I intended to write this article a month ago, but it was warm then and the subject didn’t seem important. Now it’s cold again, and the seed heads I purposely left in my garden are either depleted or frozen to the ground under the weight of the snow we had a little while ago.
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LIVEGREEN |
by Anne Rivas |
What am I talking about? I’m talking about feeding the birds. A few weeks ago my yard was full of woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, chickadees and, yes, a couple of either very tough or very confused robins, and I enjoyed watching them. There were other birds too, but I don’t know what they were. They all seemed to have plenty to eat and foraged under the leaf mulch around the bushes. Now the yard is a frozen wasteland — no birds, no squirrels, at least nothing I can see.
I haven’t put out bird feeders, but I did put out muffins that we forgot to eat, hoping to entice the little feathered darlings to come back. Well, the dog ate what she could reach and the rest sat there for a week. I didn’t see any birds, so I brushed the crumbs off into the snow.
Here are some tips from the National Wildlife Federation:
- Birds need a winter water source — set out a pan of warm water sometime during the day.
- Put out seeds, cracked corn, nuts and suet. The added fat helps keep birds warm.
- Leave the seed heads of asters, cone flowers and other plants in the fall.
- Leave the berries and other fruit on native trees and bushes.
- Leave your fallen leaves on the ground. Decaying leaf litter provides a home for insects, a feast for the birds.
- Provide shelter — evergreens, a brush pile, or even bird houses if you’re ambitious.
- Clean your bird feeders every two weeks to prevent mold and bacteria that may make birds sick.
- Rake the ground below feeders to limit accumulation of waste.
- Keep your cat indoors — it’s so much fun to watch a cat watching birds!
- Put feeders 30 feet away from windows or within three feet of a window to reduce deaths by window strikes — far enough away so they can avoid a strike or close enough that they can’t pick up enough speed to seriously injure themselves.
Maybe this weekend I’ll put out birdseed, or at least a pan of warm water once a day.
Thanks for this article! I have put out a heated bird bath for about 20 years. I have been rewarded with feathered and furred creatures to watch. I especially enjoy what has become an annual stopover for a couple of days in late Feb or early March of a flock of cedar waxwings. They don't seem to visit the feeder, just the water & any leftover crab apples on a nearby tree.
This year has been odd….I love feeding the birds but they've been scarce. Some show up on a cold, snowy day….I wonder if others have experienced this? I used to fill my feeders every other day. Now, the food lasts a good week!
When the birds at my feeder became unusually scarce I checked the newly opened bag of seed I used- sunflower hearts. It had gone rancid- even the squirrels and mice wouldn't eat it.