The National Bird-Feeding Society (NBFS) is an organization in the United States whose mission is to make the hobby of bird feeding better, both for people who feed wild birds and for the birds themselves. To fulfill its mission, the NBFS conducts research and promotes education on wild bird feeding
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Since its establishment in 1989, the NBFS has served as a resource for individuals to learn more about best bird feeding practices, and to provide individuals with information on how to move the bird feeding hobby beyond the backyard. The NBFS provides information on bird seed and bird feeder preferences, and provides bird feeding tips and a guide to better bird feeding.
Daily operations of the NBFS are performed by the staff of Wild Bird Centers of America in Glen Echo, Maryland, and supported by Wild Bird Centers of America, Inc.
Bird feeding tips
The NBFS developed tips to enhance the bird feeding experience. The tips include:
1) Place bird feeders in locations where they can readily be seen through a viewing window.
2) Start with a basic bird feeding set-up: tubular feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seed.
3) Add other types of bird seeds and feeders such as nyjer in a nyjer feeder, and hopper or platform feeders filled with black-oil sunflower, sunflower hearts, and whole peanuts.
4) Alternative foods such as suet, fruit, insects, and nectar, as well as water, may also attract additional species of birds.
5) Each season of the year, there may be a different suite of species visiting your yard. These bird species may have different bird food and feeder preferences.
6) In addition to bird seed and feeders, provide birds with habitat, water, and bird houses.
7) Keep your birds safe by protecting them from cats and bird-window collisions, and regularly clean your feeders.
8) To learn more about birds visiting your yard, use the tools of a birdwatcher: binoculars and a field guide.
9) There are birds you can’t see in your yard. To see these birds, take a trip to your local, state, and national parks and explore your natural areas.
History
The NBFS was formed in 1989 with the assistance of the Wild Bird Feeding Industry, the trade association for the bird feeding industry. In the early years of the society, the organization published newsletters, provided educational resources for instructors, and ran photo contests.
For nearly 15 years, the NBFS mailed a bi-monthly newsletter, “The Bird’s-Eye reView,” to its members. The newsletter featured tips, tales, and tactics used for attracting wild birds. The society also developed a “Kit for Kids,” a collection of materials for teachers, and two booklets on bird feeding: “The Story of Bird Feeding,” and “The Dynamics of Bird Feeding.” In its early years, the Society also held photo contests with individuals submitting photos in categories such as birds at feeders and most unusual feeder visitor.
Currently, the NBFS promotes education and conservation initiatives that raise awareness about bird feeding and the protection of wild birds both at one’s home and beyond the backyard. The NBFS also sponsors “National Bird-Feeding Month.” National Bird-Feeding Month is in February and is designed to promote the bird feeding hobby. The society also provides a series of brochures on bird seed preferences, bird feeder preferences, tips on bird feeding, and a guide to better bird feeding.