ABO's
Frosty Feathers of the Far North
 |
|
|
Getting Started The first step is to set up your bird feeding station. Most local feed and garden stores also carry a variety of bird feeders, seed, and suet. However, setting up your bird feeding station can be as easy as gathering recycled materials and putting your students to work. Here is some general information on feeder types and placement, followed by a list of resources for more in-depth information, and plans for building your own feeders. Some links on this page are to PDF (Portable Document File) format files. If you don't already have it, you'll have to download Adobe Acrobat Reader |
|
| 1. Types of Feeders: The three main types of bird feeders are: tube feeders, platform feeders, and suet feeders. Tube feeders are a good all-around choice, and most chickadee species will readily use them. They are usually cylindrical in shape and have perches or are made of a “clingeable” material. Tube feeders can be purchased at many feed or garden stores or made recycled materials including soda bottles and milk jugs. Platform feeders will help you to attract seed-eating birds such as redpolls and grosbeaks. Many platform feeders are made with a wooden frame and a piece of screen to let snow and moisture through. However, they can be as simple as placing an old cookie sheet or piece of plywood at your feeding station. Suet feeders provide a high fat food that will help to attract a variety of insect-eating birds such as chickadees, woodpeckers, and Gray Jays. Another simple feeder idea is simply smearing a log or pine cone with peanut butter. Offering a variety of feeders and food will increase your chances of creating a successful feeding station. |  |
|
2. Types of Food: There are many different types of seed available. Black-oil sunflower seeds are a good all-around choice for most bird species. If you want to attract more finches (mainly Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and Pine Grosbeaks), sunflower chips or hearts are a good choice. Be careful about using commercial seed mixes because they often contain a large percentage of millet, a low-quality filler with little nutritional value for birds. Suet and peanut butter are good high-energy/high-fat food sources. See Additional Resources for specifics on winter bird feeding in Alaska. |
|
|
3. Feeder Placement: Careful feeder placement is essential to success! Place your feeders in a relatively quiet area where they can be easily viewed by your students. Feeders must have surrounding vegetation to provide protection and should not be in an area where they will be frequently disturbed (i.e. the playground). Other factors to consider include accessibility and ease of refilling. You may have to experiment until you find a successful place. Try to leave the feeders in a location for at least 3-4 weeks, as it sometimes takes the birds that long to discover them. It is also recommended that your feeders be less then 3 or more then 30 feet from the window in order to avoid mortality from window collisions. |
|
|
4. Set up a weather station: There are a number of potential research questions involving birds’ responses to changing daylight, temperature, and weather conditions. It is a good idea to keep a good quality outdoor thermometer near your bird feeding station, and to establish a consistent way of tracking day length and sky conditions. Here are some good websites for current Alaska weather conditions. |
|
|
|
