November Guide for Attracting Birds to Your Backyard

Winter is fast approaching and in some areas has already arrived

Birds are busy preparing for the difficult conditions ahead. Cardinals, Juncos, Finches, Grosbeaks and others are forming flocks. Birds do not like to be alone when looking for food so they pool their resources. Providing a feast in your squirrel proof birdfeeders, a place to keep warm in your decorative birdhouses, and heated bird baths for your birds will provide a payback of their presence for months to come.

Bird seed

Best November Seed Mix

50% black oil sunflower
40-45% white millet
5-10% safflower, striped sunflower or shelled peanuts

• Cardinals, Chickadees, House Finches and Nuthatches will kick the white millet to the ground. Birds like Juncos Sparrows, Doves and Towhees will find it there which is where they prefer to eat it. If a lot of Juncos find your backyard you may need to add a ground feeder to your yard. White crowned Sparrows will return to the area they found food last year. So feeding consistently helps to ensure birds are in your yard year after year.
• Fill your decorative bird feeders late in the day or very early for more activity. Cardinals, Jays, and Grosbeaks will feed on sunflower in the morning and come back late in the day to finish off safflower, peanuts, or striped sunflower in your mix.
• Use tube, hopper or tray style feeders for your seed mixes with tube and hopper style being the best in snowy areas.
• November is good time to reposition your feeders so you can see them from your windows
• If you have Gold Finches wintering over in your area, you will need to have nyjer seed. This seed always need to be in a separate feeder preferably mesh style nyjer feeders. If you have a birdbath it is a good idea to put the feeder near your heated birdbath.
• Don’t forget the Brown Creepers. They are a non-seeding eating bird that you can attract with shelled peanuts. Make sure you hang stainless steel peanut feeder in a tree near the trunk. If you have trouble with squirrels hang it from a disc-style baffle to discourage them.
• Jays love shelled peanuts these can be in a tray or on stump

Suet

• To your birds this is their pumpkin pie. This month suet eating birds such as Nuthatches, Creepers, Woodpeckers, Kinglets, Bushtits and Yellow-Romped Warblers feed heavily on suet because their calorie needs are higher. You will go through more suet this month
• Use a suet cage or a log-style or tail-prop suet feeder.
  
• When you put out your suet feeder smear it with peanut butter and seed. Sometimes birds do not recognize suet as food.
• Mount or hang your suet feeder in tree where you can easily see it , birds will come very close to the window.
• As the weather gets cooler it is best to add a couple more feeders
• Be patient because attracting a wide variety of birds to suet will take time
• If you were to feed only one thing to your birds this winter it should be a high quality seed blocks with nuts and black oil sunflower. Their advantage is that you do not have to refill them everyday.
  

Mealworms and Fruit

• These are also great for your birds. Many birds have lost their interest in fruit but sometimes you can interest them in dried raisins, cherries and cranberries.
  
• Mixing the dried fruit with dried mealworms is even better. Mealworms can also be mixed with seed or suet pellets to help attract the birds.
• Put the mixture in any type of tray feeder.
• If you are in the area of the country where it doesn’t freeze you can continue to put out apples cut in half next to your birdbath.
  

The need for Water in November

• Birds rely on their clean feathers to help keep them warm during the cold winter months. Cardinals, Jays, Robins, Finches, Bluebirds and Wax Wings are some of the birds that will be looking for open water and food. Once they discover the ice free water in your backyard they will keep coming back.
• That is why it is important to have a bird bath that has thermostatically controlled deicer. This will ensure the water temperature is just above freezing. It is best for the birdfeeder to be metal or plastic. Try to avoid ceramic or cement birdbath unless you live in an area that has milder temperatures.
• Fill birdbaths with fresh water every day
• Several birdbaths is a good idea also.

Some other tips

• Your nesting boxes and decorative birdhouses should be cleaned and ready for use. Birds will roost in them to stay warm.
• Don’t cut back all your seed heads or other vegetation. Birds will use these for food and protection. I have my front lawn very manicured and cut back. But I leave my backyard dense and overgrown for my birds.
• When doing your lawn care keep around some piles of brush for your birds. Very often they will use them to keep warm but also can be a great place for them to hide from predators.
  

As you sit cozy and warm at your kitchen table sipping on some hot chocolate, you will enjoy your visiting birds for months to come. Following these tips will help to keep your birds well fed and cared for during these difficult winter months

If you are looking to get yourself a new decorative birdhouse, outdoor wooden furniture, outdoor Christmas decorations, tuned wind chimes or anything else for your Backyard make sure you visit my website.

I am adding Squirrel proof bird feeders and birdbaths to my website by Mid December so come back and see my selection,

Other Related Articles:
Choosing a Bird Feeder for your Backyard
Cleaning Your Bird Feeders
Reasons to put up Bird Houses in the Fall
The Best Places to Go Bird Watching