Top 5 Reasons Why Birds Stop Visiting Your Feeders

Bird activity at the feeders sure has slowed down over the last week or so.  No change in the food or the location of the feeders, and no significant change in the weather.  So what is it?  Why do birds stop coming to your feeders?

1)  Is the food still fresh?  Sorry folks - birdfood doesn't stay fresh forever.  All seed dries out and niger seed is especially prone to drying out.  It is a very small, but very high fat seed.  Once niger seed dries out, it loses some of its fat content and finches will just turn their beaks to it.

Seed shells should be shiny and dry.  If its been sitting in the feeders for months, subject to air, heat, and humidity, chances are it has lost some of its nutritional value and is less desireable to the birds, especially if they can find those nutrients elsewhere.

Suet or suet dough should be tossed out in the garbage if it is moldy.  Seed cylinders or blocks that are mushy should be tossed.  Nectar should be changed regularly and immediately tossed if moldy or cloudy. 

Remember, especially during the summer, there are lots of natural food sources out there - if you're putting out dried out or moldy food, why would a bird chose it over a juicy bug or a berry eaten fresh off a tree?

2)  Are the feeders clean?  Birds don't like to eat out of dirty, moldy feeders anymore than you'd eat off a crusty, moldy plate.  Bacteria can develop in feeders so an occasional cleaning with a mild bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) will kill the bacteria.  Make sure to rinse the feeder well and let it air dry in the sun if possible.

Every now and then a feeder comes in for repair that is crusted hard with seed residue, mold, seed sprouts, bird poop, even live bugs.  This is frankly disgusting.  First of all to treat your birds that way and think that you're helping them by putting out a feeder.  Part of the Zen message on this blog is one of Responsibility, that birdfeeding comes with responsibilities to the birds and that if you're unwilling to accept the responsibilities, DON'T FEED THE BIRDS.  Second is that people would bring a filthy feeder into a store for repair, potentially spreading mold and bacteria and leaving the responsibility of cleaning the feeder to the storeowner.

Bottom line: clean your feeders multiple times throughout the year. Have an extra feeder or two so you can take a feeder down to clean and put another in its place right away.  If you won't commit to cleaning your feeders, do the birds a real favor, don't feed them.

3)  Natural food sources are plentiful.  At many times during the year, activity at feeders can decline as natural food sources become widely available.  Birds don't rely on your feeders to survive, though they certainly provide an easy source of food.

Birds eat insects, insect eggs, seeds, nuts, buds, berries and fruit, worms, and more.  When these are plentiful and easy to find, most birds will prefer them.

Right now I can look up at the tops of the white pines across the road.  It is laden with pine cones full of seeds.  Acorns are plentiful.  Trees are full of ripe fruits and berries.  Crawling and flying insects and bugs of all types are everywhere.  When the entire habitat is a bird's buffet table, your yard is just one of the many dishes to choose from. 

4)  Is there a new predator in the area?  Is a new cat showing up in your yard?  Just yesterday I looked outside and my eyes met the yellow eyes of a cat.  Long legged, fully black, slim and young, it was friendly and obviously acclimated to people.  But a cat - any cat - will prey on birds when left outside.

I am a cat lover but please keep your cat indoors.  They'll live longer (like my cat that lived to age 23) and healthier.  And you'll have more birds at your feeder.  If it is your neighbor's cat, talk to your neighbor about it.  Don't take it out on the cat - it's not his fault, he's just being the predator he is.

Another visiting predator might be a Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk.  These accipiters are bird-eating birds.  It is always hard to lose a bird to a hawk strike, but by bringing birds in close to us by providing feeders, we are inviting nature AND ITS FULL CIRCLE OF LIFE into our yard.  Hawks taking smaller birds is part of that circle of life - we have just become witness to it.

5)  Changes happen.  This is nature we're talking about.  Another message of this blog is that of Acceptance, that "Nature happens. We cannot MAKE natural things happen (or NOT happen). We can create habitats to encourage natural things to happen around us, but there are no guarantees."

Birds move on to other areas.  Family groups break up.  They migrate.  They die.  They find new food sources.  They establish new territory.  They have wings.

All we can do is create a habitat that is inviting to the birds.  One that is safe and clean, that provides the things they need - food, water, shelter, a place to raise young - and if we are lucky, they grace our yard with their presence.

