For some of us, it may not seem like spring is on its way with all the snow we’ve been getting.  But snow or not, mating season is starting and our wild birds need our help more than ever!  Have you been listening to the birds?  The Northern Cardinal is belting out his “cheer, cheer, cheer” call–a sure sign that he’s staking out a territory.  And the male chickadees are singing their “Fee-bee” song, most often used during mating season in spring.

With all the snow and bad weather, the birds have had a rough winter.  Any remaining food sources, such as berries and seeds are bent over and buried under heaps of snow.  And freezing weather may be locking  up water supplies.  Hopefully everyone has been feeding the birds and providing ice-free water.  But now birds are under even more stress.  Not only are they struggling to survive, but now they are competing for territories and mates, which require even more energy reserves.  Here’s a checklist to make sure you are doing as much as you can to ensure healthy birds and thriving broods this spring:

Foods

Choose seed mixes that contain more than half black oil sunflower seeds. These seeds contain the highest fat content per seed, which provides birds with the extra calories they need during stressful times.

Be sure to offer suet.  Suet is rendered beef fat and it’s  an important staple, especially during cold weather.  Birds love it and it gives them lots of calories in a very concentrated form.

Don’t forget to offer other high fat, high protein foods whenever possible, such as peanuts, and tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans.  And fruit is helpful also.  Many winter birds are attracted to dried cranberries, blueberries, chunks of apple or even bananas.

If you have Pine Siskins or Goldfinches, offer them Nyjer seed in a Nyjer sock or Nyjer feeder.  These tiny seeds are packed with nutrition and are especially loved by all finches.

Water

Fresh water is important all year long, but when water sources are frozen over, birds may take to eating snow or drinking the water dripping from icicles.  It takes a lot of energy to heat ice-cold water or snow up to body temperature–energy that’s better spent foraging and keeping warm. Providing heated water with a bird bath heater or a heated bird bath helps birds conserve energy and when the air is warm enough, birds may even bathe in the winter.  Clean feathers are important because they insulate better in cold weather.

Shelter

Leaving your bird houses up all winter is a good idea because birds often use these as a shelter to escape cold, windy nights.  It’s a good idea to stuff the ventilation holes with hay or rags, but if you didn’t do that this fall, keep it in mind for next winter.  Winter roosts can be lifesavers for birds in winter.  They’re specially built with the entry hole at the bottom so the heat inside the box rises and stays at the top where the birds perch. If you don’t have several roosts up around your yard, this is another thing you can plan on setting up over the summer so they’ll be ready when winter comes around again.

Another excellent way to provide shelter for birds and other animals is with a brush pile.  This is nothing more than a pile of sticks, branches, weeds and refuse in a corner of your yard.  The pile gets covered in snow and the air spaces in between the dead branches provide an insulated, draft-free place for birds to hide, forage and seek shelter.

Just remember to keep your feeders full of nutritious foods, keep the water flowing and if you haven’t started a brush pile or put up roosting boxes, be sure to keep those things in mind when you’re finally able to get out and do some spring yard cleaning!

This cute video was recently brought to our attention  that showed an adorable titmouse gleaning soft hairs from a Golden Retriever’s backside–while he continued to sleep!  Birds definitely love animal hair as soft lining for their nests.  It seems they can’t get enough of it!  So it was just a thought that the next time you brush your dog in the winter, collect the stray hairs and save them in a bag, so that spring comes, you can supply your birds with this delightful nesting material. Cat hair, horse hair, goat hair and rabbit fur all work equally well!

What other items are frequently found in nests?  Unfortunately, plastic products and even plastic bags can make their way into birds’ nests.  The obvious solution here is to keep the yard picked up and scout the roadside in front of your house and remove possibly unpleasant additions to your birds’ nests.

But other “good” materials that birds appreciate for nests are string, thread, yarn, feathers, moss, grasses, cotton batting or natural cotton, Spanish moss, sphagnum moss, and fine vines.  If you knit or sew, save the yarn and thread bits in a basket or bag. When you’re cleaning the yard and pulling vines from fences or the like, save these also–you get the idea.

Birds begin nesting in about March, so be on time with the goodies.  You can put them out in a suet basket or an onion bag.  The birds aren’t fussy!  And of course you can also consider purchasing nesting materials for the birds.  Here is a link to Duncraft’s full selection.  Enjoy collecting!

