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Health & Fitness

Feed The Birds Not The Bears

In recent years the bear population in Connecticut has skyrocketed. This has forced many people to abandon the joys of feeding the birds. Fortunately there are some simple things you can do to ensure your feeding just the birds. Bears have a very good sense of smell. Extra care should be taken to ensure that there aren’t any other household items that are going to attract them to your yard. Garbage cans should be closed tightly, and birdseed storage should not be done outside.

 

The best way to prevent a bear from frequenting your feeder is to avoid them finding it in the first place. The black bear, the most common in our area, is primarily nocturnal, so by simply bringing in your feeds at dusk, you can greatly reduce the chance of the bears finding your birdseed. If this does not work with your schedule it is best to hang feeders out of reach of the bears. This means hanging them at least ten feet high and ten feet away from anything. If you choose this option, keep in mind that the black bear is very smart and may spend a considerable amount of time looking at your feeder trying to figure out how to get it down.  Additionally if you use a pulley system to raise and lower it make sure to install some sort of a clip to help foil the bear’s attempts to get it down.  If you are unable to hang your feeder in a high point try to avoid excess seed on the ground.

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The scent of the seed on the ground can linger for a long time, inciting bears to explore your yard. Clean up any seed on the ground and kill any lingering scent with ammonia. Using a tray attached to the bottom of the feeder can also help reduce the amount of seed on the ground. Additionally some people have had some success discouraging the bears scent by adding “Squirrel Away” or cayenne pepper to the seed mix.  Don’t worry this does not harm the birds in any way.

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If all else fails you may want to try some alternative solution to attract birds without the bears. Birds always need water, so a birdbath is a great way to attract them to your yard. Remember to keep the water clean, and if possible running to have the best luck. Placing a small bottle with a hole in it will create a dripping affect that is sure to attract more birds.

 

Providing nesting boxes and houses is another great way to attract birds. Planting bird gardens can also aid in summer birding.  Attract low nesting birds by planting Coyote Bush. Bayberry bushed are known to attract over 85 varieties of birds, and Black Eyed Susan’s are favorites of both birds and butterflies. 

 

Lastly, if you are determined to put out seed, try seeds that are less tasty to bears. A couple of examples of these types of seeds are thistle and safflower.

Happy Birding!


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