In my area of Northern Virginia, wrens (Carolina and house) and sparrows (song and tree) are common. Because I live in a semi-urban area, I decided that these birds would be easy to attract. On my small balcony of my condo, I have a table that I use to feed the birds.
Because wrens rarely eat anything other than insects, I decided to put bananas out to see if they would eat the fruit flies. Since wrens are fond of suet, bread crumbs, and dried grapes, I have put out suet and grapes for them. Insects and suet have protein for the birds, while bread and grapes provide their energy needs.
After researching about the needs of sparrows, I decided on millet to encourage them to come to my feeder. Since my area is rich in cardinals, I decided not to put out sunflower seeds because this food attracts these birds. Even though the sparrows like sunflower seeds, I want the smaller birds to get their share in food.
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Burton, Robert, “North American Birdfeeder Handbook”,Dorling Kindersly, New York, 1995.
Harrison, George and Kit, “America’s Favorite Backyard Birds”, Fireside, New York, 1983.
Bromley, Peter T. and Aelred D. Geis, Feeding Wild Birds, Publication Number 420-006, Virginia Cooperative Extension, April, 1998, 20 Sept. 2008
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Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008
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