In summer birds use most of their energy foraging for food and nesting. Food is plentiful and birds have a wide variety of fruits, berries, seeds, insects and nuts to choose from as well as the food they get at our feeders. A varied diet is almost guaranteed!  However, in winter birds use the majority of their energy stores just to keep warm. And by mid-winter, the majority of fruits and berries left on shrubs are gone and insects are non-existent. While it’s easy to keep the feeders stocked with seeds, consider supplementing with fruits and nuts so birds continue to get a varied diet with lots of high-energy foods.

While many fruit-eating birds have migrated, there are still birds that appreciate fruit or berries in the winter, such as robins, cardinals, jays, woodpeckers, waxwings and bluebirds. Fruits and berries have antioxidants which are believed to help birds cope with the stress of events such as migration and surviving winter. You can offer fresh fruit, such as orange halves, sliced or halved apples, grapes and raisins.  If you have berries of any kind that are past their freshness (but not moldy!) such as blueberries, blackberries or cherries, you can offer these to the birds too. Dried cranberries and blueberries as well as grape jelly are available at Duncraft, and you can purchase bird seed blends that include dried berries, such as Very Berry Blend and WaxSnax with cranberries.

The goal of winter feeding should be to provide birds with concentrated forms of oils and fat which are converted to energy to keep birds warm. Nuts play an important role here since they contain more oils than seeds.  Although peanuts aren’t technically a nut, they’re a terrific source of oil. Besides peanuts, you can feed mixes that include tree nuts such as almonds, pecans, walnuts and even cashews. Chickadee Blend is a good choice, as is Extreme Trail Mix which also includes dried fruit. Birds that love nuts include woodpeckers, doves, chickadees, jays, nuthatches and titmice.

By feeding fruits and nuts in winter, you are ensuring  your birds get a varied diet with more nutrition than seeds alone—and that can make all the difference in helping birds survive the winter.

Did you like this article?  “Like” us on Facebook too!

Suet is probably the most important food you can offer your birds in winter.  As we all know by now, birds need quality, high-calorie food all year long.  In summer when food is abundant, birds also scavenge fat from animal sources remaining in the woods. In winter, birds can seek out seeds and berries that have remained on plants and trees, but finding sources of fat under a blanket of snow is almost impossible at a time when birds need this food the most.

Feeding suet in winter is easy.  Since it stays frozen most of the time, you don’t have to worry about it going bad, and birds won’t  have any trouble eating it. In fact you can stock up on suet and keep it in your freezer until ready to use.

The word suet technically means beef fat, but now denotes any type of fat, usually mixed with seeds, peanuts, fruit or  nuts.  Commercial suet is usually  purchased as cakes which are offered on a platform feeder or in a hanging suet basket.  However, suet balls are now available which can be fed on a platform or piled into a suet ball feeder. Another handy way to feed suet is with suet plugs.  These can be used to fill suet log feeders which woodpeckers love!

For even more convenience, try purchasing suet already in it’s own container.  All you have to do is hang it!  And another very convenient way to serve suet is by purchasing suet pellets.  These can even be mixed with seed in your tube feeders.

What flavors should you buy? Woodpeckers and nuthatches are particularly fond of any suet that contains peanuts or peanut butter.  To please your cardinals, offer suet with berries or fruit.  Chickadees and titmice will love suet containing sunflower chips and tree nuts. If  squirrels are trying to eat your suet, try cakes containing hot pepper. But no matter what flavor of suet you choose, you can be sure you’ll have lots of visitors at your suet feeders!

On cold and blustery winter days, it’s sometimes hard to believe that birds can survive out there in the elements. Feeding seeds, suet and providing ice-free water for them helps a lot. But birds usually take only about 25% of their food requirements from our bird feeders. The rest of the time, they are foraging for wild foods.

And at night, birds need to find shelter from the cold and wind, or the energy reserves that they worked so hard to build up during the day are quickly depleted. Roosting boxes help, but some birds will need to find natural shelter.

Here are some easy things we can do around our yards to provide more wild foods and shelter for the birds that stay with us all winter. And although some of us may have snow already, many parts of the country are still experiencing fall weather.  There’s still time to get your yard ready for your winter birds before the heavy snows begin.  If you’ve been lazy cleaning up after summer, all the better for your birds!

