How to Attract Birds to Your Feeder All Year Round

It’s nothing short of pure magic when your yard becomes filled with flocks of feathered friends. With their colorful feathers and melodic songs, birds bring beauty and music wherever they go. Consider the demands of migration seasons and varying food sources, it’s important we do everything we can to keep birds healthy all throughout the year.

Forrest King-Cortes, an ecologist and bird expert, shares that each season requires different practices to entice birds to your home. “If you want to see a diversity of birds outside of your window, you need to put different things out every season,” he says. Here are the best ways to attract birds to your yard all year long.

Winter

Winter is one of the most pivotal times to supply a steady food source for birds. With the temperature dropping and insects dying, it can be a challenging time for birds to stay healthy. “The majority of birds’ diets consist of bugs, so their food sources diminish significantly in the winter,” King-Cortes says. Birds will switch to finding seeds and fruits that survive in the winter, but with less food, they’ll have low energy and need more time to warm their bodies.

How to Attract Birds in Winter

• Birds will be more than happy to visit your yard if you supply a hearty, nutritious food source in your feeder. High calorie foods—like seeds, suet, and dried mealworms—will keep energy up during the frigid days, so stay away from foods that aren’t as nourishing like corn and millet.
• If you don’t typically get snow, having a water source like a birdbath is a great way to attract birds. “Remember to keep your birdbath full in the winter so it won’t freeze as fast,” King-Cortes says. Be sure to replace the water every day to prevent illnesses from spreading.

Spring

Spring is an exciting time for birds and birders! Feathers are beginning to brighten and spring migration brings in a variety of new species that stop and visit for a snack to fuel up for their long journeys north. This is also nesting season for many species, so birds are preparing nests for their future hatchlings.

The erratic weather also brings birds to your feeders in the spring. “When you have cold snaps after long warm periods, it’s extra important to have food out,” says King-Cortes. “The little bugs that came out during the warm days go back into hiding, leaving birds without food.”

How to Attract Birds in Spring

• High-quality food is a top priority for birds this time of year, as birds are busy traveling, building nests, and more. While most birds will be hunting for insects like caterpillars, flies, and spiders, having high-protein food in your feeder like dried mealworms and sunflower seeds will attract birds.
• Birds are building their nests in the spring, so King-Cortes says it’s great to “leave out sticks and branches” in your yard to encourage them to visit and even call your yard home!
• Mid-spring is a great time to get hummingbirds to your yard. For the best results, purchase a hummingbird feeder and buy or make your own nectar. Keep the feeder out of direct sunlight so the nectar doesn’t spoil.

Summer

Birds are extremely active during the summertime and are happy to indulge in a variety of food sources throughout the season. Eggs are beginning to hatch, so birds will be vigilant about finding good food sources. “Birds will be extra hungry in the summer feeding themselves and their new hatchlings,” King-Cortes says.

How to Attract Birds in Summer

• The high temperatures and hot sun cause food to spoil quick, so it is imperative that seeds and any other food does not go bad. Keep an eye on the food throughout the day to make sure it’s safe to eat. This also applies to birdbath water: “You’ll have to change the birdbath water a lot more in the summer because it can grow algae and get gross quick,” King-Cortes says.
• Many birds that migrate to the U.S. during the warm seasons love sugary foods to get bursts of energy, so leaving out fruits like oranges, blackberries, apples, and blueberries is a great way to attract them in summer.

Fall

Migratory birds are headed south for the winter throughout the season, and nesting birds will be looking to bulk up for the harsh winter. Though their feathers will start to look duller in color, you may get visits from some new species while birds are going through fall migration.

How to Attract Birds in Fall

• Many bird species start to hoard seeds in the fall to have a stash of food during the winter. Add seeds in your feeders like sunflower seeds, safflower, and thistle.
• Though you may have the urge to get rid of any fallen leaves and branches in your yard, consider leaving some around. Bird can both use the fallen leaves as a shelter, and the debris provides a home for bugs in the winter, which the birds can eat in the spring, King-Cortes says.