Spring has finally arrived, and returning birds are bringing life back into the local area after the dormant winter months.

Interested in attracting an array of birds in your back yard, but may have had difficulty this winter or you are just getting started?

Now is the time to gather feed in order to provide delectable treats to attract and support the homeward bound.

A great place to start is with a black-oil sunflower seed.

This seed contains a high meat-to-shell ratio that is easily managed by birds of all sizes.

Common birds such as chickadees, nuthatches, finches, cardinals, sparrows, jays, woodpeckers, and titmice enjoy sunflower seeds.

Want to get more-bang-for-your-buck? Consider growing your own sunflower plants to harvest.

However, in order to protect the longevity of your seed count from hungry birds, wrap an empty mesh produce bag around the seed head and secure the ties to the plant stem.

Interestingly enough, most commercial bird feed mixes are least attractive to the birds we hope to visit our feeders.

Such mixes contain common ingredients such as flax, canary, sorghum, oats, wheat and cracked corn that are inferior to the option of millet and black oil-type sunflower seeds.

In addition, commercial mixes typically contain peanut hearts.

Although woodpeckers enjoy peanut hearts, such feed is especially attractive to starlings; a European introduction that is highly competitive with native bird species.

However, bird feed is not limited to types of seeds. Some creative alternatives to seeds are plain popped popcorn, crumpled bread, dried fruit, fruit seeds, soaked raisins, grapes, chopped meats, chopped hard boiled eggs, suet and mealworms.

Water is also an integral component of your feeding plan.

Bird baths should be provided if you do not have a natural water source on your property.

Large clay saucers that hold an approximate water depth of two inches are simple, functional and low in cost.

Do change the water in your bird bath regularly in order to avoid contamination from droppings, mud and insect eggs.

Store your bird feed in a sealed container in a cool place to avoid rapid mold growth and rodent intrusions.

If feed has been stored for a long period of time, is moldy or looks suspicious, dispose of the batch before use in order to reduce contamination and illness.

Clean in and around feeders once every two weeks to ensure the health of both birds and your pets.

For more information about birds and bird feeding, contact Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County at 255-1183.

Sara Richards is an AmeriCorps environmental education assistant at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County.