Field notes

The notebook

9 notes on feeders, food, birds, seasons, habitat and the problems that come with feeding wildlife. Written to be used at the feeder, not read as a magazine.

Feeders & Setup

Pick a feeder, hang it well and keep it a clean, safe place to eat.

01 Where Should You Put a Bird Feeder? Ten feet from cover, three metres from glass, and out of a squirrel's jump. Feeder placement is a set of trade-offs, and getting it wrong is why birds stay away — or fly into your window. 10 min

Food & Seed

Learn what each seed, suet and nectar actually attracts — and what to skip.

01 What Can You Feed Backyard Birds? A Food-by-Food Guide Sunflower, nyjer, suet, peanuts, mealworms, fruit, corn, oats — and a clear list of what not to put out. What each food actually attracts, how to offer it, and what spoils fastest. 13 min 02 Which Bird Seed Actually Attracts Which Birds? Most bags sold as "wild bird mix" are mostly filler. Here is what each common seed really attracts, what the birds ignore, and the two or three bags worth buying instead. 11 min

Birds & Behavior

Meet the usual visitors and learn to read what they are telling you.

01 Identifying the Female: The Feeder Birds People Get Wrong Female cardinals, house finches and blackbirds are not just duller males. Here are the females most often reported as "a new species", with the marks that settle it. 10 min 02 Why Birds Fight at the Feeder There is a pecking order at every feeder, and it is not simply "biggest wins". What dominance actually looks like, why some small birds displace larger ones, and how feeder design changes the argument. 9 min

Seasons & Weather

Feed well through winter cold, spring nesting and autumn migration.

01 Feeding Birds in Winter: What Actually Helps Winter feeding is the one time of year when a feeder can genuinely matter. But the popular advice is full of half-truths about dependence, timing and fat. Here is what the evidence supports. 12 min

Yard & Habitat

Build a garden that birds want to stay in, not just pass through.

01 Turning a Lawn Into a Bird-Friendly Garden A feeder brings birds to visit. Habitat makes them stay. The four layers that matter, what to plant, and why "untidy" is doing more work than another feeder. 11 min 02 Birdbaths: Depth, Placement, Cleaning and Winter Water is the cheapest way to attract birds and the easiest way to spread disease. How deep a bath should be, where to put it, how often to clean it, and what to do when it freezes. 9 min

Problems & Pests

Handle squirrels, pests, mess and the things that threaten the birds themselves.

01 A Sick Bird at Your Feeder: How to Tell, and What to Do Crusty eyes, fluffed feathers, wart-like growths, a bird that lets you approach — what each sign probably means, why you cannot treat it yourself, and the exact cleaning sequence that stops it spreading. 12 min