Bird Seed, Feeders, and Bird Baths

Here’s the thing most people get backward. They obsess over the feeder and grab whatever seed bag is cheapest. Bird seed matters more than almost anything else in your setup. The wrong seed can make a perfectly good feeder look like a failure — you fill it, wait for activity, and instead get a pile of rejected filler under the feeder.

For broader project planning, explore WBC’s landscape and concrete resources.

Start with one seed and one feeder. For the shortest possible answer, start with black oil sunflower seed in a hopper feeder. That combination is the most reliable starting point for attracting a wide variety of backyard birds without overcomplicating the setup. Then build out as you learn what shows up.

The bigger move? Add water. Once the feeders are set up, perhaps the best way to make a backyard more attractive to birds is to just add water. Birds need a dependable supply of fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. Putting a birdbath in the yard may attract birds that don’t eat seeds and wouldn’t otherwise come to the feeders.

Picking the Right Seed

Black oil sunflower is the one to start with. It attracts more backyard species than any other single food. It’s the closest thing to a universal seed: chickadees, titmice, cardinals, jays, nuthatches, finches, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, and many sparrows all eat it. A new feeder filled with black oil sunflower will attract activity within days in most yards.

Why it works so broadly comes down to the seed itself. These seeds have thinner shells than striped sunflower, which makes them easier for smaller birds to crack. They also have a higher oil content, which means more calories per seed — important for birds managing energy through cold months. That oil content runs about 40% fat.

That fat matters more here than in most places. Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, House Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Mourning Doves all take it readily. Activity tends to peak in fall and winter when natural food sources thin out. Western Montana winters thin those natural sources hard, which is exactly when the high-calorie food earns its keep.

Beyond sunflower, each seed targets a specific group:

Seed	Best for	Notes
Black oil sunflower	Cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, titmice, jays, woodpeckers	Works in hopper, platform, and large-port tube feeders
Nyjer (thistle)	Goldfinches, House Finches, Pine Siskins, Redpolls	Needs a dedicated small-port feeder; goes stale fast
Safflower	Cardinals, House Finches, chickadees, titmice	Squirrels and House Sparrows mostly avoid it
White proso millet	Doves, juncos, native sparrows, towhees	Ground or platform feeder
Suet	Woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, wrens	High-energy, best fall through early spring
Peanuts	Jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice, chickadees	High fat and protein

A few specifics worth knowing. Nyjer is a small, oil-rich black seed imported from Africa and Asia. It’s the preferred food of the American Goldfinch and one of the few seeds that reliably draws finch flocks to a single feeder. Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, House Finches, Common Redpolls, and Dark-eyed Juncos also take it. The catch: nyjer requires its own feeder. The seeds are so small they fall through standard ports. You’ll need a tube feeder with tiny holes or a nyjer mesh sock. And it doesn’t keep — nyjer goes stale faster than sunflower seed, especially after the bag is opened. Buy smaller bags you can use fairly quickly, and store them sealed in a cool, dry place.

Safflower is the trick for squirrel-heavy yards. Cardinals love safflower; squirrels and House Sparrows mostly hate it. That asymmetry makes safflower the go-to seed for yards where squirrels and aggressive non-native sparrows dominate. The reason is mechanical: safflower has a thicker, harder shell than sunflower. Species with weaker bills won’t bother with it. That’s part of why it filters out the pests.

Ground feeders call for white proso millet specifically — red millet is a filler seed that most US birds ignore.

What to skip? Cheap mixes. A good mix should look like actual bird food — not like livestock grain with a few sunflower seeds buried inside. Check the first three ingredients. Sunflower should lead. If you see red milo, wheat, oats, or red millet near the top, the bag has a low useful seed percentage and most of its weight will end up on the ground under your feeder rather than inside a bird.

Among the WBC-carried options are a 10-pound and 20-pound wild mix, a 10-pound straight sunflower, Suet Plus variety suet in a six-pack, and C&S high-energy nuggets in a sunflower flavor.

Matching Feeders to Seed and Species

Feeder design isn’t decoration — it decides who eats. Feeder design dictates which species visit. A tube feeder with thistle seed attracts goldfinches almost exclusively. A platform feeder with millet attracts ground-feeding sparrows, juncos, and doves. A suet cage attracts woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees but not seed-eaters like cardinals. Matching feeder design to seed type to target species is the entire game.

