What foods will attract large finches, like this Rose-breasted Grosbeak? Sunflower seeds are a year-round staple, but you might find that during spring grape jelly will also entice grosbeaks (photos by Paul Konrad). Found in western states and provinces during spring and summer, a Black-headed Grosbeak feeds on grape jelly during a migration stopover.

April can be considered a spring turning point in our annual schedule of backyard bird feeding. Some species are “disappearing” as they migrate northward, so it’s important to start preparing for birds that will be migrating back north to our yards and neighborhoods, such as species of finches, orioles, and hummingbirds. This week we want to share a very helpful and informative website for you to refer to that provides information about what foods to offer to attract 100 different species to your feeding station – as long as you live within the range of these birds.

Provided by Project FeederWatch, which is produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada, the website provides a good mix of East–West and North–South birds that will help you try to attract new species by adding a new ingredient or 2 to your feeding station fare. It’s both a great starting place for enthusiastic birders, and it’s a helpful resource for anyone interested in expanding the species count at your feeders. It will also provide a link to the All About Birds site for each species, where you can access a wealth of information about each of the species that will provide a real boost of information about birds you may be able to attract to your feeding station. Enjoy the chance to learn more about birds that come to your feeding station and others you see in your yard at Common Feeder Birds - FeederWatch

Fresh Water Too

The FeederWatch website focuses on bird foods, but it’s always important to provide fresh water for birds in concert with your feeding station. Providing water is easy, cheap, and highly effective – water will attract more different species of birds than all foods combined! An elevated shallow bowl of water or a birdbath will do the trick, and there are a variety of options if you’re interested in adding a water feature to your yard. Keep in mind that the sound of moving water helps to attract more birds, especially migrating birds looking for water in new surroundings.

Effectively, as spring migration advances we want to try to attract favorite species that will spend the spring, summer, and fall, while seeing what migrating birds we can attract and benefit as they make stops along their long-distance flights to their nesting range. It’s an exciting time of the year, and be sure to keep a record of when new birds arrive and when they “disappear,” and try to get a few photos of birds at your feeding station while they make a stop during their spring migration flights. Good Luck!

Share your backyard birding experiences and photographs with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com