Here are some tips for enjoying backyard birds in the CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Flowers are beginning to bloom, and hummingbirds are starting to return from their southern stays.
As they make their way to your yard, here is some advice to help keep them.
One of our most famous migratory birds is the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird.
“Ruby-throated hummingbirds on the eastern side of the country; we’re going to have them through spring and summer through the breeding season,” said Jennifer Millwood, sales associate at “They will start to come in; typically, they’re trickling into our area about mid-March, and they’re going to stay through the summer.”
Millwood says now is a good time to put out your feeders to attract hummingbirds.
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“I put out my feeder now, just because I like to have it up in case I get a few coming through, you know, just to give them some extra refuel on their way to wherever they’re going, if they’re going further north, and also just to have it in an established location so that when it is found by the hummingbirds that are going to be in our area, they may stick around and I get to watch them and enjoy them,” said Millwood.
When feeding our local songbirds, it is important to keep your feeder clean.
“You need to be cleaning out your feeder,” said Millwood. “You might want to remove the food and any debris once a week and give it a thorough cleaning at least once a month, and it’s recommended that you do that with a weakened bleach solution in order to keep it clean and keep it disease-free.”
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Nest boxes are also important this time of year, especially for bluebirds.
“They rely on cavities that are made from other birds like wood peckers or man made cavities. With the recent storms we have had, cavities are even fewer and further between this year, so it is going to be an interesting year for cavity nesters,” said Millwood.
If you are putting up a nest box, it’s best to put it on a pole about 4-6 feet high with a baffle on it.
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