How to hand-feed wild birds in your backyard
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ธ.ค. 2024
- The Pondologist shows you the process he prefers for hand feeding wild birds. Habitat modifications, feeding stations tips and step-by-step footage are shown featuring the Common Redpoll and the Hoary Redpoll. For more bird related topics, check out our blog at www.aquaeden.co...
I'm impressed that you were able to get so close to the birds at the bird feeder!! They didn't mind you at all. I live in the city and if the birds see me approach, no matter how slowly, they fly away. One day I hope to have one land on my hand too!
I love this guys smile at 7.47, perfectly content and pleased to have nature in his palm
Yes its a great feeling! Makes me want to get back out there again!
In this kind of bad day, you painted a smile on my face, thank you :)~
Hey! Glad to see this could help - take care!
I can't wait I've been getting the jays used to me with peanuts any day now...peace brother, beautiful spot.
My children And I have recently began feeding the birds in our backyard And it's been a real for us. Taking care of nature is necessary. This is so special.
That's quite Amazing , so much patience and its paid off. Please you achieved your 'dream ' to hand feed wild birds. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful experience.
I love this! It made me feel warm and fuzzy. I too love birds and have had a variety of wild birds ready from my hands since I was 5 y.o. More sea and aquatic birds than others. I'm not picky. It's always been such a delight to me. I started getting birds of my own in my early twenties and have had birds for many years. I'll be a birdie grandma for the first time in about a week to a beautiful pair of ringnecks. I have two doves. They are my absolute favorite and I can't imagine living without doves. I also have a pair of parakeets.
Thank you for your video. I really enjoyed it.
I'm hanging loads of birdfeeders at the mo..here on my land in Italy..already i've seen loads of little birds coming to eat...will follow your example....thanks
That kiss on your cheek was so special to see.. I sure did enjoy watching your flock of birds that come to see what you are treating them with today. That one redpoll gave you a special thank you for putting out your feed. Wonderful video you made. I am pretty new to backyard bird feeding. Now I need to find a way to keep these pesky squirrels away forever. They are tricky and sly ones. Sometimes the Jays run him off..
Love your sharing & watching the birds feed. I live in the country, within city limits. No matter how slow or take-a-step-stop-take again toward the feeders, the birds fly off.....whether standing or sitting. Oh sigh! I will keep trying! 😊
I’m 11 and I successfully fed a chickadee out of my hand :D
Way to go! I think I fed my first Chickadee around that age as well at my grandparents house. You are hooked now for life!
Nice bro I’m 12 I hope I can do it too
Same, I am 12 and I am trying to achieve my goal of hand-feeding a Black-capped Chickadee. Bird watching is one of my many hobbies, and I have always wanted to hand feed not just Chickadees, but other birds like Sparrows, Goldfinches, and maybe even Cardinals. Who knows! Wish me luck on my journey.
@@theteenagegardener me too! I'm trying to feed a white winged dove and some other birds I have here. I hope you're able to do it!
@@theteenagegardener im 12 too and i really want to feed birds
You are living the dream.....priceless.
Thank you for letting us know how to get birds to trust us.
You are welcome - its a great experience!
I am amazed on how you were able to contain your excitement during this!
Thanks for sharing...I loved watching this video!!! Happy birding!
Yes it is very hard not to smile too much!
Excellent video. Like you, I have wanted to hand feed wild birds all my life. Maybe it's time I followed your example here in Scotland
I have hoards of these guys I call them my Sky Chickens, but I actually thought they were finches, but I see they're called Redpolls!!
Been hanging close with the chickadees, nuthatches and a couple of blue jays. Hoping to get them to my hand over the winter. Thanks for sharing :)
Good luck!
Some birds enter my house and I am like yeah you ain't goin anywhere
But my parents open the door for it
Definitely in touch with nature, wonderful Video! I've never heard of Redpolls or the Hoary Redpoll. I guess I'll have to do my homework!
Awesome and helpful video! and lol THANK YOU for saying "grilling out"! I hate it when people say "barbecue lol thanks again
I have the same dream! Gotta put in the time and patience to stand/sit out by the feeders. Thanks for some fresh inspiration :)
That was FANTASTIC!!!! Thank you!!!
As a bird lover this is amazing. What patience!
Thanks!
