Winter Gardening - Charm Your Feathered Friends

Posted on December 30, 2007
Filed Under Home and Family |

I was helping a friend rearrange her kitchen and found a box of hummingbird seed and as I stuck it away in the cupboard with the summer items, I got thinking about winter birds. My backyard looks rather barren right now and a flash of color and life would add so much to it. There’s a front picture window that overlooks the deck and the bare brown yard behind that. I never thought about birds in the winter before. My neighbor has a bunch that hover around a big tree that she hangs suet balls on but it’s not near a window.

As a storm threatens I think about how the birds who are not migratory might be willing to come and visit in exchange for some berries and seeds. I can sit in the living room and watch them. But, where do I begin?

First I need a bird feeding station. Then I need food. Apparently birds like and need fatty foods so that they can keep up their body temperature which is 108 F°. The usual sources of fatty foods for birds are suet and peanut butter. Suet balls are available and you can make your own with suet mixed with seeds, melted down peanut butter and cornmeal.

Birds also need carbohydrate to keep their high energy lifestyles going. Seeds contain carbohydrate, vitamins, and protein. If you are getting mixed seeds, get the kind with lots of sunflower seeds and white proso millet. Avoid those with fillers such as wheat seeds and milo. Bread is not a good choice in spite of the fact that most people given them bread. Bread will satisfy their appetite but may not provide the kind of high energy fuel that is needed to keep the birds warm on a freezing night.

Black oil sunflower seeds have their soft outer shells are easy to break through. Cardinals and juncos (among others) prefer black oil sunflower seeds for that reason. If you provided black oil sunflower seeds, Niger thistle and suet spread out over several feeders you will have a good variety of bird visitors and they will have nutritious snacks.

You have to make sure the feeders are maintained properly so that the birds don’t get sick from moldy food. When you fill the feeders, make sure that there are no clumps of seeds stuck in them. These can stay stuck and go bad. Sweep the hulls off feeders and trays daily. Every couple of weeks (or at least once a month) disinfect the feeders with a bleach mixture - one part bleach and 9 parts water. Rinse it well after and refill with fresh treats. Keep the food clean and dry when it is stored. Oh and the biggest safety tips for bird feeders, place them at least 5 feet away from a bush or tree to protect the birds from cats.

Esmee McCornall is a ‘Gardoholic’ writer. She recently published one of the most popular free garden reports on the internet, called “Tips and Tricks to Create the Garden You Always Wanted”. You can download a free copy at http://www.gardensandflowers.net/Free_Report.html

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