Mar 14, 2016 | Featured Web Article

Are Birds Attracted to Peanut Butter?

by Bill Thompson, III | Editor, Bird Watcher's Digest

It may be a weird thing to feed birds, but peanut butter offers a great way to attract woodpeckers, titmice, and chickadees to your yard.

When I was in college, my biology instructor, while showing us how to set live traps for small mammals, referred to peanut butter as "the universal bait." "You can catch anything from an elephant to a shrew with peanut butter," he stated. You probably won't have two many elephants or shrews coming in your yard if you offer peanut butter, but the woodpeckers, chickadees, and titmice will love you for it. You can make a simple peanut butter feeder by drilling shallow one-inch holes in a piece of scrap wood, filling them with peanut butter, and hanging it up near your feeders.

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About Bill Thompson, III

Bill Thompson, III, was the team captain for Watching Backyard Birds from its inception 23 years ago through his death on March 25, 2019. So much of what he wrote is timeless and remains informative, helpful, and inspiring.

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The Latest Comments

Re: Ask Birdsquatch: Feeder Hogs » Watching Backyard Birds.com

that is a nice fix, I have the same issue and my titmice will not return! I don't want these bullies but I want to keep woodpeckers and the ruffed titmice.

by Candoll, Sat, 13 Jun 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

That doesn't address my concern about the bird houses. I'm on a tiny piece of property (40x100) so there's not much room to plant a heck of a lot or places birds could put nests once the bird houses are gone.

by Linda DiPierro, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

Plant some native plants in your yard that will attract pollinators and produce berries and nuts. There should be a local society that has a list of recommended plants, shrubs, and trees.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

Same concerns here. See above post. For your situation I would consider planting a few native plants that will naturally produce berries and seeds that the birds in your area need to survive. Try planting some that will yield foods for all seasons.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

I've thought about this myself. One thing I considered doing is leaving behind some bird food and a gift card to my local wild bird store with a note asking the new homeowners to please continue feeding the birds. Don't know how well that work but it's worth a try.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020

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