Helping our Feathered Friends
The extreme temperatures and weather over the past several months not only draw our attention to the energy we need, but to our feathered friends who look to us for food to survive the cold.
By Bruce Saller
COLUMNIST
A cold winter like we’re currently experiencing can be a difficult time for birds. Their food supply can be hidden by ice or snow, and many insects are dead or hibernating. Water can be frozen, and finding shelter may be difficult. You can help birds survive winter with three easy steps:
Provide Food
Birds use more calories to stay warm in the winter, so they need high calorie and high fat foods such as oil sunflower, suet and peanuts. Many birds prefer to feed on the ground, so consider also using a ground or open platform feeder. Filling the feeders just before sunset will provide them with the energy to survive the cold nights. Do not cut back your seed-bearing plants after the growing season ends, as they can provide much-needed fuel and shelter. Do not rake up all of your garden leaves as many birds forage through the leaf litter looking for the tiny insects and insect eggs.
Provide Water
Birds need a source of water in the winter. Bird baths can provide a water source and should be heated to prevent the whole bath from freezing. If that is not feasible, using a dark bird bath in a sunny area should melt the ice by the afternoon. Make sure the bath is full, and discard the old water every 2-4 days.
Provide Shelter
Birds need a way to escape the cold wind in winter. You can put up simple roosting boxes or more elaborate birdhouses. Make sure to clean out the old nesting material at the end of the summer. Birds also need material to build their nests, so leave the small dead branches and twigs in your yard until the spring. Birds take shelter and build nests in evergreens or any shrubs that provide thick growth, especially when they are bunches in a row. If you are planning your yard, consider planting evergreens and trees that attract birds for shelter and shrubs with berries for food.
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Also of value--the sheer delight you can get from seeing new (tiny) neighbors enjoying what you share with them. Anyone, any age, can enjoy birds from their window on a cold day!