Use this slowtime to clean all your feeders, buy some fresh birdfood, and then fill your feeders only partway until the activity picks up again.  And enjoy nature for ALL it offers - the highs AND the lows.

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Stone Maven - I'm glad your cat had improved health later in its life but I doubt your results are typical. Study after study after study PROVES WITHOUT A DOUBT: indoor cats live longer than outdoor cats. Thank you for sharing your story.

[Stone Maven]

Great article, but I disagree that cats live longer living indoors. We had one that lived that long as an outdoor cat. Initially, she was an indoor cat for the first 12 years of her life. She had all sorts of health problems. Finally at 12, we decided to let her die peacefully at home on her own time. She wasn't suffering. Just week and jaundiced and thin as could be. Up to that point, we had spent thousands in vet bills only to be told she had liver cancer. We started putting her outside because it was sunny and we felt she should enjoy nature before she kicked the bucket after 12 years indoor. Lo and behold, that cat got better. Her yellow went, she got fat and she became wild queen of the outdoors. She just needed SUN, FRESH AIR, GREENS and yes, a diet of mice and birds. Although, she was too old to catch the birds - she still caught one mouse a day even though we were feeding her. Never again, will I cage a cat indoors. Windows now have so much UV protection in that cats and dogs cannot get their sun therapy anymore with them. In addition, they need the earth and nature far more than we do.

Just wanted to put that out there for any cat lovers that might have an indoor cat with chronic health problems. I know of so many. Before putting your cat down, try giving them back to nature and see if that helps. Our cat lived many more years and enjoyed her life outdoors. She was a beautiful long-haired siamese kitty with blue eyes.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Honeylocs, thank you! Glad I could help. Thanks for stopping by.

[honeylocs]

Very helpful article. I'd wondered why my birds vanished for a week a month ago. They stopped coming around again this morning. I read your article, looked out, spotted a hawk in the top of a tree.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Lilbiit, that's interesting. I'll have to give it a try. But you'd need a lot of garlic and rain would wash it away, so I'd prefer a more permanent solution. Thanks for the tip!

[lilbit]

a good way to keep cats away is to use powdered garlic in the areas around the feeders. They move on to other locations.
Get it in bulk!

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Georgia, feeding the birds does come with some responsibilities so that the food, feeders, and feeding area are safe for the birds you're trying to attract. My blog encourages birdfeeding with a focus on zen responsibility - we owe it to the birds. From that I will never waiver.

[georgeia hanks]

i found this very uninformative and kind of irritating.sorry for putting food out for the birds and no toilet paper or napkins

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Robert, glad the information was helpful for you! Thanks for your comment.

[Robert j Turner]

Very interesting article seems we have a lot of cats in our garden that keeps the birds away. There are a few birds going to the feeder now and then? Good information.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Gail - it is a good time to clean while it's slow because you know it's just a matter of time til they're busy again!

[G. Palmer]

My birds still love the stackable bird seed cylinders. Perhaps they are telling me the bird feeders need to be cleaned.

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

Lindsey - you're very welcome.
LNMP - I agree that #3 is a huge reason right now in upstate NY.
Lana - thanks. Hope you're doing well.
ScienceGuy - not too picky. Just lots to pick from!
Christy - it's a question that never seems to go away, isn't it?

[Christy]

Great article, thanks! I might pass this along. We get this question a lot at our WBU.

[scienceguy288]

Never realized how picky birds are.

[Lana]

Good info!

[LNMP]

This is a great list! Re: #3, there seems to be huge crop of acorns this year (which probably means more chipmunks and squirrels next year!).

I am definitely an advocate for keeping one's cats indoors. It is safer and healthier for the birds AND our cats. When our neighbor's cat started lurking around our feeders, we pulled out the water hose; even a light spray in the vicinity of the cat (no need to soak him!) can be a deterrent.

[Lindsey D.]

Thank you soooooo much for this entry! The feeder near my window has been reduced to only the local downy woodpecker and nothing else...I have been unable to figure out why, even after checking the food and feeder. Seems #3 is the likely reason, there's plenty of cones here and feeders in other yards and I know resident birds have been enjoying the recently harvested nearby fields (plus I can hear the nuthatches, other woodpeckers, and blue jays calling every day from the trees in my yard).

#5 also affects my backyard quite often, especially now that winter is around the corner - found out I shouldn't expect an irruption of siskins like last winter! That'll definitely change feeder action.