It's natural for us humans to worry about "our" birds when we're going to be gone for a few days. "What are the birds going to do???", we ask.
I assure you, they'll do just fine, but if you want to provide some foods that will last for the longest period of time after you leave, I do have a few suggestions.
WBU Birdfood Cylinders
When we're leaving home for a few days, our #1 go-to birdfood is large birdfood cylinders. Cylinders are made of a variety of seed and nuts, and some even have suet or fruit in them (with absolutely no fillers). The ingredients are compressed and held together with gelatin to form a round cylinder.
When placed on a cylinder feeder with both a cover and a tray (to keep the cylinder dry and catch pieces as they break off) and on your squirrel-proof Advanced Pole System set-up, a group of cylinders will often last for many days into your absence. The Cylinder Cafe feeder with its large cover and ventilated tray is ideal for large cylinders.
To add even more cylinders to a vacation buffet, I take the hopper feeder off the top of one of my Advanced Pole System set-ups, replace it with a double crook, and hang two more cylinders feeders. When I return home, I switch back to the hopper feeder. This flexibility is one of the many advantages to the WBU Advanced Pole System!
Suet Cylinders
To provide suet while you're gone, a suet cylinder works well and lasts longer than a small suet cake. Below is a suet cylinder being enjoyed by a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. You can also put a suet cylinder in a WBU Dinner Bell feeder (pictured below with a small cylinder) that lets you lower the cover to exclude larger birds.
WBU Eliminator Feeder
Our Eliminator Squirrel-proof birdfeeder holds a lot of seed (3 quarts) to last many days into your time away. Squirrels are not eating away at the seed, so all of it is for your birds. It has weight-sensitive perches, so if you want to exclude larger birds, you can make the adjustment and the seed will last even longer.
Absolute Birdfeeder
This squirrel-resistent birdfeeder holds a LOT of seed - 10 pounds of it! Birds that tend to "sweep" at birdseed in search of the heaviest seed or nut will have a harder time doing that through the square feeder ports, so less seed is sent flying to the ground. (We say "squirrel-resistent" vs. "squirrel-proof" because we have had Red Squirrels and chipmunks figure it out.)
We fill ours with safflower seed, which the Purple Finches and grosbeaks love, but the Blue Jays don't prefer. That helps the seed last longer!
Now depending on how long you're gone and the availability of natural food sources, your results may vary, but these are the strategies I use to feed the birds as long as I can while I'm away from home. Now you can enjoy your vacation and not worry about your birds!!!
Patty, they just found other sources while you were gone. Fill your feeders only halfway until they realize the restaurant is open again!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | September 19, 2016 at 10:40 AM
Hi, we feed our local birds and we were away for a few days. Now we don't see the birds coming back to the feeder. Any thoughts why?
Posted by: Patty | September 01, 2016 at 10:51 AM
Thanks Linda! I'm glad you found this post helpful. Stop by often!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | August 05, 2015 at 09:09 PM
Gorgeous photos, and a very informative post. Thank you so much for sharing.
Posted by: Linda | August 05, 2015 at 06:49 PM
Thanks as always Daniel for your nice comments!
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | August 03, 2015 at 08:24 PM
Barbara, I'm glad this post was useful for you.
Wild Birds Unlimited does have some stores in Canada. Here's the website to check if there's one near you. Good luck and have fun feeding the birds!
http://www.wbu.com/
Posted by: The Zen Birdfeeder | August 03, 2015 at 08:19 PM
Plenty of options for us backyard birders who set out feeders for our feathered friends. You've provided valuable and varied solutions for all of us. Thank you!
Posted by: Daniel LaFrance | July 29, 2015 at 11:15 PM
What good strategies for keeping birds fed while you are on vacation Nancy - loved seeing these different kinds of feeders which I haven't before... being Canadian I'll have to check out our bird stores! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Barbara | July 29, 2015 at 08:18 AM