Athens, Georgia

Summer Continues to be a Good Time to Feed Your Birds

Bird feeding isn’t just a winter hobby. By continuing to feed your birds in summer, you have the greatest opportunity of any season to attract the widest variety of birds to your yard and feeders.

Summer is actually the most heavily bird populated season in most of North America. Contrary to popular belief, recent research also shows summer to be the most abundant season for birds to visit feeders.

Finches and other birds will feature their brightest breeding plumage. Woodpeckers, bluebirds and other bird parents will attempt to keep their fledgling young corralled around the yard and at your feeders, and those juveniles will constantly harass their parents for food.

Finally, there’s the excitement of having your own resident hummingbirds flitting and flashing about the yard as they make countless trips to and from the nectar feeder.

As rewarding as all this activity is for you, there are a number of benefits for birds, too.

Access to bird feeders during this time of the year allows nesting females to spend less time foraging, which can lead to better protection of eggs from predators, earlier fledging of the nestlings and higher survival rates of the broods.

Combine the excitement of seeing so many active, colorful and energetic birds with the fulfillment of helping birds thrive, and summer becomes one of the most beneficial times of year to feed the birds for all involved.

Feeding your birds in the summer will not make them too lazy, too dependent or keep them from migrating at the appropriate time. All of these old myths have been dispelled by modern research and observation.

Please visit the store or call us to learn more about how you can better enjoy the birds visiting your yard this summer.