Ryan D.

We are so excited to finally be able to put bird feeders back out, now that the threat of the mysterious avian disease seems to have subsided. Thank you to everyone who heeded the call—taking down feeders was an important precaution during a time of uncertainty and we are grateful to everyone who played it safe with us.

To celebrate this happy news, here are five photos of birds enjoying various types of feeders from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. You can learn more about which birds prefer different kinds of food and feeders on our website, and learn some important steps that you can take to protect our beloved birds, like regular feeder cleaning and keeping your cats indoors.

Northern Cardinal at a seed feeder © Andrea Kremer

American Goldfinch at a nyjer (thistle) feeder © Anindya Sen

Carolina Wren at a suet feeder © Elaine LaBelle

Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a nectar feeder © Sue McEvoy

Northern Cardinals at a platform feeder © Karen Owens-Linehan

We shared these five July entries to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest on Facebook and asked our followers, “Which one is your favorite?”

Karen Fitzgerald’s sweet photo of an Eastern Coyote and her pup got the most votes, but all five options got a lot of love, too! If you’re not already, follow us on Facebook to vote for the next “Facebook Fave” —submit your own great shots to the photo contest and you may see your photo as one of the options!

And even if you’re not a social media user, here are all five of the July 2021 Facebook Favorites for everyone to enjoy.