Bird Feeders

Hummingbirds specialize in eating nectar from colorful flowers and they will not waste time with nectar that contains less than 10% sugar. Hummingbirds consume nectar five times their own body weight each day. They depend on the sugar rich nectar for up to 90 percent of their diet and the rest is made up of protein rich insects and pollen. Most hummers have elongated straight bills and long grooved or trough-like tongues to enable this feeding delight. In reality, hummingbirds only spend 10-15 percent of their day feeding and the remainder sitting, perching and digesting their food. The high sugar content is necessary to keep up with their high energy fluttering. They can hover in mid-air rapidly flapping their wings 12 to 90 times per second.

Maintaining backyard hummingbird feeders can provide them with the sugary nectar which is necessary for their survival. This comes with a responsibility to ensure their feast is a healthy one by keeping their feeders clean and full. You will want to clean the feeders as often as every other day, especially during the hottest months with a vinegar and water solution or 5 percent bleach and water and rinsing well.

The nectar may be purchased or you can easily make it by the batch and refrigerate. To easily prepare, use 1 part white sugar to 4 parts water and boil 1-2 minutes. It is important that no food color or honey be used. Honey can promote growth of harmful bacteria and food coloring is not recommended due to chemicals.

Hummingbirds are most attracted to the color red, pink, yellow and orange. GZ Bird Supply offers a wide variety of hummingbird feeders to tempt these fun to watch birds and satisfy their appetites. Hang your feeders in the shade, preferably near a window for your viewing pleasure. Happy hummingbirding!

Winter is a difficult time for wild birds. Food is difficult to find. Birds need food that is high in protein an high in fat. Suet is a great way to provide birds what they need during the winter months.

Suet is made from fat from beef or sheep. Traditionally it comes from the fat specifically around the loins and kidneys as this provides the highest calorie count fat. Suet can only be used if it is below 70 degrees outside. You can make your own suet by rendering the fat and pouring it into molds and adding peanuts, sunflower seeds and other high calorie foods.

Suet cakes are available with many different combination of foods. These cakes fit nicely into all of our suet cages. We also carry suet feeders that include a place for standard bird with a suet cake on both sides.

Tube bird feeders are a simple and cost affective way to attract birds to your backyard. They come in many different styles and prices. You can start with a simple single tube system and move up to a multi-tube model.

Tube bird feeders are also available with squirrel baffles and squirrel proof cages. These cages allow the birds to enter to feed but not the squirrels.