Looking ahead to February

Carolina Wrens investigate a snowman

Ah, February. It's the shortest month of the year but it is one of the most unpredictable.

February brings a few subtle changes in the natural world. The days are getting noticeably longer, which is an important factor for birds. They have more time to forage for food. By the time the month is over, we'll have an additional hour of daylight. 

On average, daytime temperatures by the end of February finally will rise to the low 40s. Nighttime temperatures will remain below the freezing point, however. But averages tell only part of the story. An average means there will be ups and downs from one year to the next.

For instance, the forecast for the first week of February doesn't look pleasant. Temperatures will remain well below the freezing point nearly every day. At night, we may see single-digit readings. Any snow that is on the ground will remain.

It will be a challenging week for birds. Natural food will become scarcer. The cold temperatures will mean higher nutrition needs. You will do birds a great favor by offering them plenty of seed and suet.


Have seed on hand

The ideal February seed mix consists of 50 percent black oil sunflower, 40 percent white millet and 10 percent shelled peanuts or safflower. A high-energy substitute for black oil sunflower seed is sunflower chips. Just about every species of bird covets hulled sunflower seed.

Northern Cardinal

Fat is crucial to birds' welfare during February. Sunflower seed is high in oil and fat. It serves as a winter fuel for birds. They will consume fat during the day and use the full reserve at night to maintain their metabolism.

Keep your seed feeders full. If you keep snow clear from beneath your feeder, any seed that falls will be eagerly consumed by ground-feeding birds, especially juncos. You can do juncos a real favor by scattering some white millet seed in dry areas such as paved surfaces. They'll come. Place the seed outside your window and you'll have an enjoyable view with your morning coffee to start your day!

If squirrels, House Sparrows and starlings are monopolizing your feeders, switch to safflower seed. Squirrels don't like the taste and sparrows' and starlings' beaks aren't designed to open the shells. Safflower will attract Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Tufted Titmice and Mourning Doves.

Do you have a tube-style feeder? Consider getting an attachable tray or longer perch so cardinals can reach the seed ports. Cardinals have short necks and prefer to feed head-on. Trays or longer perches give them that opportunity.

Continue offering Nyjer seed (often known as "thistle") to American Goldfinches and Pine Siskins. You may not notice the goldfinches at first. Males have doffed their brilliant yellow coloration in favor of an olive-brown that females wear all year long. You may wish to treat goldfinches and siskins to a special finch mix that consists of Nyjer and sunflower hearts. Both types of seed are high in fat.

Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches and Blue Jays will be delighted to have shelled peanuts on their dinner plate. Peanuts are very high in fat. Birds will chip away at individual peanuts until they've had their fill.

Suet is ideal energy source

Don't forget suet! Rendered beef suet is the ultimate in fat content. About 85 percent of beef suet is pure fat. Another option is offering a suet blend containing peanut butter, ground almonds or fruit. These, too, are high in fat. Woodpeckers enjoy suet that is mixed with insects such as diced mealworms and crickets. Trust me, the suet is not gross at all. Fruit-lovers will enjoy orange suet cake.

If squirrels are raiding your suet feeder, switch to pure beef suet. Squirrels are attracted to the scent of peanuts and almonds. They usually will ignore the scent of beef. Another option is hot pepper cake. They don't like the taste but songbirds don't notice the spicy flavor.

Occasionally you'll see robins in February. (That's not a sign of spring; some robins remain in the Lehigh Valley all winter long.) Treat robins by filling a suet feeder with half an orange.


Other quick tips for February

Add feeders. The ground is frozen so you may not be able to install shepherd's hooks or poles just yet. It is possible to add more feeders, though. We have metal arms that attach to existing shepherd's hooks with the turn of a thumb screw.

Hairy Woodpecker

Don't forget trees. Suet feeders can be hung from tree branches. Use rendered beef suet or hot pepper cake to dissuade squirrels.

Install birdhouses. It may seem incredible but woodpeckers and bluebirds already are scouting for nest sites. If you have existing bird houses, make sure they are clean of old nests. Consider adding new birdhouses on posts or trees.

Don't forget water. We can't emphasize this enough. Birds need a ready source of drinking water. A heated bird bath (or a heating element placed in an existing bath) provides them the liquid water they need. The thermostatically controlled baths and heaters will work in air temperatures as minus 20 degrees.

Hang roosting bags. February nights are still cold. Small birds will appreciate nesting bags in neighborhoods that have few evergreens. You may find chickadees or wrens entering the roosting bags near sunset so they can huddle overnight.


Birds to watch ...

Above-ground feeders: Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Purple Finches, Mourning Doves, Carolina Wrens, several woodpecker species, Blue Jays and several species of sparrow (including White-capped, White-throated, Song, American Tree and House sparrows).

House Finches eager to feed

Ground level: Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Mourning Doves, House Finches, Purple Finches, Carolina Wrens and sparrow species.

Suet feeders: Downy, Red-bellied and Hairy woodpeckers; Northern Flickers, Black-cappped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, 
European Starlings.

Fruit feeders: American Robins, House Finches, Northern Mockingbirds, Yellow-rumpted Warblers and sparrow species.

Birdhouses: Downy Woodpeckers and Eastern Bluebirds.

Roosting bags: Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees and Carolina Wrens.


Early Migration Patterns

The first signs of migration begin by the end of the month. The comings and goings in the Lehigh Valley region include:

Migrants coming to our area: Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and Brown-headed Cowbirds begin arriving late in the month.

Migrants leaving our area: American Tree Sparrows and Snow Buntings begin heading north to Canada by late in the month. 


One more thing ...

As difficult as January can be, February sometimes is worse in terms of snow. On average, the Lehigh Valley region gets 10 inches of snow in January. The February average is 11 inches.

So bundle up and don't put your snow shovel away yet!