The hopper is the workhorse. A hopper feeder is the most versatile setup you can buy. The enclosed design protects seed from rain and wind better than open feeders, and the stable perch ledges appeal to a wide range of species — from chickadees and finches to cardinals, nuthatches, and blue jays. In a climate that throws rain and snow at your feeders, that enclosed design pays off. It accepts many seed types, accommodates birds of several sizes, and stays usable in light rain. Typical hoppers hold 3–10 lbs.

Tube feeders cut the mess and favor smaller birds. Tube feeders have a cylindrical body with small feeding ports along the side. This design reduces mess significantly — seed can only come out one port at a time. They work especially well for smaller songbirds: finches, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, and other small feeder birds are all regular tube feeder visitors. The nyjer variant goes narrower still: thistle (nyjer) tube feeders have very small ports designed only for thin-billed finches.

Platform feeders pull the widest variety but trade away weather protection. Platform feeders attract the widest variety of species because nothing about their design excludes any bird — large, small, ground-feeding, perching. The downside is real in Montana: platform feeders offer zero protection from rain, snow, or seed spoilage. Wet seed molds quickly.

Want woodpeckers? There’s only one answer. If woodpeckers are the goal, a suet feeder is the answer — seed feeders won’t bring them reliably. Birds cling directly to the cage to eat. This cling-and-pull feeding style is why suet feeders work so well for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees: these birds naturally forage by gripping bark and extracting insects. Position matters — hang suet feeders against a tree trunk or on a pole. Woodpeckers in particular prefer suet positioned where they can brace against a vertical surface, the way they would on a tree.

Hummingbirds need their own setup entirely. A nectar feeder is the only option — they don’t use seed feeders at all. The Rufous Hummingbird is one western visitor worth setting nectar out for.

You don’t need a yard full of feeders to do well. Most backyards don’t need more than two feeders to see a strong variety of birds. A hopper feeder and a suet cage cover the majority of common feeder species — cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, and woodpeckers — without overcomplicating the setup or the maintenance.

WBC stock includes a hopper feeder, suet feeders, steel and fluted-balloon-style nectar feeders, hanging hooks in 64- and 84-inch lengths, and powdered hummingbird nectar.

Bird Baths, Placement, and Keeping It Clean

Adding water is often the single biggest upgrade you can make, and it brings in birds the seed never will. Bird baths are good year-round — especially during migration season, which offers the chance for unique or rare visitors. Not all birds come to backyards for seed or suet, but they will all stop by for water. You might even be able to lure birds like tanagers, warblers, and buntings to your yard.

The decorative concrete baths sold in garden shops are usually the wrong choice — and in Montana, doubly so. Traditional concrete birdbaths make nice lawn ornaments, but they aren’t the best type for birds. They’re often too deep; glazed ones may be slippery; and they’re often hard to clean. Also, concrete may crack if the temperature drops below freezing. That freeze-crack warning is no small thing across Montana winters — favor freeze-tolerant materials, or empty the bath before a hard freeze.

Shallow is the whole game. The best birdbaths mimic nature’s birdbaths: puddles and shallow pools of water in slow streams. So look for a birdbath that’s shallow, with a gentle slope so birds can wade into the water. Specifically, the water should be no deeper than 1 inch at the edges, sloping to a maximum of 2 inches deep in the middle of the bath. If yours runs deeper, add in a few rocks in the middle or along the edges. This will give birds a place to land so they can splash and preen themselves in the water.

Go bigger on the bowl. Look for a bigger bird bath with a wider bowl on the top, which provides ample room for multiple feathered friends to stop by all at once. You could also do two or three bird baths in a single area.

Placement is about safety and slowing down algae. Birds like cover — it makes them feel protected and secure. So if you can place your bird bath near shrubs, trees, or other cover, there’s a greater chance they will use it. Placing a bird bath in a sheltered, shady spot can dramatically reduce the evaporation rate of the water. Furthermore, when the water is cooler, algae will not grow as quickly.

Moving water is the multiplier. To make your birdbath even more attractive, provide some dripping water. Many birds find the sight and sound of moving water irresistible. Look for water movement devices or mini solar fountains. Adding a simple dripper to a bath can slowly but steadily replenish the water supply to minimize water lost to evaporation.

