WINTER BIRD FEEDING 101
By jasper Tapen: 7 November 2014
A big winter storm, with deep snow or ice cover, cuts off many birds from their natural food supplies and can actually cause them to starve. Backyard bird feeding can help your feathered friends and make real contribution to their survival and even thriving during the winter months. Offer a variety of food to attract different species of birds.
Types of Food (best for winter)
- You can create your own seed mixes by combining any number of seeds or add fruit and bakery products to your winter feeding arsenal. You can add menu by offering chopped nuts, doughnuts, popcorn, bakery crumbs, grapes, raisins, apple pieces and orange halves. Treat your birds to some home cooking by making muffins, bread and other snacks with sunflower seeds and nuts. Avoid preservatives and artificial colors and flavors.
- Sunflower seed is a very nutritious source of high quality protein and oil, sunflower seed or mixed seed are popular for use in these feeders and will attract many songbirds such as cardinals, finches, and chickadees. The outer shell of black oil sunflower seeds are thinner and easier to crack than other types of sunflower seeds. In addition, the kernel is larger than striped or white sunflower seeds. Black Oil Sunflower seeds also contain a large amount of fat; therefore they are especially good to use in the winter.
- Cracked corn: Sparrows, blackbirds, jays, doves, quail, and squirrels are just a few of the creatures you can expect at your feeders if you feed cracked corn. Depending on where you live you may also get turkeys, deer, elk, moose, and caribou. Fed in moderation, cracked corn will attract almost any feeder species.
- Suet is raw beef fat from around the kidneys and loins. Suet is one of the best foods to attract nuthatches, woodpeckers, wrens, titmice, creepers, kinglets, chickadees, thrashers, cardinals and even bluebirds.
Different designs and types of feeders
- Seed feeders: These are the most common type and can vary in design from tubes to hoppers and trays.
- Suet feeders
- Platform Feeders
Tips and Tricks
- Consider moving your feeders in a more sheltered location for the winter, strong winds are uncomfortable for birds . Surrounding your feeders with trees and shrubs can help buffer your birds and creating a milder micro climate. Avoid wide open areas in your backyard, place your feeder near bushes trees like pine or outdoor structures where birds can escape from predators and get shelter from elements.
- Place the feeder in an undisturbed location in your yard away from traffic, noise and interruption from people or pets.
- Proper positioning of feeders is very important to reduce crowding and window collisions.
- Collisions with windows can be reduced by window decals or wooden lattice.
- Water source is also important need along with bird food. Use heated birdbaths during winter if possible.
- Regular disinfecting of feeders and watering stations is critical for birds overall health. Make sure that feed has not become moldy or rancid and water fresh.
- To start you should not completely fill a feeder at first. The food will get old and spoil if it is left uneaten for too long, once the birds begin taking food, the feeder should be kept full.
- Don’t buy bags of mixed birdseed is not a bargain because they contain a lot of filler seeds such as red millet.
- Ground feeding birds will welcome seed sprinkled on the snowy ground where it is easily found.
- Keeping couple of bags in the trunk of your car is good idea. The extra weight will give you added traction when the roads are slick, and you’ll always have a ready supply on hand for your hungry friends in need.
Ideas how you help
- Christmas tree: Instead of throwing out throw it on the ground where it can offer shelter to birds.
- Take old shrubbery branches or logs and pile them up! Many birds will appreciate the extra cover. Juncos, towhees and sparrows will appreciate keeping snug during cold winter nights.
Potential Risks
- Environmental Problems: The house sparrow population can become inflated locally where feeders are used. In North America, where the house sparrow is an invasive species, competition from house sparrows can exclude the indigenous bluebirds from available nest sites as well as attack indigenous birds.
- Fostering Dependency:
- Spread of Disease: Birds may contract and spread disease by gathering at feeders, poorly maintained feeding and watering stations may also cause illness.
- Risk of Predation: Birds at feeders risk predation by cats and other animals, or may incur injury by flying into windows.
Animal Ambassadors International