How to Help Songbirds in Winter
Help by making a decision to put out bird food regularly., Choose the right food., Ensure that the birds have constant access to drinking water., Offer a roosting birdhouse or nest boxes., Keep the feeding regular and all through winter.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Help by making a decision to put out bird food regularly.
In particular, when the winter weather is very severe, be sure to leave food out for the birds.
Be especially attentive after storms, when the birds will probably have been unable to find feed until the storm passes.
If possible, feeding first thing in the morning and late afternoon can help the birds restore energy when it's most needed.
Position feeders where the birds can find them easily and can keep an eye out for any possible dangers.
Some feeders are best at ground level for ground feeding birds, others hanging.
Always aim to locate feeders out of the wind. -
Step 2: Choose the right food.
Provide the sort of food that the birds would be getting on their normal diet, while focusing most on foods of high calorie content (some of which wouldn't normally be found in nature, such as bread or pastry).
A variety of food will attract a variety of birds.
While you should familiarize yourself with the particular needs of species of birds visiting your garden, in most cases, the following foods will be ideal:
Fat and suet scraps (woodpeckers love suet); suet cake should always be hung to avoid attracting rats and their ilk Cooked potatoes Mild grated cheese Soaked fruit Pastry Cracked corn Niger/Nyjer thistle seed for goldfinches Safflower seeds for chickadees, titmice and downy woodpeckers Black oil sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts White millet for sparrows, juncos and mourning doves Sunflower-rich birdseed mix Apples and pears (chopped) Bird cake Millet, corn and canary seed mixes for ground feeding birds (sprinkle under bushes); avoid mixes with too much red millet though as birds don't like it much and what isn't eaten gets left as a mess Unsalted high fat peanuts. , Obviously, water can freeze over in very cold temperatures, so you might wish to give the birds tepid water.
Put up a heated birdbath.
Birds will be able to get a warm drink and bath.
You can buy birdbaths with heaters or heaters that can be added to a birdbath at most birding stores.
Never add any anti-freeze product to drinking water.
These products are poisonous.
If there is enough room for birds to get into the water and it's not heated, add rocks to prevent this on very cold days, as they will quickly become cold when wet.
When the weather warms up, you can encourage hopping in by removing the rocks. , These are a place where birds can spend the night away from the cold.
You can build your own, or buy one.
If it's a nest box, the birds might choose to breed there in the coming spring, providing your family with a wonderful source of joy watching the growing birds.
Adding hay and dried grasses to nest boxes or birdhouses will help keep the birds warm inside.
Prevent drafts by covering up ventilation holes during winter.
Try to face the bird box or house in the direction of the afternoon sun to help increase warmth and face it away from the harshest winds. , Once you attract birds to feed during winter, you will need to remain consistent because the birds come to rely on the food source you're providing and expect it.
Sudden cessation of the food source they've grown to rely on while the weather is still severe can be catastrophic for the birds. -
Step 3: Ensure that the birds have constant access to drinking water.
-
Step 4: Offer a roosting birdhouse or nest boxes.
-
Step 5: Keep the feeding regular and all through winter.
Detailed Guide
In particular, when the winter weather is very severe, be sure to leave food out for the birds.
Be especially attentive after storms, when the birds will probably have been unable to find feed until the storm passes.
If possible, feeding first thing in the morning and late afternoon can help the birds restore energy when it's most needed.
Position feeders where the birds can find them easily and can keep an eye out for any possible dangers.
Some feeders are best at ground level for ground feeding birds, others hanging.
Always aim to locate feeders out of the wind.
Provide the sort of food that the birds would be getting on their normal diet, while focusing most on foods of high calorie content (some of which wouldn't normally be found in nature, such as bread or pastry).
A variety of food will attract a variety of birds.
While you should familiarize yourself with the particular needs of species of birds visiting your garden, in most cases, the following foods will be ideal:
Fat and suet scraps (woodpeckers love suet); suet cake should always be hung to avoid attracting rats and their ilk Cooked potatoes Mild grated cheese Soaked fruit Pastry Cracked corn Niger/Nyjer thistle seed for goldfinches Safflower seeds for chickadees, titmice and downy woodpeckers Black oil sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts White millet for sparrows, juncos and mourning doves Sunflower-rich birdseed mix Apples and pears (chopped) Bird cake Millet, corn and canary seed mixes for ground feeding birds (sprinkle under bushes); avoid mixes with too much red millet though as birds don't like it much and what isn't eaten gets left as a mess Unsalted high fat peanuts. , Obviously, water can freeze over in very cold temperatures, so you might wish to give the birds tepid water.
Put up a heated birdbath.
Birds will be able to get a warm drink and bath.
You can buy birdbaths with heaters or heaters that can be added to a birdbath at most birding stores.
Never add any anti-freeze product to drinking water.
These products are poisonous.
If there is enough room for birds to get into the water and it's not heated, add rocks to prevent this on very cold days, as they will quickly become cold when wet.
When the weather warms up, you can encourage hopping in by removing the rocks. , These are a place where birds can spend the night away from the cold.
You can build your own, or buy one.
If it's a nest box, the birds might choose to breed there in the coming spring, providing your family with a wonderful source of joy watching the growing birds.
Adding hay and dried grasses to nest boxes or birdhouses will help keep the birds warm inside.
Prevent drafts by covering up ventilation holes during winter.
Try to face the bird box or house in the direction of the afternoon sun to help increase warmth and face it away from the harshest winds. , Once you attract birds to feed during winter, you will need to remain consistent because the birds come to rely on the food source you're providing and expect it.
Sudden cessation of the food source they've grown to rely on while the weather is still severe can be catastrophic for the birds.
About the Author
Kenneth Wood
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: