Treasure Valley Wild Birds

Know the Birds

Thanks to Boise Parks and Recreation, you have access to a FREE online Field Guide to Boise’s Birds. You can find it by clicking here. This wonderful resource includes photos, descriptions, habitats, timing, diet, and other fun facts.

Address Your Feeders

As temperatures rise and fall, it’s a very good time to spruce up your bird feeders. Zamzows recommends replacing or repairing old feeders for the safety of your bird friends. Make sure that you are cleaning feeders regularly as well. The importance of regular bird feeder cleaning recently came up in the northern part of our state where wild birds were getting fatally ill from salmonella contamination. To clean feeders, simply use a brush and a warm solution of ten parts water to one part bleach, rinse well, dry and refill with fresh seed.

Offer Nutritional Feed for the Birds

When you choose to feed the wild birds in spring or fall, you are supporting healthy reproduction and the eventual emergence of the baby birds we all love so much. It is, for this reason, that spring is particularly important to feed quality birdseed. Always avoid chips, cheese puffs, pretzels, crackers, and other processed foods. They are filled with chemicals that have not been tested on birds and they have no nutritional value to support their health.

Provide a Trusted Water Source

Wild birds need water year-round and will gather in places where they know water is consistently available. Remember that spring in Idaho is very inconsistent, so check your water sources often to ensure they are clean, full, and not frozen (especially in the morning). Additionally, cleaning water features in winter is challenging, so take the time on warmer spring days to scrub them with the bleach solution mentioned above and ensure debris is removed regularly.