First, don’t be so intent on cleaning up your garden in fall. Let your vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and parsley go to seed; they provide a good food source. Also flowers, such as sunflowers, cone flowers, thistles and milkweeds provide seeds during the winter if you don’t cut them back. Ornamental grasses are a good source of seeds in winter as well and they add winter interest along a fence or in back of a border.

Even weeds, such as goldenrod, mullein and plantain will be helpful to birds if they’re allowed to flourish and aren’t mowed down. If you don’t want them in the lawn, transplant them to a corner of the yard. An untamed corner can be quite a beautiful and interesting contrast to your structured gardens and plantings. There are also many bushes and shrubs that keep their berries long into the winter. If you don’t have any berry bearing shrubs, consider planting holly, chokecherry, blueberry or elderberry shrubs to name just a few. Some berries, such as bittersweet are actually more attractive to birds after they’ve frozen and thawed.

Dense shelter gives birds a respite from cold, blowing winds during the day and a place to roost at night. If your lawn is a broad expanse of snow, it won’t help the birds. If you don’t have evergreens and don’t want to plant them, try creating a brush pile in a corner of the yard. Rather than disposing of fallen leaves and dead branches, putting them in a pile also provides wonderful shelter.

Start with a bed of raked up leaves and pine needles and then put your larger tree branches down. Then heap smaller branches on top, ending with cornstalks, grasses and other light vegetation. When the first snow falls, it will supply insulation over the pile. Birds will scratch through the leaves at the bottom for seeds and insect eggs without fear of exposure to predators and they can roost safely from owls and night-time predators up inside the branches.

If we just compromise a little between a totally wild back yard and a completely structured one, you’ll be rewarded with lots more birds—in winter and summer!

–R. Brune

Birds are always eating to satisfy their constant demand for energy–and fat provides the most concentrated source of calories in a bird’s diet. That translates into energy for flying, keeping warm, nesting, raising young and foraging. No wonder birds crave suet! In fact, you can attract many more birds with suet than you can with bird seed.  In spring, summer and fall, suet attracts insect and fruit eaters that won’t come to eat at a seed feeder. In winter, suet provides the calories birds need to simply survive harsh, cold weather conditions. Serving suet year round is highly beneficial for birds.

Along with your familiar seed eating birds, suet will attract insect eating bluebirds, catbirds, mockingbirds, tanagers, warblers, kinglets, wrens, shrikes, flickers, brown creepers and white-winged crossbills.

But when offering suet to these larger birds, remember that some of them are not able to cling like woodpeckers and chickadees.  A suet basket is fine for clinging birds, but some birds like mockingbirds and tanagers do better with a feeder they can land on to eat.  You can set suet out on a platform feeder, or you can situate your basket feeder so it’s within reaching distance of a branch where these birds can perch.

Suet is available in many flavors and varieties.  Suet cakes are the most common, but birds will also love suet balls, fed from a suet ball feeder, suet plugs to fill a suet log feeder and suet nuggets.  And you can offer other types of high fat foods that will attract these birds too, such as peanut butter, vegetable shortening, and vegetable based suet pellets.

It’s also important to offer suet and other fats to nesting birds.  Baby birds, even the babies of seed-eating parents, can’t digest seeds until they’re older–that’s why parents spend so much time hunting for insects and bugs to feed them. But suet is a highly digestible, nourishing baby food that parents will take back to the nest. And suet is also used by wildlife rehabilitators to feed to orphaned nestlings.

When you offer suet, you’ll not only enjoy having insect and fruit-eating birds in your yard for their beautiful colors and songs, but also because they help keep down insect populations. Attract them with suet in the spring and you’ll enjoy your backyard all summer long with a lot less bugs. Feed suet in winter and you’ll be providing your birds with the high levels of calories they need to survive.

Many people don’t feed the birds in summer, reasoning that wild birds have lots of natural foods at this time of year.  There is nothing wrong with that reasoning.  Usually people feed birds in summer simply to bring the color and activity of wild birds into their yards.

