JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- Once the growing season is done and the gardening equipment has been put away, many homeowners invite birds into their home landscape.  It’s a win-win situation.  Birds find necessary nourishment during the cold, winter months, and families enjoy watching the colorful, often graceful visitors.

Bird feeding is a popular hobby in America.  According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Americans spent almost $800 million on birdhouses, feeders, and baths in 2006, and more than $3 billion on wild bird food.  By early November, most of the bird species that winter in Kansas will be on-site, and looking for food.

“Birds that are very easily attracted into the back yard to join our winter resident species or year-round resident species include the Northern Cardinal, the American Goldfinch, and the house finch,” said Chuck Otte, agriculture and natural resources agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Geary County office.

Even blue jays can be a lot of fun to watch, he added.  “But they’re annoying to a lot of people because they're kind of the bullies of the neighborhood.”

As in the real estate business, setting up a bird habitat is all about location, location, and location.  The habitat should be some place attractive to both birds, and those who want to watch them.

“We feed birds for one basic reason,” Otte said, “and it's not to help them survive the winter.  It’s to get them closer into the backyard, so we can enjoy them better.”

Otte says a successful backyard bird habitat will furnish three critical needs:  food, water and shelter.

Many bird feeders are on the market now.  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each with its distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Birds can be very specific, Otte said, about both what food is offered, and how it is offered.  Some birds prefer to scratch around on the ground, while others may prefer one of the elevated feeders or a tube-type feeder hanging from a tree branch.  Feeders need to be accessible to the homeowner, as well, for cleaning and filling.

A wide variety of commercial birdseed mixes are available, too, but Otte recommends two very specific seeds to start with – seeds that almost any bird will find tasty.

“Look for mixes that have a lot of the white proso millet a lot of the black oil sunflower,” said Otte.  “If you're finding lots of corn, lots of wheat, lots of grain sorghum or milo, these are things to avoid.  Yes, birds will eat them, if nothing else is available.  But given their druthers, they'd rather have some black oil sunflower or white proso millet.

“For example, you and I will eat hamburgers if they're there, but if a nice T-bone steak is also available, we might show a preference for that.  It’s that same sort of philosophy.”

A heated birdbath can be a wonderful addition to a backyard bird habitat, he said.  These units are electric, and generally use less energy than most people expect.  “Look for a unit that has a built-in thermostat.  And remember to change the water and clean it throughout the season,” Otte said.

Homeowners also must remember, however, that in addition to food and water, birds need to feel safe and protected.

“Birds are not flying over your house at 500 feet and then going into a nosedive to get into your yard.  They move in carefully and cautiously.  So you need to make safe travel lanes,” Otte said.  Large trees serve as a focal point for birds to hone in on, he explained, while smaller trees and shrubs will make birds feel safe and secure – especially if they happen to be close to the feeders.  Threats can come from down below (cats, for example) and above (hawks and other predatory birds).

“Primarily the small hawks--the Sharp-shinned hawk and the Cooper's hawk—are the ones that view your feeder as a ‘feeder’ of a different kind,” Otte said.

Sometimes, the best bird habitat can be a corner of the yard that never seems to get cleaned up.  A pile of brush left over from tree pruning can provide good cover and shelter for birds all winter long, he said.  A Christmas tree, added after the holidays, can be attractive to small birds, if left near a bird feeder.  Birdhouses, usually thought of as a place for birds to raise their families during summer, can provide shelter on frosty nights.

“They'll be used for roosting, for birds such as chickadees, nuthatches,” Otte said.  “Instead of one breeding pair, you may have 10 or 12 of them packed in there during a cold winter's night.  Those sorts of things can certainly help.”

Sidebar:  The Squirrel Conundrum

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. -- Squirrels have certainly done their share for the popular online video site YouTube.  A YouTube search of the term “squirrel bird feeder” produces more than 1,000 results.  Evidently, “if you put up a bird feeder, they will come.”

“Squirrels are the bane of every bird feeder.  The irony is, there is no such thing as a squirrel-proof feeder,” said Chuck Otte, agriculture and natural resources agent for K-State Research and Extension’s Geary County office.  “Squirrels are very intelligent.  They will overcome just about anything you try to use to defeat them.”

Otte offered two strategies for dealing with squirrels, however.  The first involves diplomacy, and the second leverages the power of science.

1.      “Feed and Distract” -- Squirrels are hungry – that’s why they want your birdseed.  But they don’t really need your sunflower seeds or millet. 

“They're very fond of corn, so start putting out some ears of corn – drive a nail into a fence and stick it on there,” Otte suggested.  “Or hang it from the tree on a small chain with an eye bolt screwed into the end of the ear of corn.  A lot of times that will help.”

2.      “Give ‘Em a Hot Mouth” -- Lace the birdseed with ground, red cayenne pepper. This is not a “once-and-done” fix – it may be necessary to lace and re-lace birdseed for four to six weeks, before squirrels get the message.  It may also need to be repeated later in the winter.

“Birds have different taste receptors in their mouth,” Otte explained.  “They don't even notice the capsaicin in the red pepper.  It's not going to faze them at all.  It's a good source of Vitamin A.

“Squirrels have sensors in their mouth just like we do, and you're really going to give them a hot mouth.  They may hog your bird bath for a little while, but usually what you want to do is simply get the squirrel to associate eating from your bird feeder with a very unpleasant experience.”

This strategy has become so popular, that some producers of commercial birdseed mixes are beginning to incorporate the red pepper into their bags of seed.  Otte offered a word of caution, however:  “Don't let the wind blow that dust back into your face, because it'll give you a snoot full, too ... speaking from experience!”

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