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We at Old Elm® want to help you enjoy the beauty and fun that wild birds bring into your life. Old Elm® Wild Bird Food mixes are specifically formulated to attract the greatest number of colorful songbirds to your yard. We hope these tips help you better understand and attract your feathered friends.
Offer Old Elm® Wild Bird Food year round - in the fall migratory season, during winter when natural food sources become more scarce, in the spring for mating and nesting time and during the summer to help nourish new fledglings.
Offering different kinds of Old Elm® Wild Bird Food will enable you to attract the greatest variety of native songbirds. If a new food is not eaten right away, don't give up. It may take time for certain birds to recognize a new food.
Place feeders near trees and shrubs because most birds prefer some type of cover near a feeding area to protect them from cats and other threats.
Domes or baffles above feeders not only keep out squirrels and raccoons but also keep seed drier and protect feeding birds from rain and snow.
To attract a larger variety of wild birds, place several types of feeders at varying heights in different locations of your yard. Use different styles of feeders for different types of seeds and mixtures. Filling one feeder with a quality Old Elm® blend and others with a single type of seed such as niger, sunflower or safflower will help create an enjoyable wild bird feeding experience.
Most birds that feed at an elevated feeder prefer a blend that contains larger seeds such as black oil sunflower, stripe sunflower, sunflower hearts and peanut hearts.
Most ground-feeding birds will enjoy a blend made up of a variety of millet and sunflower seeds which are scattered on the ground or on a platform tray feeder.
Many birds seek out food most actively early in the morning and again just before nightfall. This gives them the energy they need to make it through spring nesting, breeding and chilly winter nights.
It is important to keep fresh, clean water no deeper than 2 inches near the feeders. Birds need water for drinking and bathing.
Clean all feeders and birdbaths monthly with a vinegar and hot water solution or two ounces of bleach with one gallon of water to prevent bacterial growth.
When landscaping your yard consider planting berry bushes for fruit-eating birds and perennial flowers for hummingbirds.
Offering Old Elm® Safflower Seed should be a gradual process because your birds may not be familiar with its different look and taste from other seeds. Start by mixing it with one of our other seed blends and then slowly increase the amount of it until the birds will heartily devour a serving of safflower seed by itself.
Encourage woodpeckers to come visit you by filling the holes of a bird feeder with peanut butter or suet and pour in Old Elm® Songbird Woodpecker® blend. Place the feeder near a tree trunk and soon you will have the friendly company of native woodpeckers.
Scatter some Old Elm® Wildlife Feast® or Old Elm® Cracked Corn on the ground to attract ground feeding birds and other wildlife.
Birds do not have teeth so they need grit to help them grind up their food and digest it. Scatter sand, ground oyster shells or eggshells near your feeders to ensure longer and more frequent visits from your favorite birds.
During the spring and early summer months, mix finely crushed eggshells or oyster shells with Old Elm® Wild Bird Food to provide females with much needed calcium vital to the development of their eggs.
In addition to Old Elm® Wild Bird Food, try providing other tempting treats to attract various wild birds to your backyard. Hang suet cakes in wire suet baskets. Nail orange halves to trees to attract orioles, woodpeckers and tanagers. Smear trees or pine cones with peanut butter and watch the woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees flock to it. Grape jelly is an excellent food to offer in small trays during the summer for orioles and gray catbirds.
Store your Old Elm® Wild Bird Food in a cool, dry place in a sealed container. Aluminum cans or plastic pails with tight fitting lids work well.
Remember the three basics: Old Elm® Wild Bird Food, water and shelter. Provide these necessities and you will enjoy birds "Bringing Nature to Your Doorstep."Old Elm™
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