Hey! It’s a bird watchers favorite time of year, migration season!! This is the time of year we get to see all different types of birds in our yards and gardens that aren’t residents of our regions or state at all, but species just passing through on their way to their summer homes and breeding grounds. My favorite way of attracting such birds to stop and visit is with an open tray platform or fly through bird feeder. These are simply the best for being visible to birds flying over head, easy for shy birds (think buntings here, people) to feed from since they can fly in and out quickly, along with giving the bird watcher a great view of feeding birds.
Basically these are just what they sound like, an open tray with a screen bottom (a must, don’t buy one without a screen) that you put seed on. Several birds can eat from them at one time. My platform feeder is the only feeder I use a seed mix on, not that I am anti mix, I just have so many feeder that I can feed separate foods in separate stations. Keeps the fighting down! However, on the fly thru platform the whole point is to attract new species so I want to make sure I have something for everyone. I use black oil sunflower seed, white proso millet (millet just for the buntings), and occasionally something different like some peanuts. The black oil and millet are the best all purpose staples in my area, with black oil being the best all around one type food in most places.
Don’t think this is just for migratory birds. A fly thru feeder will also go a long way to attract new species to your garden who are also residents. They come in open tray models, decorative styles and styles with a roof to help keep rain or snow off the seed. They do take more re-filling and more cleaning than other feeders, and if you don’t want the maintenance, they aren’t for you. All the same, if you see how popular they are with wild birds, you may be willing to go the extra step. It’s the most popular feeder in my backyard and that’s saying a lot. You can shop online for them here: Fly Thru Platform, Tray Bird Feeders.
