With winter now upon us, it is time to provide a refuge for the birds and for yourself! It is critical to provide birds with their basic cold weather essentials: food, water and shelter.
When severe weather impacts wild food supplies, many species of birds will turn to bird feeders as a critical source of food. It is during these times feeders play their most important, vital role.
If an extreme, long-duration storm hits our region, a feeding station may mean the difference between life and death for birds.
Freezing temperatures are only one factor birds must survive during the winter season. Wind, storms and wet weather also rob birds of their ability to stay warm, even if temperatures are moderate. The most often-overlooked survival challenge for birds is having to endure a period of darkness of up to 15 hours. Small songbirds must sustain themselves with only their own fat reserves. They may use up to 80% of their fat reserves in one long and cold winter night. They face a huge challenge in finding enough food to not only make it through each day, but also replacing their fat reserves for the coming night and doing this during limited daylight hours.
Winter tips to help your birds:
u Replace old feeders that are damaged, cracked or dangerous. Add a dome cover to feeders to keep birds dry while they dine. Locate feeders out of the wind, on the east or southeast side of the house — or ideally near a row of trees that can provide a perching spot for birds to survey the area and provide sufficient cover for safe refuge from predators and shelter from the wind and weather. Consider adding a ground feeder to attract a greater variety of birds, such as sparrows, juncos, towhees, thrashers, doves, quail and even ravens. Fill it with a high-quality seed blend high in millet. Place the feeder near vegetation (3 feet from bushes or a brush pile) that allows birds a quick hiding place from predators. To attract an even greater variety of fruit and insect-eating birds such as robins and bluebirds, add fruit and mealworms to the ground feeder.
u During the winter, provide high-calorie and high-fat foods. Consider feeding suet, which is high-energy and pure fat, invaluable in winter when birds need more calories to keep warm.
u Birds need a place to escape the elements. Place roosting and nesting boxes to provide birds with a warm, dry place to call home.
u Birds need water in winter to help stay warm and to properly digest food. Provide a reliable source of water for bathing and drinking. Bathing and preening are especially important in cold weather to keep feathers in top condition to stay warm during cold night temperatures. Research has shown chickadees with well-maintained feathers can sustain a 70-degree layer of insulation between the outside air and their skin. Switch out birdbaths to winter-hardy ones. Add a heater to existing birdbaths or use a heated birdbath. Never add chemicals to unfreeze water because they could be harmful to birds.
Thanks so much for helping our feathered friends make it through the extreme weather conditions of winter!
Ken Bunkowski and his son, Matt, co-owners of Wild Birds Unlimited in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, look forward to sharing the joy that birds bring into our lives.