I love birds and they seem to trust me. Im outside all the time and sometimes i just sit under the feeder or just stand close and they still come close and eat. I guess i haven't given them a reason to be afraid of me which makes me happy 🥰
Awesome video man. The look on your face at 7:47 said it all!
Brett - Thanks! The feeling of a bird landing on your hand never gets old!
Great video. More practical and implementable. Thanks Jacob. Will try this process with grey Finches on my terrace and update you with a video.
Thanks! I will be curious to hear how it goes for you. Good luck!
Very good. Thanks! I'll try it
Congrats you're a Disney princess!
Like a boss.
Dave has posted same thing on other sites. I think he is a closet princess...
Hey Jacob, I totally love this video. I'm not too far from you. I live just outside of Oxford, Wisconsin. Your deck so much reminds me of ours; it looks down upon a gentle wooded hill with mostly red and black oaks. I love that you love birds. I am going to try this technique. I figured something like this might work but never tried. Now I'm going to do it. Oh, and I found it interesting that we have never seen redpolls around here. Must be just outside of their range. I'm going to look them up. We mostly have chickadees, downy and hairy woodpeckers, goldfinches, titmice, cardinals, and nuthatches; the common nuthatch and the tiny red-breasted nuthatch. We also see an occasional red-bellied woodpecker and two types of orioles. We've even seen a scarlet tanager here, which was really rare. Thanks for this great, inspiring video.
Thanks for the note. Yes you must be just farther south as we do not have titmice here. I think your best bet would be chickadees in cold weather. Redpolls spike in certain years so maybe they will come in a big year. Since this video I have not seen a large wave of them in our area for at least a few years now. Hoping to have them back again sometime! I may practice with the chickadees as they take more time but are the best chance for me in my area. Ive had breeding Scarlet Tanagers here.. they are amazing!
I got the chickadees to eat out of my hand. I thought there was a trick to it, but they just do it.
Hello from Ireland I love to feed the birds the only one i can get to feed from my hand is the robin, but it is wonderful to see them up close, thank you for sharing thoroughly enjoyed it
Id love to see a pic or video of that!
I’ve always wanted to do this since I was a kid. Going to try later today 😊
Good luck, hope it goes well.
I love wild birds, so amazing to watch your video. OMG, i wish I could do that?? Were u freezing?? How long did it take to have the birds trust u and go to your hands?? I feed my backyards birds everyday, but never as lucky as you.....xoxoxo Merry X'mas.
+LOLA'S STUDIO Hello - thanks for the comments. Sometimes the bare hands get a little cold when waiting for a long time. These birds took about 3 sessions which is really fast.
+Jacob Langeslag they are fun to watch.....thanks for replying me Happy new Year!!!
Very nice Jacob, I hand tamed chickadees and Nuthatches and occasionally Redpolls as a youngster in New England.Did it fairly quickly using a bit different a method. Moved down to Virginia and It definitely takes more patience here in the Southeastern U .S. You really have to go through more of a process here. The help of snowfall or at the very least seriously cold weather is almost essential. Probably good to let people know that where they live is a major factor in how long it may take and how they go about attempting it.
Right on! One advantage to living in a cold weather area! Yes Redpolls are the speed track.... other bird species can take weeks if not months and some never come around!
Thanks for sharing this! I want to try this with some of the finches and sparrows at my feeders. I've made strides as far as them getting used to my presence while they're feeding, so your techniques will help even more.
Fabulous to watch you and see a real bird lover .The birds know that too .I have hooded crows come each day They are really trusting as they know me but even so , doubt will achieve thhis .Have come very close .Great meeting other bird lovers 👍
Thanks for the kind remarks. Birds are the best!
Fantastic video, well done! Out of curiosity it now over 5 years since the video was made, has there been any further developments? Such as do certain birds come as soon as they see you?
Well actually is has been about 5 years plus since Redpolls have been in big numbers in Minnesota. They are very nomadic and i doubt the same birds ever come back to my yard. I do also feed birds in northern Minnesota at our camper and yes the chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches do come and remember me. I need to post videos of those birds as well.
Wow, Your fantastic guy to feed birds by hand love to do that myself. Now I know how to go about it. Very good video. Greetings from the UK Corporation.
Thanks! I need to get out there again and so this... Ultimate stress relief and no better way to really feel connected in nature!
