Birds Who Eat Jelly (it's Not Just for Orioles!)

This time of year, many backyard birders are eager to put a feeder full of jelly out for returning orioles - and rightly so! But did you know that orioles aren't the only jelly fans out there?

Gray Catbird eating BirdBerry Jelly

Jelly, and more specifically, BirdBerry Jelly, is a popular food to offer during the spring and summer months to attract Baltimore Orioles, but there are lots of other fruit-loving species who will visit jelly feeders for a sweet and high-energy treat. Why use BirdBerry Jelly over store bought jellies? BirdBerry Jelly is formulated with wild birds' health in mind, using only simple ingredients including real fruit (grapes and blackberries), pectin, and sugar. Most importantly, it contains no harmful additives like high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives, or artificial flavours & colours that are often found in store bought varieties. If you do choose to buy jelly made for human consumption, make sure it is an all natural jelly with none of the additives listed above. You may also choose to make your own jelly with wild grapes and other native berries. 

From left to right, top to bottom: Scarlet Tanager, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Robin, Brown Thrasher, House Finch, Purple Finch, Ruby-throated Hummingbird

We have a wide variety of omnivorous bird species in Ontario who eat a variety of foods including insects, seeds, and plant material including fruit. In addition to jelly, you can offer these species fresh fruit including oranges, chopped grapes, blueberries, and blackberries. Don't be surprised if you even see butterflies stop by for a snack! Some birds you might see visiting your jelly or fruit feeders include:

• Scarlet Tanagers (or the rarer Summer Tanager)
• Gray Catbirds
• Woodpecker species (Red-bellied, Sapsuckers, etc)
• Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
• American Robins
• Brown Thrashers
• House & Purple Finches
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
  
  

Tip: Up your backyard birding game by planting native fruit-bearing shrubs to naturally attract fruit-loving birds all year long. Click here to learn more about popular shrubs for birds.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Of course, birds aren't the only animals interested in jelly. If you notice your feeders going empty, but haven't witnessed any birds eating from them, you probably have a different kind of visitor stopping by for a sweet treat. Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, mice, rats, bears, and even deer will snack on jelly, fruit, and nectar when it's available. The best way to exclude most animals other than birds from your feeders is to hang them on an Advanced Pole System with a raccoon baffle in place, with the exception of bears and deer. Learn more about exclusion techniques here.

Baltimore Oriole feeding from Recycled Oriole feeder

Keep feeders clean and food fresh

Heat + humidity = spoiled food. It is very important to refresh food often during heatwaves, especially foods that can spoil quickly like oranges, BirdBerry Jelly, and nectar. Here are our suggestions for keeping these foods fresh during the summer months:

• BirdBerry Jelly: Dries out quickly in the heat and can become infested with ants if not protected - check daily for these things or signs of mold. If contaminated, refresh! To help protect jelly, oranges, and nectar, add an ant moat above your feeder.
  
  
• Oranges: Dry out and mold quickly in the sun. Be sure to check daily and refresh as needed. Tip: If you offer orange halves in your yard but they are going bad before the birds eat them, try quarters instead for less waste.
  
  
• Nectar: Hummingbird & Oriole nectar should be changed daily in extreme heat (25+ degrees celcius), or every 3-4 days in cooler weather. Be sure to clean your feeders with every nectar refill to ensure the health of the birds. Add Nectar Defender to help extend the life of nectar for up to a week in hot weather.
  

Enjoy this exciting season of backyard birding!

Happy trails!

- Shayna