More snow on the way? Prepare now!

Another snowstorm is forecast for the Lehigh Valley region for Sunday afternoon into Monday, followed by frigid temperatures. Do you have enough seed and suet to keep your backyard songbirds fed?

Snow and ice prevent birds from foraging for natural food sources. Without a reliable nutrition, they can starve or die of hypothermia. 

Here are some suggestions to keep birds thriving despite inclement winter weather:

Place multiple feeders in your yard. The ideal location for wintertime feeders are near houses, hedges or evergreens that protect against severe wind. Inserting shepherd's hooks into the frozen ground may be impossible. The best solution is to obtain special hooks that easily can be added to an existing shepherd's hook. You can then hang additional feeders.

Protect feeders from the elements. There are several basic types of feeders: tray style, which essentially are open platforms that can be hung from a pole or placed on the ground; hopper-style feeders, which have a seed reservoir and a roof to protect seed against snow or rain; and tube-style feeders, which have several ports from which birds can feed. Hopper and tube feeders are hung from a shepherd's hook.

You might wish to replace or upgrade an existing feeder in preparation for inclement weather. Precipitation can create moisture which can freeze making the seed inaccessible to birds. A hopper-style feeder is an obvious solution in that it has its own roof. If you have a tube-style feeder, you can obtain a special cover that protects seed ports from the elements.

Replace small feeders with larger ones. For your convenience, choose large-capacity feeders. You won't need to refill them as frequently. Fewer trips outdoors to the feeder makes bird-watching more pleasurable. Platform feeders involve more work on your part. Be sure to shake out snow, empty the debris and refill daily to prevent mildew and spoilage.

Offer wintertime seed. Birds need seed that is rich in fat and calories (just the opposite from what the doctors advise us!). Rich, fatty seed and suet provides bird with the nutrition they need to withstand the elements. Little birds such as chickadees eat half of their body weight each day to survive. 

An ideal seed blend for winter is one that is high in black oil sunflower seed (or shell-free sunflower chips), followed by white millet, safflower and peanut splits. We carry four different blends that suit the bill, depending on which birds you wish to attract or see in your backyard. 

Alternatively if you are bothered by House Sparrows, select safflower seed, which they do not prefer. Or consider pure black oil sunflower seed, which is a treat for most birds.

Clean off feeders. Snow can turn into ice, which may make it difficult to refill the feeder. The tops of tube-style and hopper-style feeders can freeze under the worst of conditions.

Keep feeding area free of snow. Stamp or shovel snow around feeders to give you easier access to the feeder. Any seed that spills from the feeder benefits ground-feeding birds such as juncos, Mourning Doves and sparrows. Keep in mind that deep snow can defeat squirrel baffles.

Use squirrel baffles. These metal cones or tubes thwart squirrels from reaching bird feeders. They work on shepherd's hooks and poles. Squirrel baffles are inexpensive. They'll save you money in pilfered seed or trashed feeders.

Store seed properly. Store seed in a cool, dry place that is protected from bugs and rodents. A metal storage can—such as a clean galvanized trash can—is effective in keeping squirrels and chipmunks away. Bagged seed in garages or sheds invites critters.

Offer birds water. Add a heated bird bath or a heated element to a regular bath to provide birds with liquid water. Birds always need water for drinking.

Don't forget suet. High-fat suet cakes give birds a real boost of energy for cold winter nights. Suet feeders are inexpensive and easy to hang from shepherd's hooks or tree limbs. Pure beef suet is great. Other suet contains ingredients such as peanut butter, fruit, nuts and berries. Bird will love them!

It's easy to add a suet feeder to your backyard, even if your shepherd's hook or pole already is full. Simply hang a suet feeder from a tree limb. If you are beset by squirrels in your neighborhoods, you can add a baffle beneath the tree limb or a caged suet feeder. Yet another option is using hot pepper suet cake, which squirrels find too spicy. Songbirds have few taste buds, so they don't notice the hot pepper.