If you are anything like my wife and I, you love to watch and hear the birds around your home. Getting enjoyment from such little things as watching a robin toss one dead leaf after another looking for food; or to see the loving as a male woodpecker takes a bite of suet to a female on a nearby tree, is just wonderful.

Special foods attract certain birds. Our standard sunflower feeder is a common item used to attract many birds, squirrels and chipmunks. We use the large black Canadian sunflower seeds. You can buy smaller ones plus those with a white stripe. Its’ well to grow a few sunflower plants so you can watch the antics of chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and others as they go after the seeds in the flower later in the fall. Many of the smaller composite flowers like black-eyed Susans and daisies produce an abundance of seeds that birds can relish.

Peanuts attract birds like blue jays and mourning doves even in their shells and smaller birds go for just the nuts. All birds love peanut butter but straight peanut butter will stick to the lining of a birds mouth. It is well to mix it with some corn meal, grits or a breakfast cereal.

Thistle seed is the most attractive food for goldfinches. The plants are easy to grow on the edge of your feeding area.

A few raisins on your deck railing will attract other birds as will stale bread.

Of course all these foods will attract the squirrels but usually they will all feast together.

All need water when they eat, so a birdbath kept full of water is a great attraction. To get birds to a birdbath you can attract them by hanging a plastic bottle above it with a nail hole in it that lets the water drip. The splash of each drop attracts the birds.

Even though you are feeding them, they will continue to catch and eat many of your pesty bugs and insects.