I've been trying this myself, hopefully I have luck this spring , thnx for the info
Wonderful. It takes great patience. Thanks for sharing.
Really good job man, great experience with nature in the wild. Usually i leave some birdseed and nuts out on the patio and dozens of magpies, blackbirds come at once. Will have to try this out some time :)
Well done! It is a kind of reach and withdraw, so they get tamer faster. Birds will like when you talk to them, with a nice voice that shows you like them a lot.
I have not tried the talking part.... was hoping to be able to make a special sound to them so they could know I have food.
That is so cool! I really wish I could do that too!
It’s a blessing!!
I've thought about using the same method, but wasn't sure if it would be a waste of time. Thanks! Looks like fun.
Such patience! What an amazing guy! Thanks for this great video....
Thanks!
Very cool video, thanks for showing. This encourages me in my goal to socially interact with wild crows.
hows it going with wild crows ..I have a group on my balcony They are now much easier with me and it does take longer with them Good luck :)
Crows would be very hard as they are super skittish in the country around me.
GREAT! CLEVER WAY TO TEACH US ALL. THANKS FROM LONDON ENGLAND.
Thanks, would love to hear what birds can be hand fed in your part of the world!
....I'm impressed!... you are extremely very patient....great to watch!...
Thanks, yes sometimes its good to just slow down and work with nature!
In my experience, chopped walnuts and black oil sunflower seeds are very popular here in Northern Virginia. Also, it may be detrimental to be too quiet and still... because that's what predators do. I've had a couple of surprise encounters with wild birds while simply talking to someone in person or on the phone. The birds can tell you are not going after them. Point: don't be too afraid to make slow movements or sounds. I've been able to attract wild birds by slowly raising and lowering a dinner plate with black oil sunflower seeds sprinkled with some chopped walnuts. (They knew the plate very well after visiting it for many weeks).
Hey Kurt this is very cool, I will give it a go. What species are you getting in northern Virginia? I used to live at Blandy Experiemental farm in the Summer for Ecology Research outside Winchester, Virginia. Really enjoyed the birds there.
@@jacoblangeslag7887 species i have handfed: black-capped chickadees, tufted titmouse, and nuthatch. Others i observed here over the last 10 years in my backyard: cardinals, sparrows, Bluejays, cowbirds, American Goldfinch, purple finch, rose-breasted grosbeak, crow, Carolina wren, dark-eyed junco, mockingbird or gnatcatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, woodpeckers, eastern phoebe, hummingbirds, mourning doves, hawks and possibly an owl in flight at dusk.
Love this! Are you still feeding them? Thank you for sharing!
Yes I am still hand feeding birds. Waiting on Redpolls to come south again in Minnesota as its been a few years since a big migration.
Awesome!! I am attempting to learn but how do u keep the squirrels of those feeders+
BRILLIANT!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful video .... is this works from the first time or it needs to try many times ... ?
some people get lucky and it happens right away , some you have to work at it more
@@jacoblangeslag7887 very true . هذا رزق .it happed to me in other way the doves made their nestes in my house 23 times . Some on my balcony and some in my window . Some success and some not .Now i have one in my balcony and the eggs will hatch after 7 days in shaa ALLA .
Great video! Someday I plan to have the birds eat out of my hand too! I love your feeder area. Looks like your a Droll Yankees fan too!
Sounds good! Yes Droll Yankees are the bomb!
I'm going for it! Mine are almost there and this step is great! Let ya know☺🌿
Good luck!
Nice one, thanks for sharing. I've been trying this for a while, without success...obviously I didn't remove any feeders first, doh !!
I will try that now....thanks again mate 👍🏻
Fantastic! Your birds are beautiful and you are an inspiration with this technique. Thanks for sharing.
Very cool video, I will have to try this out. Thank you.
How long did it take them to get used to you before they ate out of your hand from the beginning?
First time for this video- But i have experience and know what birds, timing and weather conditions to aim for. So don't get down on yourself if it takes awhile. Just make sure you try to feed the right birds in your area!
You make it look so easy
Just gotta know the right bird to try it with at the right time!
