Watching animals in their own environment outside your home is one of the great joys of being a homeowner. Birds can offer a dazzling display of color and music to our yards. Turning your yard into a sanctuary birds love to flock to is a great way to bring more joy and natural beauty to your home. One simple and effective way to attract birds is by offering them fresh fruit from your fruit bowl. Apples can be a particularly sweet treat for all different types of birds, especially the vibrant local species. If you don’t have an apple tree in your yard, you can still share fruit with your feathered friends.
Birds will love stopping by your house for a snack of some apple slices. They are a favorite to species like the American robin, Eastern bluebird, and Northern cardinal. Hanging apples from trees for birds has been a popular practice for centuries, especially among farmers. Red or yellow apples are the best varieties for birds since they are rich in vitamins C and K, as well as fiber, which are all important for bird health.
How to safely feed apples to birds
There are a few methods for leaving out apples to attract birds to your yard. But before you start, you’ll want to make sure that you’re using fresh organic apples that aren’t moldy and don’t contain pesticides or sweeteners that can harm them.
To hang apples, you’ll want to wash them well and cut them down the middle. Be sure to take out the stem, core, and all of the seeds from your apple. Cut it in half and tightly tie a piece of twine around the halves so they don’t come loose. Use more twine to hang your apple from a tree. Or you can use an apple corer to make a hole in the middle of your apple and run a string through it.
It’s better to place them as high as you can and at different heights so that your birds have enough space. Placing up to five apples in your trees should bring a beautiful display of birds to your yard. Apple can also be hung from a trellis, or you can also try to pierce your apple pieces through a durable tree branch. Another option is to dip your apple pieces in some peanut butter and coat them in birdseed. Poke holes in your slices to hang them.
