Garden Food A combination of garden plants and seed assures that you'll have plenty of birds to watch. By choosing plants that will provide food in every season, your garden will attract birds year-round. And since each species of bird has its own food preferences and many can live in the same territory without competing for food, you'll get plenty of variety with the right mix of plants and seed. There are lots of choices, from something as basic as a tray with seed on it to a specialized feeder. The type of feeder you choose will determine the birds that come to eat there.
Many bird watchers start with a solidly built tube feeder.
The clear plastic tube lets you know when food is running low and also helps the birds to find your food. Most tube feeders have individual perches, and they'll attract small songbirds, but not larger birds. Many people feed birds only during the winter months when the birds need it most, but feeding them year round offers advantages. Feeding in the warm months can induce some birds to nest nearby, and many birds take on their most colorful plumage during the breeding season. Regardless of whether you feed only during the winter or year round, be consistent with your feeding regimen it is only fair to those birds who have come to rely on your feeders as a source of food.