Thursday, February 2, 2012

Feeding Our Feathered Friends

      I love birds! I love listening to them chirping and singing, they just make me happy! And I feel it our duty to help them out all year long, but especially in the winter! So here are a few tips you can use and if you have a great recipe for bird food,craft idea's, or tips for taking care of our wild birds email me or leave a comment. I would also love any bird story's or pictures you may have!

        Winter is a hard season for our friends and if you've never fed them or you don't have many visiting your yard  winter time is a great time for attracting birds.  Knowing what to feed them and what they need to survive the coldest months will help you attract them.
Cold temperatures, severe storms and scarce food supplies make winter the harshest season for wild birds.  Backyard bird feeders help meet bird's needs during this time, a long with giving them fresh water and places to seek shelter.
         Adding these to your feeders when the temperatures drop will give birds adequate energy to survive even the worst weather. Foods high in oil and fat, such as suet,peanuts, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and Nijer are some of the choices you have and are easy to find and cheap to buy, but you can add a lot of different choices to it.  Such as left over bacon grease, or shortening,left over popcorn,breads, just never uncooked rice!

         There maybe plenty of snow and ice around, and yes birds can melt it and drink it, that takes a lot of energy, supply them with fresh water. You can buy small little heaters for your birdbaths or just take fresh water out daily. Which ever way you choose make sure the water is always clean and fresh, dirty water spreads diseases.

        Provide shelter for our friends, a freezing wind can kill the smaller birds, you can make roosting boxes, nesting pockets and supply them with scraps of yarn, material, even hair so they can line their nest for extra warmth. Place their boxes and nesting pockets out of north winds and falling snow. Growing ever green tree's is great for birds, its a natural protection. Leaving your Christmas tree whole and in the back yard for winter would also give them shelter.

                 House Finches

          We need to take care of our feather friends, after all they help us all spring, summer and fall by eating insects and spreading seeds, not to mention the beautiful 'free' music they give us all year round!








                                                       

1 comment:

yellowdoggranny said...

I have a ton of different kinds of birds at my feeders, Cardinals, wrens, blue jays, grackles which I try to get rid of, doves and others..I have a crazed cardinal right now attacking my rear view mirror on my truck...he thinks it's either another male he's trying to dominate or a female he's trying to fuck..fun to watch.