Winter stuff

Yes, winter is almost upon us and it appears that it may be a cold one and who knows about snow! But the birds are really eating a lot of food. My theory is that due to the hot and dry summer, not as much nature berries, seed, and nuts formed. Even food that may have developed is running out having been eaten this fall.

Keeping feeders well stocked during the cold weather certainly helps the birds, especially when snow and ice cover the ground. Use a mixture with 50% black oil sunflower seed, 40% millet and the rest shelled peanuts or safllower seed. Millet on the ground encourages juncos and White-throated sparrows to feed.
Replenish suet feeders for woodpeckers, Caolina Wrens, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches. The fat in the suet is ideal for adding needed calories for this time of year.
Water is scarce especially as smaller streams and ponds freeze. A heated bird bath is a sure way to attract birds to the water. We have a small 16 inch heated bath and one winter morning we watched eight sparrows take a communal bath!
To help the birds through icy windy nights, put out a roosting box or add an inch of wood shavings to a bird house and a few birds may huddle together for warmth.
It is a difficult time for birds as food is scarce and keeping warm using many calories. For instance, Black-cappped chickadees require twenty-times more food to survive the winter than they do in summer.
It is also a good time to bundle up and take a walk in the woods. It is quiet and you'd be surprised to see how alive the woods are even in the cold.