the maintenance, these feeders will last you a great while. By the way, we must always keep up with the maintenance of bird feeders, if we fail in doing so, we might cause a variety of harm to birds.

Other Bird – Bird Feeders:

There is an array of bird feeders in stores. Many come in different colors, and sizes. The material can be metal, wood, plastic or even ceramic. Each with their list of pros and cons. Think about the bird food you might want to display, as there are bird feeders that are specifically designed to distribute a particular size of seeds like thistle or a certain type of food for example – suet. Usually, if this is the case, there will be label stating this information.

Don’t worry. We know, by now, you might feel a little confused and overwhelmed but we will help you out as much as we possibly can!

Example feeders : Metal Feeder, Wood Feeder, Recycled Plastic Feeder , Ceramic Feeder, Camera Feeder, Window Bird Feeder
(By the way, we are not getting paid for sharing these links, they are just examples how much variety there is)

DIY Bird Feeders are also very fun!

Squirrel Proofing

There are some people out there who absolutely despise squirrels because they eat their bird food. In a way, we understand the frustration, but we have made our peace with it. Squirrels are amusing! They are also part of nature and remember, we are inviting nature to our backyard. Try to make the best out of it and have fun. (In case you are a fellow squirrel lover out there.) We have seen many different devices seeking to keep squirrels from eating bird food throughout the years and many fail to do so after just a few attempts. Unless, perhaps, you try the following method – as shown in the video. In which case, maybe you will have some sort of success. Enjoy!

---

Happy birding! Love Always,