If you did stop feeding the birds over summer,  early autumn is the time to resume feeding if  you want to have birds in your yard in winter.  Autumn is the time when birds establish winter feeding grounds and scout good food sources.  You might notice birds are singing a bit more than they did during the late “summer lull” when things seemed to get a bit quiet.  That’s because birds use their calls and songs to let other birds know where their territories begin and end.  Those territories may be different now than they were in summer.  The food sources in the birds’ nesting areas may be used up, forcing the birds to look elsewhere for a new supply.

When you fill your feeders again in fall, birds will quickly catch on that your yard is a good food source and they’ll continue to return throughout the winter.  And birds really do need a helping hand when the weather becomes frigid and their water sources are frozen.  Making your yard a haven that birds can count on with lots of food and ice-free water makes a huge difference in a bird’s ability to survive the winter.

So, if you’ve been feeding all summer, that’s great.  If not, beginning to feed the birds now will let them know that your yard is a place where they can remain during the winter.  Enjoy these other articles on autumn feeding!

All You Need To Know About Feeding Your Wild Birds During Autumn …

It is important to recognize that during colder months birds will need to consume more calories to help their bodies to function and to help provide them with needed energy to stay warm. A bird will start looking in autumn for good food …

Publish Date: 09/14/2010 5:28

http://exotic-pets.guruz-blog.com/pets/bird/all-you-need-to-know-about-feeding-your-wild-birds-during-autumn-winter/

Autumn Bird Songs: Who is Singing in October

Spring is the season for birdsong, but in the middle of October, some birds sing almost any time of day or night. That they are out of season makes the songs more sweet.

Publish Date: 10/12/2008 0:28

http://www.suite101.com/content/autumn-bird-songs-a72914

The Best Bird Food Types for Different Birds

Some birds prefer the raw suet and others the specialty mixes. Suet is high in fat so it is particularly valuable for birds in autumn when they are gaining weight to migrate or to store fat for the winter. Suet is the best option for …

Publish Date: 06/11/2010 14:16

http://www.suite101.com/content/the-best-bird-food-types-for-different-birds-a247954

Cool Tools: Effort-Less Bird Feeder

It’s strange that you mention feeding the birds from Spring to the beginning of Autumn. Here (France) the idea seems to be to feed the birds only when necessary (lack of seeds, fruits; cold weather) from late November to the beginning of … Birds are under increasing pressure from habitat loss and domestic cat predation, whatever little bit of help they receive from feeders is welcome. There are no studies that show any deleterious effects from year round feeding, none. …

Publish Date: 09/07/2010 12:22

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004678.php

Wild Birds – Autumn & Winter Bird Feeding Tips | Everything You …

If you enjoy the company of birds in your garden all year long then it is very important to start thinking in the autumn about what wild bird food you will be setting out to keep them around during winter. Birds will be deciding where … …

Publish Date: 09/14/2010 5:25

http://www.bluebirdsounds.com/bluebird/content/4068/

Spark Birds 1: Cape May Autumn Weekend 2007

Most birders have a “spark bird,” a bird they saw that really caught their attention and put them on the path to becoming a birder. On a rainy Saturday in Cape May, NJ, birders tell their stories about their “spark bird.”

Food is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of ways to help the birds in winter. Birds need lots of calories to stay warm, and we can help by providing high fat foods such as black oil sunflower seeds, nuts, suet and cracked corn. At the very least, offer black oil sunflower seeds and suet. Both these foods have a very high-fat and protein content and birds will flock to them both. The type of feeders you use are up to you, but platform feeders are very versatile.You can use them for any type of seed and even place suet cakes on them. If squirrels are a problem, try putting out a critter block just for them.

Mixes that contain millet, corn or canary seed are good for attracting ground feeding birds such as juncos, doves and sparrows. Sprinkle it on the ground under bushes or put on a ground feeder. And don’t forget the finches. Goldfinches, redpolls and siskins frequently arrive in large flocks. They love sunflower seeds, but if you want to give them a real treat, feed them Nyjer seed in a fabric sock or a feeder made expressly for this seed. Other choices that birds love would be peanuts, peanut bits, and insect foods such as mealworms or suet containing dried insects.

Keep extra supplies of food and suet on hand for last minute emergencies when the weather turns too nasty to go to the store. Both seed and suet can be kept fresh and away from critters if you keep it in the freezer. If you’re storing your extra foods in the garage or a shed, make sure the container is chew-proof and locks down securely.

