Feed The Birds

Winter is upon us, and many species of birds have gone south for the winter months.

A Nuthatch just inches away from a kitchen window (photo: Gay Schroer)

Your backyard will not be devoid of birds, though. There are quite a few species of birds that spend the winter in the area, as well as northern migrants passing through, but surviving freezing temperatures requires a reliable, high energy food source. For those of you with bird feeders, here are some tips for feeding your backyard birds during the winter.

Birds have a higher metabolic rate than mammals.  To maintain this rate birds need to eat foods that are high in calories and fat. Three simple high calorie/high fat foods are perfect for feeding songbirds during the winter: oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts. As the name suggests, oil sunflower seeds have a higher oil content than other sunflower seeds, giving them higher fat and protein amounts, and double the calories of other types of seeds. Furthermore, oil sunflower seeds are easier for the birds to eat because of the thinner, smaller shells.

A Catbird enjoying some suet (photo: Gay Schroer)

Suet is another popular winter bird food. Made largely of animal fat, suet is not often used in summer because it can melt in warmer temperatures and can become rancid, but this extremely fatty, high-energy food is perfect for the winter months. Many kinds of suet have other foods mixed into the fat, such as fruit, nuts, or birdseed. Since the ingredients are very simple, it is possible to make and mold your own suet if you do not wish to purchase it.

A Bluejay feeding on squirrel-proof hot pepper suet (photo: Gay Schroer)

Peanuts can also be mixed into suet, but are nutritious enough to be fed to birds as is. Whether shelled or whole, peanuts are a high protein, high fat food that will not freeze. Their large size, however, can make peanuts difficult for some of the smaller backyard birds to eat. To help them out, you can chop the peanuts up into smaller pieces. If you don’t have any peanuts, smearing dabs of peanut butter in a small dish or on the bark of a tree will work just as well. The drawback with peanuts is that they also attract squirrels. If you’d rather save the peanuts just for the birds, you might have to consider looking into squirrel-proofing your bird feeder, or purchasing a separate squirrel feeder.

Carolina Wrens feasting on tree nuts (photo: Gay Schroer)

Another food that has appeared on the market lately is marketed as tree nuts.  This is a mixture of various types of nuts, such as peanuts, cashews, walnuts, pecans, Brazil nuts and almonds.  The almonds do not seem to be particularly attractive to the birds, as they leave these until the very last.  This nut mixture is very popular with the Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, and many other backyard birds—as well as the squirrels.  These can be fed in peanut feeders and should be hung out of the reach of the squirrels.  They are a perfect food to be hung under the eaves of your house directly in front of your window for a really close-up view of birds which are normally only viewed from a distance. 

Even the Mockingbirds love the tree nuts (photo: Gay Schroer)

Other than food, you can help out your backyard birds in the winter by providing open water. Most birdbaths freeze over in the winter, but there are heating elements and heated birdbaths to prevent the water from freezing over.

Even though the summer months have come to an end, there is still plenty of bird watching to be done!  Place a few of these nutritious foods in your backyard, sit back with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, and enjoy the show

Submitted by JoHanna Burton, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Unusual Groceries

The other day, as I was unloading groceries from my van, I was reminded why the Carolina Wren is one of my favorite birds.

A Carolina Wren perched in a Hawthorn tree in full bloom

As a matter of course, I always request paper bags at the grocery store.  I can reuse them at least once (sometimes more) before consigning them to the trash, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that they will decompose and are compostible.  Another big plus for me is that I know they will stay upright in my van and not spew their contents at every turn, like plastic bags.  What does this have to do with wrens?  You’ll see where this is going in just a minute.

I had just carried in the first bag of groceries, leaving the hatchback door on my van open in anticipation of returning to unload the rest of the groceries.  Since the first bag was my frozen products I took the 3-4 minutes necessary to stow them in my freezer.  Upon returning to my van I discovered that in that short 3-4 minute time period my grocery bags had become bird habitat!

As I approached the van a Carolina Wren erupted from my bag of produce with a startled squawk and began to flit around the interior of the van, ending up perched on the driver’s seat.  After I stopped chuckling I opened the van doors and went on with the task of unloading my groceries, certain that my unexpected tenant would find his or her way out through one of the doors. 

Sure enough, when I returned on my next trip, the van was no longer occupied—however, from the Holly tree next to the driveway came the unmistakable scolding cry of an angry Wren.  Apparently it had vacated the premises, but was definitely not happy about the situation, even dive-bombing me a couple of times as I continued my trips back and forth.

Ounce for ounce, Carolina Wrens are one of the feistiest little birds I know.  At times like these I’m thankful they’re not the size of an Eagle. 

Carolina Wrens are one of the most entertaining and opportunistic little birds at my backyard feeders.  These little dynamos have been known to build nests in just about anything you can think of.  We personally have had them nest in a barbecue grill, a hose reel and in a hat my husband had sitting on a shelf in the garage.  They can build a nest in a matter of a couple of hours.  Before my husband leaves our lake cabin he has now learned that he must do a walk-through of the garage to make sure he doesn’t trap an erstwhile nest-builder inside.

Some co-ops in the area carry a nut blend known only by the term "tree nuts"--a favorite winter food

Carolina Wrens are indigenous to the New World, being found in the United States, Canada and as far south as the northern part of Guatemala.  This little bird with the long binomial (species) name, Thyrothorus ludovicianus, is the state bird of South Carolina.  If you are lucky enough to have a pair of resident Carolina Wrens in your yard you may be entertained by their antics throughout the year, as they go about their job of catching insects in your garden.  In winter they will occasionally eat seeds, berries, and other small fruits, but you can help their winter survival rate by filling your feeders with nuts and suet, as these birds do not migrate.

I never tire of hearing a Carolina Wren's joyful song

In the summer this little bird’s joyful song seems to fill my backyard.   One captive male Carolina Wren was recorded as singing 3,000 times in one day according to a National Geographic web page. 

If you are not lucky enough to have these little mighty mites in your yard, be sure to stop by the bird feeders in the triangle area at the World Bird Sanctuary on your next visit.  You can make use of the benches placed strategically near the feeders to enjoy a short rest, and will most likely see some of these entertaining little birds in action.

If you love watching the birds, come join us on January 2 for a new event—the WBS Christmas Bird Count.  We will meet about 100 yards inside the main gate (on the triangle) at 7 A.M.

Submitted by Gay Schroer, World Bird Sanctuary Volunteer/Photographer