Feeding Backyard Birds In Winter
We love taking care of our backyard feathered friends in the summer. But we tend to forget about our wild birds in Winter. Let's talk about some steps to taking care of our backyard birds in Winter.
What type of food?
Birds in the winter won't survive without enough energy. That's why you should put out high energy foods such as suet, meat scraps, and peanut butter.
If you don't have a suet feeder you can use a mesh onion bag. You can make a simple feeder for peanut butter with a small branch or small log. Just take a small piece of wood and drill 1 inch holes in different places along the wood. Attach an eyelet on the end. Then smear peanut butter in the holes. Then you just have to hang it up! You can make your own Suet with this easy recipe.
What type of feeders?
Tube feeders are great to use for the birds in winter. They keep the food dry and the waste is minimal. If you use tray feeders just make sure they stay snow free. As mentioned above, suet feeders are a great way to feed your birds in winter.
Where do I put the food?
Not all the birds will go to the feeders for their food. Some birds in winter like to skulk in thickets, brambles, and other places they feel safe. So don't forget to put your bird feed in those places too. Most birds that do this like to eat black-oil sunflower, sunflower bits, peanut bits, and mixed seeds. We didn't pull up dead flowers and plants so we like to scatter seed around those areas.
Windbreak
Your backyard birds will love you for making them a windbreak. This gives them shelter from not only the wind but everything the wind blows. Snow, rain and just plain cold wind can make being a bird in winter not very much fun. A simple windbreak made from plywood leaned up against something will take care of your birds in winter weather. You can even put a feeder or 2 behind the windbreak for them.
Birdhouses
We have a couple of Bluebird houses in our backyard. When they leave for the season we clean them out and layer about three inches of clean, dry meadow grass in the bottom of our bluebird houses. This give the birds in winter somewhere to go that is warm.
On the subject of birdhouse, you should plug up any ventilation holes. They are great and needed in the summertime. But not so much in the winter. Trust me those birds using it in the winter don't want a draft!
Check out some of our other articles:
Tips for Keeping Your Bird Seed from Sprouting Weeds
