How to Make Your Own Wild Bird Food

Wild birds can bring beauty and interest to your home or backyard. If you are new to the world of birding, you may be wondering how you might tempt these wonderful little animals into your own backyard for observation. Fortunately, the needs of birds are simple. You don’t even need a lot of pocket money to get started. You can save money by making your own bird feed.

Provide a Balanced Mixes:

Not all birds will be attracted to the same type of feed. A large handful of breeds tend to prefer bread-based and suet blended mixes while others strongly prefer a mix that provides a blend of seed, dried fruits and sugars with chopped nuts. While not all birds will be tempted by your offerings, there are many that will be more than happy to pay you a visit, providing you offer the right sort of feed.

Bread Based Feeds:

Bread based products tend to attract birds like wrens, mockingbirds, thrashers, sparrows, warblers, robins blackbirds, chickadees and bluebirds. A great mix to draw these birds is an equal blend of corn meal, oatmeal, whole grain unbleached wheat flour, suet and chopped nuts of choice. Blend together and place on a stand mixer to attract feathered admirers.

Fruit-Based Feeds:

Fruit-based mixes tend to draw goldfinches, grosbeaks, buntings, waxwings, bluebirds, orioles, thrushes, woodpeckers and cardinals.

A perfect blend to set out for these breeds would consist of equal portions of chopped peanuts or crunchy peanut butter, dried berries such as raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, chopped nut blends, suet for protein fats, dried apples and dried fruits such as apricots, peaches and prunes.

Feed Placement and Water:

These blends can be scattered on the ground in your backyard or placed in a suspended feeder to ensure the bird's safety. Just be sure that all feed is kept fresh and free of mold or mildew by changing it out frequently, and to provide a clean source of water.