The most popular time of the year for bird feeding in the Lehigh Valley has arrived. Here are a few tips to help enjoy feathered friends more this year.

You can feed birds all year long. However, most birds find more than enough food in the wild during the summer. It is during winter, particularly when there is snow cover, that birds will flock to feeders.

People who feed birds should not feel guilty if they can't constantly refill their feeders when supply runs low. Research reveals that birds get about 20 percent of their food needs from bird feeders. Birds depend mainly on their natural habitat for food. Feeders are a supplement to their diet. Feeders can make a real difference during periods of extreme cold or when ice covers food sources.

A single bird feeder will not attract every bird to your landscape. Birds with distinct feeding habits will be attracted to markedly different feeders:

Platform Feeders: These simple feeders often are nothing more than a pile of seed on a flat board. More elaborate models have a roof. Ground-feeding birds such as cardinals, sparrows and juncos prefer platform feeders. The drawback to platform feeders is that food often is exposed to the elements and can be soiled by droppings.

Hopper Feeders: These feeders fill from the top and seeds flow down to the bottom where birds can remove them. Some types hang and feature perches. These feeders attract the greatest diversity of birds because they are used by birds that prefer platform feeders along with ones that use hanging feeders.

Hanging Feeders: Shaped like a tube, this style features small perches, attracting smaller birds such as chickadees, titmice and finches.

Suet Feeders: Suet feeders offer suet, a type of animal fat, in a wire box or basket. These can be hung or placed on a platform. They attract a variety of birds, especially woodpeckers, chickadees, wrens, titmice and nuthatches

Thistle Feeders. Thistle seeds are very small. This tubular feeder attracts mainly finches.

The menu you offer is crucial for attracting a diversity of birds. Several types of feed are recommended:

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds: Eaten by large and small bird species, this seed is the best all-around feeding seed. Finches, nuthatches, titmice and chickadees will use this feed. The larger, striped sunflower seed will attract blue jays and cardinals.

Seed Mixes: Be aware that some inexpensive seed mixes contain large amounts of seed that birds do not eat. Birds dislike grains like millet, milo, hulled oats and rice. It seems cheaper, but it's more expensive in the long run because the birds are just tossing it on the ground.

Consider feeding through the winter and spring. Migratory songbirds may come to feeders if food is provided through May. Place a variety of feeder types to lure a wide range of bird species.

Place feeders close enough that you can see birds through a window, but far enough away that you aren't bothered by discarded seeds and bird droppings.

Many birds remain loyal to their favorite feeders, returning year after year. Here are a few tips to keep birds coming back for more:

Place the feeder no more than 20 feet away from cover, such as trees, shrubs or brush so birds will feel protected.

Provide a water source, such as a fountain or birdbath, if there is no natural water source nearby.

If a home's windows are highly reflective, birds may fly into them, particularly if trees are reflected in the windows. Hang garden netting over windows that is fine enough to be nearly transparent, yet protects birds from injuries.

Once you decide what types of feeders to use, you just have to put them up and wait for the birds to come. If you're just starting to feed birds, buy a good field guide so you can identify them. You don't have to buy binoculars, but they do help you see details that you wouldn't normally get to see.

For answers to your garden questions, call the Lehigh County Cooperative Extension Office, 610-391-9840, or Northampton County Cooperative Extension Office, 610-746-1970, and ask to speak with a Master Gardener. Volunteers staff phone lines several days a week, Monday - Friday.

Growing Green is contributed by Lehigh County Cooperative Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners.