Feeders and a birdbath are a good start. But some common yard habits undo that work, and a few of them look helpful. These seven mistakes cover glass, lights, pesticides, feeder hygiene, nesting material, hummingbird nectar and garden cleanup. Each one includes what the Cornell Lab, Audubon, the Xerces Society and similar groups recommend doing instead.
The Camera Feeder We Use In Our Own Backyard
See Today's Price1. Clear, spotless windows near your feeders
Clean glass reflects sky and trees, so birds fly straight into it. Window strikes kill hundreds of millions of U.S. birds a year, and houses account for a large share. Leaving windows dirty is not a real fix. Put markers on the outside of the glass: dots, tape strips or cord spaced no more than 2 inches apart, which the American Bird Conservancy calls the 2×2 rule. Place feeders either within 3 feet of a window or more than 30 feet away. Close feeders keep birds from building up speed before a strike.
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2. Outdoor lights left on all night
Most songbirds migrate at night. Bright lights and skyglow can pull them off course and into buildings and windows, which is why Audubon runs its Lights Out program each spring and fall. At home, turn off decorative and flood lights you do not need, especially from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. during migration. Keep the lights you do need pointed down and shielded. Motion sensors help because the light only runs when someone is there, and a timer can shut lights off overnight.
3. Spraying “natural” or organic pesticides
An organic label does not make a product harmless to insects. Common organic options such as Bt, spinosad and pyrethrins still kill caterpillars and other insects, and Bt is made to target caterpillars. That is the food most backyard songbirds feed their young. Researchers found one pair of Carolina chickadees needs roughly 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise a single brood. A few chewed leaves mean the yard is working. If you must treat a plant, spot-treat the problem and leave the rest alone.
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4. Never cleaning under the feeder
Seed hulls, spoiled seed and droppings pile up under a feeder that never gets tended. Moldy seed can carry the fungus behind aspergillosis, and droppings can spread salmonella among birds that feed on the ground. The mess also draws mice and rats. Project FeederWatch recommends cleaning seed feeders about every two weeks with a 1-to-9 bleach solution, then rinsing and drying them. Rake up hulls and droppings underneath on a regular schedule. If you see sick birds, take feeders down for a couple of weeks and clean the whole area.
5. Putting out dryer lint as nesting material
Dryer lint looks soft and warm, but it makes a poor nest. It soaks up rain, then crumbles as it dries, which can leave gaps in the nest. It may also hold residue from detergents and fabric softeners. NestWatch and Audubon both advise against offering it, along with yarn, string and human hair, which can tangle legs. Better choices are natural materials birds already use: short dry grass, small twigs, pine needles, untreated wool or plant fluff. Leaving some dead plant material in the yard supplies much of this for free.
6. Adding red dye to hummingbird nectar
Flower nectar is clear, and hummingbirds find feeders by the red parts on the feeder itself. So red food coloring does nothing useful. There is no firm research showing the dye harms hummingbirds, but there is also no reason to risk it. The standard recipe is 1 part white table sugar to 4 parts water, with no honey, brown sugar or sweeteners. Boiling is optional, but cool the mix before filling. Change the nectar every few days, and more often in hot weather, before it clouds or ferments.
7. Cutting everything back too early in spring
Standing seed heads feed finches, sparrows and juncos through winter. Hollow stems and leaf litter shelter overwintering insects, including native bees that nest in stems. Those insects become food for birds once nesting starts. The Xerces Society suggests leaving perennial stems through fall and winter and waiting until later in spring to tidy up. When you do cut back, leave stems at about knee height so bees can nest in them over the coming season. Rake leaves into beds instead of bagging them.
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