Placement and Window Strikes

Window collisions kill birds, and feeder distance is the fix. There are two safe zones. Experts recommend hanging feeders within three feet of windows so they can’t pick up fatal speed before crashing into one. If that isn’t possible, they should be placed at least 30 feet away from danger. Some guidance puts the minimum a touch farther: install feeders at least 10–12 feet from windows, which are potential collision risks.

Cleaning and Storage

A crowded feeder spreads disease if you let it go. Birds rarely mix in close quarters in the wild, so the congregation at your feeders may present risks. You should routinely clean those feeders to prevent the spread of disease — every two weeks — and also rake underneath them to clean up seed hulls and bird droppings.

For the cleaning solution itself, clean feeders with an equal parts solution of water and vinegar every 1–2 weeks. Sweep shells and maintain cleanliness underneath feeders. A bleach option works too — scrub them with soap and water first before soaking them in a mixture of water and either vinegar or bleach; a solution of nine parts water, one part bleach. Make sure the feeders are completely dry before refilling them to prevent bacteria or fungus from growing.

Bird bath water needs changing far more often. When the temperature is above freezing, keep your birdbath filled at all times. But to provide a safe drinking and bathing environment, it’s important to change the water every day or two. Bathing birds may leave behind dirty feathers and droppings, making the bath increasingly unsanitary. Also, mosquitoes often lay their eggs in bird baths, including the mosquito species that carry West Nile virus.

Store your seed right or you’ll fight pests and spoilage. Locating a dry, cool storage space and storing seeds within closed-lid containers is an excellent idea to avoid pests and conflicts with moisture.

Squirrels

If squirrels raid the feeder, you’ve got a few moves. If you want to avoid feeding wildlife other than birds, you’ll need physical deterrents. Try squirrel baffles, fencing near feeders, squirrel-resistant feeders, or cayenne-flavored seed to deter wildlife. Or skip the fight and switch the menu — safflower in the feeder does the work on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the single best seed to start with? Black oil sunflower seed. It attracts more backyard species than any other single food. It’s the closest thing to a universal seed: chickadees, titmice, cardinals, jays, nuthatches, finches, woodpeckers, grosbeaks, and many sparrows all eat it. Put it in a hopper feeder and you’ve got a reliable starting setup.

How many feeders does a yard actually need? Two will cover most yards. Most backyards don’t need more than two feeders to see a strong variety of birds. A hopper feeder and a suet cage cover the majority of common feeder species — cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.

Why won’t goldfinches use a regular feeder? They want nyjer, and nyjer needs its own feeder. The seeds are so small they fall through standard ports. You’ll need a tube feeder with tiny holes or a nyjer mesh sock. If goldfinches are showing up in the yard but not at the feeder, adding a dedicated nyjer feeder is often all it takes.

How deep should a bird bath be? Shallow. The water should be no deeper than 1 inch at the edges, sloping to a maximum of 2 inches deep in the middle of the bath. If your bath runs deeper than that, add a few rocks in the middle or along the edges to give birds a place to land.

Does the bath need to stay ice-free in winter? Not necessarily. Birds will come to birdbaths year-round. Keeping a birdbath ice-free in winter is not critical. Birds have several physiological mechanisms for conserving water, and can usually get what they need from snow or dripping icicles. If ice-free water is the goal, manufacturers offer birdbaths with built-in, thermostatically controlled heaters. Immersion heaters are also available. One firm rule: never add antifreeze to a birdbath — it is poisonous to all animals, including birds. Don’t use glycerin, either: it can saturate and mat a bird’s feathers leaving it susceptible to hypothermia. During freezing weather, arrange stones in the water so birds can stand on them to drink without getting wet.

How far should feeders be from windows? Either very close or well away. Hang feeders within three feet of windows so they can’t pick up fatal speed before crashing into one. If that isn’t possible, place them at least 30 feet away from danger.

How do squirrels stay off the feeder? Use a barrier or switch seeds. Try squirrel baffles, fencing near feeders, squirrel-resistant feeders, or cayenne-flavored seed. Safflower is another route — cardinals love safflower; squirrels and House Sparrows mostly hate it.