 No Birds at Feeders
Here are a few things you can do if
you have trouble getting birds to come to your feeder:
1. Improve the amount of cover and
habitat around the feeder. You could:
Let an area of weeds grow around
your feeder area.
Plant a variety of vegetation
that attracts birds and provide food (see one of the Lab of
Ornithology Bird Notes titled, Creating a Garden for Birds).
Add brush piles around the feeder
(stacking up discarded Christmas trees around feeders works wonders in some cases).
Add a source of water, such as a
bird bath.
2. Find an area in your schoolyard
where birds tend to congregate. Entice the birds to come closer to your feeder area by
placing a food pile between the "hot" bird area and the feeder area. As birds
start to use the pile of food, move the pile closer and closer to your feeder area.
3. Move your feeder to an area more
likely to attract birds (such as an area closer to vegetation). Give each new location
about three weeks before you give up and move on to the next.
4. Post a message to the CFW
listserv and ask if anyone has additional ideas on how to attract birds.
5. Contact a member of your local Audubon chapter
and see if they have any recommendations for you. Perhaps they would be willing to do a
site visit and give you some specific pointers.
6. If you've tried all these
options and your feeder area still doesn't attract enough birds to make this an exciting
project for your students, evaluate your site carefully and investigate the possibility of
obtaining a grant to begin a habitat improvement project in the schoolyard. Besides
attracting birds, a project of this type would provide an exciting, hands-on,
interdisciplinary learning opportunity for your students.
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