Thursday, October 1, 2026
This is the final of a series of three columns about bird feeders, for readers who are considering putting one up, and for those who want to explore how to attract more diverse species.
One reader reported that over the years they have had 25 bird species visiting their feeders. What a treat for all those birds and for the humans who enjoy watching them!
There are two eating habits of birds that can be found at or near feeders. The first type will primarily visit the feeder itself; the second feed primarily on the ground, eating seed that falls from above, and what people may scatter on the ground for them.
The bird species seen most often at feeders are the two species of chickadees. Black-capped chickadees are common everywhere in our county; the chestnut-backed chickadee likes conifers and therefore is a more likely visitor if you have such trees nearby. Both will most often call a merry "chic-a-dee-dee" whenever they’re around, but they also have other calls. Another common visitor, if you have conifers nearby, might be the red-breasted nuthatch.
All three of these species prefer sunflower seeds to all other offerings. They fly in fast, snatch a single seed and whiz off to a nearby perch (that’s the reason having a nearby tree or bush increases feeders’ success). And, if they eat it right away, you may admire their dexterity in shelling it.
But often, instead of shelling and eating their treat, they will cache it, perhaps under a bit of bark, under a roof tile, or similar spot. Hiding surplus food, obviously, is an adaptation to times of scarcity. They don’t know you’ll be refilling feeders every morning.
Chickadees will cache thousands of seeds and other food and, remarkably, can relocate them with great accuracy. Many researchers have studied this skill and their results were summarized in the 2024 Smithsonian Magazine. These weren’t specially trained birds — they were the same brainy birds that visit your feeder every day.
Chickadees and nuthatches are regular visitors all winter. Other visitors are several species of finches. They spend the winter in flocks and will, on occasion, descend on a feeder and empty it rather quickly. These include pine siskins, house and purple finches. Goldfinches are also fairly common species in our area. These finches are more common visitors in winter, but might drop in any time of year.
Sparrows are more typically ground feeding birds. The most common of these are the song sparrow and golden-crowned sparrow. The latter spend the winter in Thurston County before returning to the mountains for the breeding season. Liam’s photo shows what to look for — a plain gray breast and faint golden feathers on the bird’s black crown.
Many of the sparrows are rather shy, but not dark-eyed juncos. These birds will be on the ground and on the feeder, all day and every day. You can quickly identify them by their gray head, light bill and prominent outer tail feathers. Along with chickadees, juncos are the birds that you are most likely to bring to your feeder, regardless of its location.
Many other bird species like to feed on the ground as well. These include other sparrows, two jays (scrub and Stellar’s), spotted towhee, and the several species of doves, pigeons and quail that may frequent your neighborhood.
There is one type of feeder that I have no practical experience with — the suet feeder. Suet is hard animal fat that stays solid at room temperature. Fat provides birds with an immediate high-calorie food and some folks have had great success attracting different species of birds, including woodpeckers, with suet. It is especially popular with birds in the bitter cold of winter.
Suet is usually placed in a special feeder with a wire cage to hold the fat. There are also commercial suet and seed mixtures available. I recommend suet feeders for cold weather only. In warmer weather, the suet can become rancid more quickly and sometimes will even melt.
Beginning several years ago, a new feeder variation was introduced, adding a WI-FI camera. (Here’s another way for you to spend money on this interesting hobby). I see them for sale on the internet for between $60 and $200-plus, and many of them have a small solar panel to power the camera.
A friend has one and I asked him for a review. He reports that at first the family was excited to see birds close-up, but fairly quickly the novelty wore off. After all, it was the same few bird species revisiting time after time.
They’ve had no problems with the camera setup, and the birds soon ignored the camera. This might be something new for you to try, especially if you want to get "up close and personal" with your avian visitors. Then when you’ve seen all your local birds, you might want to regift it to someone else.
I want to thank the readers who provided comments on these three columns; those comments and questions added value and detail to the series. It’s apparent that the number of bird feeders in Thurston County is growing, maybe even faster than the human population.
George Walter is environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural resources department; he also has a 45+ year interest in bird watching. He may be reached at george@theJOLTnews.com
Bird photos for this column are provided by Liam Hutcheson, an 18-year-old Olympia area birder and avid photographer.
3 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Callie
I get the hot pepper suet from Wild Birds Unlimited
Friday, November 28, 2025 Report this
TimRansom
I also use the hot pepper suet. As mammals, the squirrels won't eat it. The three species of woodpecker and the two jays visit the suet exclusively, as does my Townsend's Warbler. It is also a favorite of the juncos, chickadees and nuthatches.
Friday, November 28, 2025 Report this
LindaD
I would like to learn about plantings that help birds. Plants that can take care of themselves I can locate too far away to water but will survive, especially in woods. I’m going to start a variety of sunflowers this year and put some in sunny spots in the woods. Any ideas how I could help them survive? Partly I’ll let them get bigger before putting them out. Other ideas? Other plants?
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Report this