Welcome the season with Wild Birds Unlimited, Wichita

As the Kansas air turns crisp and sunflowers bow their golden heads, life in your backyard begins to shift. While we in Wichita start trading pool days for pumpkin patches and football games, our local bird population is undergoing even more dramatic changes.

From food preferences to social behavior and even feather color, fall is one of the most active and fascinating seasons for bird lovers—and it’s the perfect time to make your yard a sanctuary for feathered friends.

What Birds Are Up To This Fall in Wichita

Many birds that spent the summer raising young and chasing insects are now shifting gears. With fewer bugs available, birds like goldfinches, chickadees, and nuthatches switch to seeds and berries—making your feeders even more important.

Keep an eye out for scatter-hoarding behavior, especially among jays and chickadees. You’ll see them grabbing seed and stashing it under bark, in knotholes, or even in crevices around your home. These little Kansans are planning ahead for the colder months.

Fall is also a time for social change in the bird world. Birds abandon spring territories and begin to travel in mixed-species flocks known as foraging guilds—a sort of seasonal bird buddy system. Chickadees may team up with titmice, nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers to search your yard for food more efficiently.

Feathers & Flight: Fall Molt & Migration

In addition to behavioral shifts, birds undergo a full feather molt in fall. You may notice male American Goldfinches losing their sunny yellow and adopting more muted tones, looking more like females until spring returns.

Some birds stay local, moving to more berry-rich areas like those around the Arkansas River, or they may frequent feeder-friendly neighborhoods like Eastborough or College Hill. Others, like House Wrens, begin their journey south, trading Kansas cold for warmer, insect-filled environments.

 

Your Fall Bird Feeding Checklist ✅

Make your Wichita backyard a magnet for fall birds with these tips:

Stock up on season-appropriate food like black oil sunflower seed, safflower, and our exclusive Nesting SuperBlend® for an extra boost of protein and fat.

Keep feeders clean and full—especially as caching activity increases.

Offer fresh water in birdbaths or water features. Add a heater or dripper to keep water moving as temps drop.

Hang suet cages—high-energy suet is a fall favorite for woodpeckers, chickadees, and wrens.

Plant or preserve native berry bushes like serviceberry or holly if you have them!

 

See It All Up Close with a Smart Camera Feeder 📷

Want to watch the changes unfold in real-time?

We now carry smart camera bird feeders in-store, perfect for capturing stunning up-close videos and photos of your backyard visitors. Whether you're spotting goldfinches at sunrise or a curious cardinal caching seed, these feeders let you see what your regular feeder might be missing.

Camera bird feeders are a fun way to learn about bird behavior, track species visiting your yard, and even share your footage on social media or with family!

Ask us in-store about our best-selling camera feeders, available at Wild Birds Unlimited, Wichita!

Visit Us In-Store

We’re your local backyard birding experts! Whether you’re just getting started or have been feeding birds for decades, we’re here to help you create a bird-friendly backyard that thrives through every Kansas season.

📍 Wild Birds Unlimited – 9738 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS
📞 Give us a call or stop by today!

 

Learn About How You Can Provide Food For Your Birds This Fall & Year Round!

 

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