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Window bird feeders are great for bird lovers who want to get up close and personal to watch wild birds. If you hang a window feeder or windowsill feeder properly, you can literally get within inches to watch the birds feeding and if you like to identify birds you can see the finest details of your favorite birds. Window feeders are most often placed on kitchen or bedroom windows but you can place your feeder on any window you choose, just make sure it is placed on a window that you spend a lot of time nearby.
Window bird feeders and windowsill feeders provide many wonderful benefits in addition to effortless viewing that make them a great first bird feeder or an addition to your existing bird feeders. To get the most from your window feeder there are a few ground rules to follow. Bird feeders hung from windows are great for deterring squirrels as long as there are no structures or branches that allow squirrels easy access to the feeder. If that is the case, you may need to find a different window to hang your feeder from.
As many as a billion birds die each year in the United States from crashing into windows. Window bird feeders attached to the glass are a bit safer than windowsill mounted bird feeders and the reason is this: A windowsill bird feeder is attached down low on the window sill and the reflection in the window above can actually increase the odds of birds striking windows due to them mistaking the reflection in the window as open space. On the other hand, window bird feeders that are attached in the middle of the window, via suction cups or Velcro, can help lesson the chances of birds flying into windows because the birds often can make a distinction that the window feeder is attached to a solid object and they cannot clearly see the reflection behind the feeder.
If you prefer a windowsill feeder then there are a number of ways you can lessen the chances of birds crashing into your windows by blocking the reflection in the glass including, attaching decorative decals, adding screens to windows to make them less reflective, pulling your shades down to just above the window sill feeder, creating vertical stripes with tape or ribbon on the outside of your window. You can get creative but be careful not to block your view of the birds feeding from your bird feeder
Keeping bird seed fresh and the feeder clean is very important for all bird feeders, but the design of most window style bird feeders allows birds to stand on the seeds while feeding thus increasing the risk of bird food becoming soiled. For this reason, the seed should be changed every day and the feeder kept clean. Fortunately, most windowsill or window bird feeder designs are among the easiest to access for cleaning and refilling seeds. Your bird feeder will attract a variety of birds including Chickadees, Finches, Titmice, and Sparrows to name a few. There are some responsibilities involved with placing any style window feeder at your home but if placed and cared for properly, they can be the safest of all feeder types and provide you a birds eye view of nature at its best.
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