And keep some extra feeders on hand. After a big winter storm, birds will appear in droves, looking for food. You’ll want to make sure everyone has a place to eat and you won’t have to fill the feeders as often.

Be sure to check your feeders regularly and clear snow from feeding ports and off of platform feeders. And don’t forget that feeders should be cleaned in the winter just as often as in summer. Use a mild disinfectant solution such as one part bleach or vinegar to nine parts water.

Cold winter wind saps energy and warmth from birds, especially at night. Birds are able to lower their body temperature to conserve calories at night, but a chilling wind can tax that system. A good way to help the birds stay warm is to leave your nesting boxes up all winter. Stuffing hay or dried grasses inside will provide some insulation and the box will serve as a cozy place for birds to get out of the elements. Blocking the ventilation holes will help too; you can stuff hay in the openings or anything else that will keep out the drafts.

Roosting boxes are even better.  These have the entry hole at the bottom and perches inside.  Birds perch toward the top of the box where the air is warmer.

Water is important in winter because often there isn’t any snow, and natural water sources are frozen solid. Use a bird bath heater or a heated birdbath. Place the bath away from the feeders so that shells and seeds aren’t dropped in the bath. And locate it near a tree so birds can quickly reach a place away from predators to dry off if they bathe in the water.

Keeping these tips in mind will help keep the birds healthy all winter, and in return, you will be rewarded with knowing you’ve helped some birds survive the winter–besides having lots of winter visitors.

–Roxanne Brune

If you live in the northern half of the U.S. it may take you by surprise to suddenly see a tree-full of Robins in the midst of a frigid winter.  The bird we associate with spring seems out of place and vulnerable, surrounded by deep snow.  But Robins often do remain in their summer breeding grounds over winter and only a few are short-distance migrants. Some birds may head south toward Mexico and Florida, but many U.S. birds stay put.  Only birds that summer in Canada regularly move south when cold weather sets in.

So why is it such a surprise when a flock of Robins suddenly appear in winter? The reason is their change in diet. In spring, we’re used to seeing Robins hopping across suburban lawns, cocking their heads at the grass, pulling up worms for themselves and their nestlings. But although earthworms account for about 15% of a Robin’s diet, along with some insects and invertebrates, Robins are primarily fruit and berry-eaters. Some of the foods they enjoy are hawthorn fruits, crab-apples and chokecherries, as well as juniper, honeysuckle and sumac berries. In winter, with no earthworms to be had, a Robin’s diet changes to almost exclusively fruits and berries. As a result, they tend to frequent moist, dense woodlands where berry-producing shrubs and plants are more likely found.  And instead of being seen out on your lawn, they spend their winter roosting together in trees and shrubs—largely unnoticed. When they suddenly do appear,  you’ll likely see a flock of them, gathered in a crab-apple tree or sumac bush, devouring the fruits and berries.

When you see Robins in winter, your first thought might be to put out something to feed them.  Robins will love dried blueberries or cranberries, suet pellets and wax worms. Or you can soak raisins in warm water to soften them, or put out grapes cut in half or apple slices.  And Robins especially seem to enjoy a heated bird bath.  If you don’t have a heated bath, you can purchase a heater for an existing bath. In fact, your birds might be attracted more to the water at first, so having the birdbath out and then placing your foods on a ground feeder or scattered near the birdbath may be the best way to attract them to the foods you’re offering. And if you do feed Robins in winter, chances are extremely good that they’ll find a place to nest in your yard come spring.

Robins are the largest of the thrushes, a large family that includes bluebirds, solitaires and Veerys. There are four species of Robins, three of which reside south of Texas. But our American Robin needs no introduction!  They’re easily recognized by their gray-brown backs, darker heads and warm-orange bellies. We’re even familiar with the color of their eggs (robin’s-egg-blue, of course!), and many of us have had the joy of watching a Robin build a nest in their yard and can recognize the spotted youngsters.  Robins build an open nest of sticks and twigs that may be built on flat surfaces such as the top of airconditioning units or overhangs near your house or low in the branches of a tree or dense shrub. Thrushes are some of our most eloquent songsters. Robins have a cheerful song in spring (listen to the Robin’s song) and in winter a tweeting, chirping call  (listen to the Robin’s chirp).

But even if most Robins are with us all winter, the sight of a Robin will always be the first sign of spring!

–R. Brune