Feeders, baths and nest boxes for wild backyard birds

What to look for

• Clean seed feeders about every two weeks, more often in wet weather or when sick birds are seen. Soak for 10 minutes in no more than 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, rinse and dry fully, and clean up hulls and droppings below. Source: Cornell Lab, All About Birds
• Hummingbird feeders: change nectar every 3 to 5 days, more often in heat. Wash weekly with hot water and a bottle brush, with no soap. Source: Cornell Lab, All About Birds
• Make nectar with 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water. Use no honey and no red dye, which is unneeded and may be harmful. Change and clean every other day in hot weather (twice a week at minimum) and weekly in cool weather. Source: Smithsonian National Zoo
• Refill bird baths every other day and scrub with about 9 parts water to 1 part vinegar, avoiding soaps. Dirty baths spread house finch eye disease, salmonellosis and avian pox, and moving water deters mosquitoes. Source: Audubon
• Window collisions can be reduced with film patterns, decals, strings, exterior screens, closed blinds or hung objects. The page gave no recommended feeder-to-window distance, so none is stated here. Source: Project FeederWatch
• Nest boxes should use untreated, unpainted wood (cedar, white pine or yellow pine), not pressure-treated lumber. Clean out only when there is no breeding activity. Source: NestWatch (Cornell Lab)
• Add a cone or stovepipe baffle or an entrance extender to reduce nest predation. Source: NestWatch (Cornell Lab)
• Avian influenza: songbirds are usually unaffected, there is no evidence people were infected by feeding birds or cleaning feeders, and people keeping backyard poultry should remove feeders during an outbreak. This piece is dated May 2022, so confirm against current CDC or state guidance. Wash hands after handling droppings or cleaning feeders. Source: Purdue Extension