Winter Birdfeeding
Many people feed birds only in the summertime. Did you know you can also attract large numbers of bird by offering seed in the winter? It used to be widely believed that you should not start feeding the birds in the winter unless you were planning on feeding all the way through to spring. Many felt that the birds would become dependent on the food source and would starve to death if their food supply was suddenly eliminated.
Recent studies have shown, however, that any one food source is, at most, 20% of a bird’s food supply. If one food source fails for some reason, the bird will be still be able to find plenty of food at its other feeding areas. So if you are one of the lucky Minnesotans who migrate to warmer climates like many birds, go ahead and feed the birds until you leave. You will not harm them one bit if you stop.
It was also believed that providing food for the birds in winter really didn’t help them. We now know that providing an easily accessible source of food increases the birds’ chances of surviving a winter cold snap. Birds have various mechanisms of coping with the cold winter nights, but when daybreak comes, their energy reserve is greatly depleted and it is essential that they find food immediately upon awakening. Birds which have easy access to food via a birdfeeder have significantly greater survival rates than those that don’t.
While you will never get the variety of birds in winter that you do in summer, you will be astounded at the sheer numbers of birds that will visit your feeder. It is not uncommon to have flocks of 100 or more birds in your yard at one time on cold winter days. There is a flurry of activity as they wrestle each other for available perches, never seeming to realize that there is plenty of food for everyone. Goldfinches are usually in abundance, although you may not recognize them. They have lost their beautiful yellow plumage and slipped on a drab olive green winter cloak. The air whirrs with the wings of house finches, purple finches, nuthatches, chickadees, blue jays, and woodpeckers, all constantly on the move in their battle to stave off the winter coldness. Winter is unkind to the laggard; failure to stay on the move in their constant quest for energy results in certain death.
The same type of food that works in summer will work in the winter. You may want to add hulled seed if you don’t already offer them, as the birds will not need to expend precious energy getting the seed out of its shell. Some people find that their birds do not eat their nyjer (incorrectly called thistle) seed in the winter. This is due to the large amount of energy expended trying to stay warm while they remove the small shell from the seed. If you mix the nyjer with more readily accessible fine sunflower chips, you will have much better luck attracting birds
Disease is easily transmissible in the winter. The birds congregate heavily around feeding stations, with their feces dropping onto the ground below them. Because there is no rain and and little warmth from the sun to neutralize the feces, any virus from a sick bird will continue to live. When other birds feed on the ground amongst the contaminated feces, they will inadvertently pick up the virus. Redpolls and house finches are especially susceptible to viruses.
I recommend that you do not concentrate more than 3 feeders in any given area, but this is especially important in the winter. One of the worst things you can do is to provide a huge feeding station with many feeders concentrated in one area. Spread your feeders out and rotate locations, if possible. Your goal is to have as few feces as possible accumulating on the ground. If you notice a lot of debris accumulating under the feeders, clean it up, if possible.
A sick bird will stay in one place and puff up its feathers. Because water is more important than food in short term survival, a terminally ill bird will often stay in or near a heated birdbath. If you suspect illness in your bird population, be sure to keep the bath scrupulously clean. Scrub the bath with a brush, disinfect with a NON CHLORINE bleach solution (chlorine bleach is harmful to birds), and refill with fresh water at least daily.
As an avid birder who has feed birds year round my entire life, I find it hard to envision a winter without birds in the yard. Their energy and beauty makes even the coldest, most miserable winter day seem a little warmer. I hope you enjoy the same success that I have had in your winter bird feeding efforts.
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