Hi Jacob.. I loved this video and all your fabulous tips. Right now I have a mama bird with 5 brand new hatched babies nested in our mailbox/newspaper box. I want to get the bluebirds, or any bird for that matter, to eat out of my hand. What kind of seed would be best for bluebirds? Just yesterday I bought some mealworms for the mama bird and her babies and I want so badly to earn their trust by having them eat out of my hand. Currently I don't have any bird feeders or water for the birds as we just recently moved into our new home. I am taking your advice and will provide a habitat for the birds is there anything else I can do besides this? While at the bird store (we have a very cute store just for birds,in my city) and they had this bell that you ring after putting the mealworms outside. I guess the theory is the birds will recognize that when they hear the bell it is mealworm/treat time. Have you ever used the bell method and if so does it work? Thank you for your educational and super sweet video!! Terri
Sorry the mama and baby birds are bluebirds. Thanks!
They are coming to my garden. I would like to try this. Thank you for this video.
Hello!
Could you tell the brand of seeds you use for summer and winter? I see sunflower seeds!
God bless you!
black oil sunflower seed, some in the shell and some chips
I wish this could apply to South Western California weather ahh.
You're so lucky! Thanks for sharing! :)
Yes I miss these little guys. Redpolls have not come down in big numbers from Canada for a few years
Ahh I see
Awesome video! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks!
Amazing video - thank you so much! I live in England - do you think this would work in the springtime with sparrows & thrushes?
+Gulab Jamman Thanks - I believe this fast technique only works in winter time when birds are hungry. I think there will be too much food in the springtime. Unless you get a late spring snow storm like we have had here a few times and I was about to feed mealworms to hermit thrushes within a few feet and probably could have trained them closer.
That was pretty cool...back when I was a kid I used to feed chickadees, titmice and nut hatches from my hand...I tell people this and they don't believe me...I'll send them to this video...l would brace my arm in a crook of a small tree, it helped keep me motionless...if you have some patience it will happen...cheers
Awesome!!! I have a nuthatch that comes to the tree when he sees me coming to fill the feeders. My daughter and I went in the woods across the field and by golly I looked over and on the tree next to me he was there about eye level. I always joke and say he likes me but I truly think he was actually curious wondering where I was going. He is now "Wilson" to me. I will try your method with Wilson and see how it goes. Thanks for the info
Kind of reminds me of that scene in beauty and the beast where they're feeding birds and at some point, beast is covered from head to toe with birds. 😂😂
Who's the maker of the large black pole feeder with many feeders hanging from it at the beginning of the video?
Sorry I cant remember and I since upgraded the system.
How many feeders do you exactly need? I have one bird feeder, a creek in my backyard and many pine trees and conifers. I feed my birds bird food mix, because my aim species is the Black Capped Chickadee. Would this be a good environment for the birds? I live in NY.
Chips 🍟 (aka fries) if your feeding seagulls. They probably appreciate warm hands most birds do.
Awesome, well done! Thanks so much.
Wonderful! There is a family of four blue jays in the park where I live (in NY) and twice a week I sit with shelled sunflower seeds hoping that they will eat from my right hand and they have been getting closer and closer but then they fly off. I usually go back and put the seeds on the park bench and then stand 5 feet away and they eat. Should I continue to sit on the bench and see if they eventually trust to eat from me? Also, my other concern is a hawk that lives in the park. Am I exposing the blue jays to danger from the hawk if I sit on the bench and the blue jays come near me? I don't want the hawk to notice that when I am on the bench the blue jays come out of the trees. Any advice will be appreciated.
Hello! Thanks for watching the video. Glad you are attempting to hand-feed birds. Blue Jays are actually a tough bird to hand-feed in my opinion. They are very smart and don't seem to get too close to humans. They may feed close to your hand and closer to you, but if your goal is to get them to land in your hand it might be tough. Not sure in the Blue Jays in NY are different than MN though... If your goal is to hand-feed I would start with black-capped chickadees in your area. Other good birds are pine siskins and redpolls, however these two birds do not always come south to our areas in the winter and this winter 2013 there is almost no siskins or redpolls after the big invasion we had last year. I would not worry too much about hawks. I would try to attempt to hand feed in areas with cover for them to hide if a hawk does approach. Let me know how it goes and if you have an other questions!
