Wild Bird Feeding Help (birds, look)

[NYRed]

Hi all...I have a problem and I'm at a loss what to do...I have been feeding the wild birds at my house for a few years now and had no problems till now...I have almost NO birds using my feeders...I have cleaned them...I tried different seed...I have no cats around...The hawk we see now and again is nowhere to be found...They go under the feeders...They are all over the yard...But not ON the feeders...Am I cleaning them wrong??? Any tips and or tricks to try would be great...Thanks in advance...

[Bazzwell]

Something new in the yard near or on the feeders? We lost all action on the feeder for a few days by just opening a nearby garage window that had been closed since before probably any bird in the flock was born. It just threw them off I guess. They didn't leave, they just wouldn't go near the feeder.

Or, something in what you're cleaning with? Birds have a good sense of smell and might steer clear if there's an unfamiliar odor.

Or, it could just be what they're doing all by themselves. Some days there isn't enough room on the feeder. Other days it sits with no takers. No changes, weather the same, food the same.

[NYRed]

Feeders are semi new...Birds HAVE been using them though...Just the past month I got just about zero birds...I had cleaned them with a weak bleach and water and rinsed well just like I've done many times in the past...I'm at a loss here...

Thanks for the response...

[Giesela]

Chances are they'll come back or revert to old habits. Sometimes birds will disappear from a yard completely for a couple of months, no one knows why exactly.

Sometimes I wonder if what looks like the same old feed to us has gone through a bad batch or something.

[NYRed]

Thanks for the ideas and thoughts folks...I'm saving $$$ on seed I guess

[leorah]

We have five feeders and two water sources, and yet this happens to us sometimes, too. We had a bluejay hanging around for a few days and that seemed to keep the rest of the birds away from the feeders. Even the finches were eating the seed on the ground.

Last week the feeders saw little activity, but we have flocks of sparrows roosting in the trees since yesterday and fewer finches.

I'm wondering if this might be a transition period where the winter resident birds are moving north.

[NYRed]

Originally Posted by leorah

We have five feeders and two water sources, and yet this happens to us sometimes, too. We had a bluejay hanging around for a few days and that seemed to keep the rest of the birds away from the feeders. Even the finches were eating the seed on the ground.

Last week the feeders saw little activity, but we have flocks of sparrows roosting in the trees since yesterday and fewer finches.

I'm wondering if this might be a transition period where the winter resident birds are moving north.

Could be but the little chippy birds I call them are all over the trees and the other yards...Maybe they don't like me no more...lol

I will give it some more time...