There are several reasons that birds may not be using your bird feeder, and the good news is that there are going to be lots of things that you can to resolve the problem! Some of the reasons that birds are not visiting your feeder may not be immediately apparent, but I am going to give you 20 reasons why birds may not be using your bird feeder.
Here is a list of my top 20 reasons, why it is that birds are not visiting your bird feeder:
- Incorrect bird feeder
- Incorrect food on the feeder
- Out of date food
- A poor-quality food
- The feeder is dirty
- No water source nearby
- No cover nearby
- The location of the feeder is poor
- You or your neighbours have cats or dogs
- You or your neighbours have kids
- Chemicals
- Birds of prey nesting nearby
- You have no lawn
- Wrong time of year - migration
- A plentiful supply of local food
- Competition from neighbours
- Fledglings
- Different birds
- Give it time
- Double-check
Hopefully, this list has immediately given you some ideas, but keep reading if you want to know more about each of these!
Incorrect bird feeder
The choice of bird feeder is very important, and several factors may influence your choice. This could include, the price, location the feeder is placed, type of bird you are trying to attract or the kind of seed you would like to offer.
Smaller birds prefer a smaller feeder, but smaller bird feeders are not ideal for larger birds. The essential element to remember here is that particular bird food is suited to specific types of feeders but does not need to cost a lot of money. It is, of course, worth trying another feeder, but I would certainly not throw away the old one until you have tried a few of the other of my suggestions.
Incorrect food on the feeder
In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about the types of birds that prefer sunflower seeds ‘What birds like sunflower seeds‘. The article details the kinds of feeders that I have found suitable for different food types, so it is essential to consider whether your bird food is suited to the feeder. For example, some seed is more susceptible to the weather than others, and it may be that your food is going bad after just a few days of being put out.
Out of date food
Bird food stored as per the instructions, in the right conditions should last for at least a year, but the time that this food will keep once it has been open to the elements will differ dramatically. Firstly ensure that you are not using old bird food.
You may be inadvertently doing more harm than good if you put out old, mouldy or rotten food. Try and rotate birdseed regularly to ensure that you are using the oldest first and avoid buying too much food at one time as it is more likely to go out of date. Perhaps birds visit your feeder, are not impressed by the quality of food and decide not to return for a while!
A poor quality food
Not all bird food is the same. The types of seed in many cheaper seed mixes for birds are not suitable for our typical UK garden songbird. The contents of these mixes include wheat, barley, split peas and even broken up dog biscuits.
Birds such as Pigeons, Pheasants and Crows will be interested in this, but few others will take an interest. Placing this kind of food in your hanging feeder is unlikely to entice a Pheasant or even a Pigeon or Crow to hang off it, but you can try! Stick with good quality food wherever the budget allows.
The feeder is dirty
When was the last time you took down your bird feeder and gave it a good scrub? Ideally, it would help if you cleaned it regularly with a 5% disinfectant solution. Good hygiene of bird feeders is essential as most diseases that birds transmit will be through their droppings.
Contaminated bird droppings that are mixed in with bird food present a real risk to other birds. Try and clean your feeder every couple of weeks or sooner if you see it looking particularly messy. Birds will look elsewhere if another food source presents less risk to them.
No water source nearby
Birds appreciate having a fresh water source near their food source for obvious reasons. Once you have gobbled down some seed, it’s a lot nicer to have a drink nearby then to have to fly to another location and its not just water they require for drinking. Bathing is also essential for birds, especially in wintertime when water sources are at risk of freezing.
Birds need to keep their feather in good condition, and bathing helps the birds loosen dirt, making the feather easier to preen. Make your bird feeder more appealing by keeping freshwater nearby.
The location of the feeder is poor
Where you place the feeder should also be another consideration. In addition to wild birds have specific feeding habits, they also need to feel safe while feeding. For example, A blackbird is less likely to be seen hanging from your bird feeder as they much prefer feeding on the ground.
Sparrows love to feed and dart back into cover while they digest their food and store energy. Perhaps your feeder has no cover nearby or should be placed on the ground instead of up high.
You or your neighbours have cats or dogs
If you have a cat or a dog, they will likely be in the garden multiple times a day. Although a domestic pet may cause few concerns to humans, they could pose a severe threat if you are a wild bird. If you do not have any pets, perhaps the neighbours do, and their presence may be causing your local wild birds to keep their distance.
If you or you neighbours have domestic pets, you are limited in what tactics you can use to attract birds but one idea I have seen work well its to place your bird feeders of very tall poles in the garden. Doing this will give the birds some confidence that they will be safe when feeding.
You or your neighbour have kids
Similarly to domestic pets, the sudden appearance of child running, screaming, and generally having a great time can be extremely troublesome to a wild bird. Aside from asking you or your neighbour’s children to never go into the garden (unlikely!), one tactic here may be to involve them more.
Perhaps explaining to the children what is happening in the garden and inviting them to watch from the window may give the birds a chance to feed in peace.
Chemicals
It is often overlooked whether other pest control chemicals have been used in the garden recently. Some chemicals in weed killers and other pesticides are harmful to wild birds, and the smell or sight of these may be putting the birds off visiting your feeder.
Birds of prey nesting nearby
Perhaps you have apex predators nesting nearby, such as falcons or eagles? If your neighbours also report not wild birds, maybe this is the reason. You are limited in what you can do here, but providing additional cover may be the best option. Adding additional border planting to give shelter or move the feeder nearer to an existing cover source may help.
You have no lawn
If you have little or no lawn, some types of birds may decide not to visit. I would think this is unlikely but possible if you live in a very built-up area with little grass around. Perhaps you have existing paving, and there is not enough ground for birds to forage. Gravel and concrete are not ideal for birds! Try carving them out a little bit of back to nature space.
Wrong time of year - migration
Perhaps the birds that you would typically associate with visiting your bird feeder have migrated? It’s possible that the birds attracted to your feeder have left our shores for warmer climates. Consider what time of year it is.
A plentiful supply of local food
If there is a plentiful supply of food nearby, there may be great competition for wild birds attention in your area. Perhaps your neighbours are doing the same as you? If you live in or near the countryside, there is ample food choice depending on the time of year. The local wild birds might be spoilt for choice. The only option you have here is to offer them something tasty and not easily get locally.
Competition from neighbours
Perhaps you neighbours have already set up a bird sanctuary right on your doorstep. It’s possible that your neighbours nearby have an array of bird feeders, fresh water and have been doing so for years. If this is the case, you may need to up your game to entice them over to your bird feeder!
Fledglings
If you suddenly noticed a decrease in visitors to your bird feeder, perhaps its because the babies have fledged. Becoming a parent can be challenging, and birds often visit feeders to bring home food quickly to their young. As the young fledge, the parents may introduce them to the feeder and show them other means of getting food. The fledglings may have left the nest and have gone elsewhere.
Different birds
Depending on the birds in your area, it may be that they are not interested in your current offering of food. If you have food on your bird feeder that is unsuitable for the resident birds, it could merely be a case of them not being interested. I would suggest monitoring your local area and seeing what birds are about. Once you know this, you can specifically target them with your feed.
Give it time
Birds are incredibly cautious about new feeders. It can take several months before wild birds become comfortable enough to visit a new feeder, so don’t be put off if you do not see any action for a while. Keep checking and regularly changing the seed, and I am sure you will start to see the results.
Double-check
Lastly, are you sure that you are getting NO birds whatsoever? You could set up a small camera and film the feeding station while you are away from it to see which visitors may be starting to visit.
Hopefully this has helped you! Happy bird feeding!