Help songbirds survive cold, snow

This winter's harsh weather is testing the survival instincts of songbirds. 

Snow makes it hard for birds to find natural food. Their favorite foods--berries and seed heads--are dwindling fast. Furthermore they can't find grass seeds or weed seeds when the ground is covered with snow.

Northern Cardinal

Frigid weather poses another problem. They need to eat more food than usual to keep their bodies warm. Did you know that chickadees must eat half of their body weight each day just to stay alive when temperatures plummet? Moreover many of the water sources that birds use for drinking and bathing are frozen over.

Combining snow, wind and extreme temperatures make it especially difficult for songbirds. This is particularly true for young birds who are experiencing their first winter and haven't developed food-gathering skills.

The near-zero weather that we experienced in recent days is just the first of several bouts of harsh conditions that we may experience this winter, according to AccuWeather.
Looking to the long range, AccuWeather foresees another spell of cold weather in mid-January, followed by another bout in early February and then again in late February.

Here are a few tips on how you can help backyard birds meet this winter's challenges:


Replenish seed and suet feeders every day if necessary.

Use a seed mix that provides 50 percent sunflower, 40 percent millet and the rest shelled peanuts or safflower. This provides increased fat and high calories to generate warmth.

If a feeder is covered with ice and snow, birds won't feed. Brush or knock off ice and snow to allow birds to get to the food. A household brush or an old windshield brush from your car is handy tool for removing snow.

One of style feeder doesn't serve all birds. Consider buying a variety if you want to attract the most birds to your backyard.

Buy a suet feeder. Suet is made of high-energy beef fat. It's a good menu item for most birds, but it's especially nutritious for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and titmice whose summer food consists of insects. The Bird House offers a variety of suet products, such as those blended with peanuts, berries, nuts and insects.

Heated bath keeps water from freezing

Some birds like to feed on the ground. Juncos and White-throated Sparrows prefer millet placed directly on the surface of the ground. Another option is a ground-level feeder that is elevated slightly. Among the birds favoring these feeders are Mourning Doves, House Sparrows and cardinals.

Seed can easily get wet. Once it does, it's bound to clump and clog feeders. If an active feeder suddenly becomes deserted, this is the first thing to check. If food is soaked, dump it out and replace it with fresh dry food.

Don't forget water. It's vital to birds' survival. When temperatures dip below freezing, birds have a hard time finding water for drinking and bathing. Their usual puddles and ponds may be frozen over. They may have to travel miles to find a steady source of water, which uses energy at a time they need it for nighttime chills. You can provide songbirds with much-needed water. Several different models of heated bird baths and electric heaters are available.

Birds also need cover during the winter. In warm months, leaves provide natural cover where the birds can escape from predators, find protection from rain or roost at night. Use a discarded Christmas tree to provide them with cover. The dense evergreen needles provide shelter from the elements.

Another option is to place a roosting bag on a tree limb so smaller birds can obtain shelter when no evergreens are available. The bag, made of long-lasting woven reeds and capped by a bamboo roof, provides shelter for several birds to huddle together for warmth on frigid nights. (For more information on roosting bags, see the posting for October 26, 2013).

Water is not only for drinking

Whether it drips, puddles, flows or splashes, the sight or sound of water is irresistible to birds. They depend on water for hydration and temperature control and even flight. Clean feathers are essential for efficient flying. Birds seek water on a daily basis and will only live within easy flying distance of a water source.

A Robin gulps while a Flicker lets water trickle down its throat

Birds fall into two categories of drinkers. The most commonly seen drinking method among land-based birds is gulping. The bird immerses its beak in the water, tilts its head back and lets the water trickle down its throat. On the other hand, pigeons and doves drink water using their beaks like sipping straws.

Some shorebirds wet their food before they eat it, providing another source of water. A few land-based species also wet their food but we’re not sure why. Ever see a grackle break up a peanut over the bird bath and then eat it? Perhaps it is to make swallowing easier. Or maybe it’s to clean the food.

Birds use water to cool themselves on hot summer days, but waterbathing helps with waterproofing. After birds clean their feathers in the bath, they oil, preen and run their feathers through their beaks to realign the feathers to give them structural integrity needed for successful flight. Most backyard birds wade into water 1 to 3 inches deep and splash violently. 

(Click here for a hilarious 3-minute video from Facebook on the antics of songbirds splashing about to bath. You'll love it!)

Because of their weak legs and narrow-pointed wings, swifts and swallows dive into the water just deep enough to create a spray that is scooped over their backs. Kingfishers and flycatchers actually dive into the water and then vibrate their wet feathers to dry off.

Bird baths are best placed near a shaded area with cover nearby. This allows birds a protected “drying off” space to clean and preen in peace.

Are birds only drinking but not bathing in your backyard? Sometimes the birds cannot tell how deep the bath is if the bowl is dark. Try placing a few contrasting pebbles or rocks in the bath so the bird can better see the bottom.