Rose Wind Farm

Feeding and Caring for the Birds in Winter

My suspicion is that there are great many gardeners who also feed wild birds, especially in winter. Feeding birds is a very egalitarian pleasure, as it can be done with either simplicity or complexity. Bottom line, a single feeder filled with a seed mix will attract birds. At the opposite extreme, just peruse any bird-feeding catalog or visit a store devoted to the hobby: the range of feeders, feed, and other supplies is mind-boggling. Here’s some help in finding a middle ground. It’s been adapted from one of the biweekly columns that I write for National Gardening Association, http://www.garden.org/regional/report/current/8.

Start Here:

The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology is among the foremost of authorities on the subject of birds. It’s extensive website, http://www.birds.cornell.edu, provides a wealth of information. Go to the “All About Birds” section for articles on birding and gear, attracting birds, bird conservation, and home-study courses. Perhaps best of all, the site also has an online guide for specific bird identification of hundreds of North American birds, including tips, photos, maps, sounds, habitat, and more.

A Six-Step Program:

Another comprehensive website on attracting and feeding wild birds is Backyard Bird Care, http://www.backyardbirdcare.org, which has been put together by over a dozen wildlife and birding organizations and universities. Following is a summation of the site’s six steps for attracting and protecting birds in your backyard.

• Step 1: Put out the welcome mat! To compensate for habitat loss, make your yard more attractive to birds by landscaping with native plants that provide natural food sources, shelter from the elements and predators, and nesting sites. Providing feeders, nest boxes, and water also benefits birds.

• Step 2: Prepare a proper menu. Providing the appropriate foods year-round attracts more birds to your yard and help ensure that they have a safe and nutritious diet. To attract the greatest variety of birds to your yard, use several different types of feeders and a variety of foods. Feeders include tray or platform, hopper or house, window, tube, nyger, and suet, as well as a hummingbird feeder in summer. In addition to the foods discussed below, it’s also helpful to put out grit (not corn grits, but a stone-like material sold at feed and pet stores), which helps birds to “chew” food in their gizzard.

Fulfilling the needs for the widest variety of birds is black oil sunflower seed. Nyger, a necessity for finches, is offered in specialty tube feeder. Corn and white proso millet attracts ground-feeding birds like juncos, sparrow, and doves. High-energy foods, like suet and peanuts, are eaten by many birds, but especially the insect-eating ones like chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches.

Dried and fresh fruits, like raisins and apples, attract robins, thrushes, bluebirds, waxwings, mockingbirds, catbirds, tanagers, and orioles.

• Step 3: Keep feed and feeding areas clean. To help reduce the possibility of disease transmission in birds, clean feeders and feeding areas at least once a month but preferably every two weeks. Wash feeders with hot soapy water, rinse with plain water, then with a 10-percent solution of bleach and warm water. Dry thoroughly before refilling. Scrub birdbaths and replace water at least every three to five days. Rake up and dispose of seed hulls under feeders once a week. If possible, move feeders periodically. Keep seed and foods dry and discard any that turn musty or moldy

• Step 4: Birds and chemicals don’t mix. Many pesticides, even organic ones, are toxic to birds. Avoid using them if at all possible; otherwise, avoid using them near areas where birds feed, bathe, or rest.

• Step 5: Keep cats away from birds. Millions of birds are killed each year by cats. The best solution is to keep cats indoors. Otherwise, install feeder in areas not readily accessible to cats or install fences or other barriers to help keep cats from feeder areas.

• Step 6: Reduce window collisions. Depending on their size and location, some windows reflect the sky or vegetation, and birds are fooled into thinking they can fly through them. To eliminate this problem, attach decorative decals to the outside surface, place feeders either closer or further away from windows, attach branches or lightweight, shiny objects in front of windows, or cover the window with garden netting.