Jacob Langeslag Hi it's been a few months since my last post to you and the four blue jays I know have added two members. Six now. One of the male blue jays has been getting closer to me every day. Lately, he flies in a tight circle around my head and seems to be debating if he should land on my arm or on my shoulder. Today he saw me reach into my pocket for sunflower seeds and he flew almost directly onto my thumb but changed direction at the last second. I then bent down and put the sunflower seeds in front of my sneaker. He flew right down, perched on the toe of my sneaker and filled up on sunflower seeds. I stood stone still so he would gain more trust. His mate waited on a twig at my shoulder height about a foot away and she just observed the goings on. Very relaxed. I spoke very softly to them the entire time and they were at ease. If he would just slow down a bit when he approaches me LOL because seeing him come at me with such swift power is something I am not used to. I have a good feeling that he will soon be landing on my thumb and I will feel very honored. You know, I really believe they KNOW when you like them.
Wear the same colour cat and hat every time you feed the jays, they will start to recognise it is you.
Hi there! I love this video. Particularly because I noticed the large amount of Chickadees. Hey, can you tell me what you keep in your feeders to attract those birds. Is it just BOS and Thistle? Also, what do you use for a bird bath in the winter? Thanks!
at the temple where u feed koi fish, swans, and a butt load of birds 🐦 also it's near a cemetery
I stayed still and got birds on my hand and got a chance to pet one .3.
ПТИЦЫ ЧУВСТВУЮТ ХОРОШЕГО ЧЕЛОВЕКА,И ДУША У ВАС ДОБРАЯ!!!
Hey I had to get google to translate this. Thanks!
Amazing! Good job! I will have to try this. Hats off to you!
Thanks, that was extremely helpful, and super sweet!
Amazing! So beautiful to watch. Thanks for sharing this experience. :)
I saved a baby birds and he keeps coming back with his mom and they lay under my grill but when we try to get near them they fly away
There is a hummingbird that will come to my feeder while im standing right next to it. Should I hide the feeder and see if he will feed out of a cap in my hand? Any tips for this?
Great patients. Thank you for sharing this video.
Wow! I had no idea that wild birds would do this! You have so much patience, very impressive! How much do you spend on bird feed every month? What kind of water source do you recommend for in the yard? Thank you from Wisconsin!♡
Yes it is cool - some people have written entire books on hand feeding birds. I probably spend too much but I do love birds... my guess is about 75 bucks a month... I have no cable TV though so this substitutes well!
Very similar set up to my garden Niger seed seems to be key when it comes to finches and winter time when they are hungry. I would sit next to the feeders and eventually the great tits would land for nuts I had in my hand. Once one comes down the others follow. All finches now come to the feeders while I'm topping up too. I ALWAYS talk to them while I'm out there so they get used to me vocally. Birds respond to female voices quicker than male 😋 Niger seeds, white sunflowers, peanuts and suet are their favs and seem to be the main seeds they cant say no to. Good luck folks I hope your birds are as friendly as my little ones. I have baby blue who is this years blue tit chick, Jerry the great tit who comes and sits on me getting his nuts, daphne and winnie the gold finch, Agnus the sisken, woody and Allen my pair of woodpeckers, Eddie the pine marten who comes for his jam sandwiches most evenings💞 Persevere and it WILL pay off
Great video.....very well done....thank you for sharing
Thanks - reminds me I need to get out there again!
thanks jacob
That was Absolutely Amazing!!!!
That’s really cool!!
Great, enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
awesome info
Beautiful sight thanks.
that's so sweet of you to feed birds, especialy in winter season, since they hardly find anthing to eat : /
that is amazing I'm going to try it because I have had gray squirrels feeding out my
Amazing and inspiring !
That was so cool
Wow, this is intense!
at school, we went for a hike and fed wild birds i didn't even have to close my eyes or anything i just stood still with my hand out and they came!
Wow! What kind of birds were they?
@@jacoblangeslag7887 They were chickadees. We saw some cardinals but they wouldn't come near us :( How do we get them to eat from our hand??
I am thinking about making a bird feeder and mounting a heat lamp for the birds
I've never heard of that. Curious how it works for you.
Instructions unclear. The birds are my hand.
Good video btw.
Lol
have u ever feed scrub jays!!!???
No we do not have them in our area. I hear they are one of the easier ones though! It would be a lot of fun to have a bird that size land in the hand though!
yes i caught one