Where are all my birds?
WANTED: BED & BREAKFAST~ Family seeks winter lodgings, with regular meals; all-day buffet preferred. Central heating not required. Applications now being taken in your back yard.
Sometimes there are almost no birds at the feeder in fall. They don’t need us. They’re out in the fields and woods, feasting on seeds and berries and fat insects. Bird feeders are pretty much ignored.
But this is the time to keep the feeders filled. In fall, birds have plenty to eat and some free time, so they scout their surroundings and take inventory of where the food is. If you have full feeders now, they’ll remember.
One day it suddenly gets very cold. No insects are flying around or wiggling. Snow covers seeds. Ice seals away tree buds and wild fruits. Just at that moment, when the birds’ calorie requirements go way up, birds may not have the luxury of exploring. They need to go where they can find food right then.
That’s when they’re going to show up in your back yard. Hungry. Chirpy and chattery. Red and blue and black-and-white and yellow. Fun to look at on a snowy day.
What foods to offer
SEEDS are the mainstay of bird feeding. I offer these:
black oil sunflower
sunflower hearts
nyjer
peanuts
broken walnuts, pecans or other nuts
I also offer suet, animal fat that helps birds survive frigid nights.
What kind of feeders?
You can go simple or elaborate. You can toss birdseed on the ground or tuck it into a rough place on a stump. Many birds, including our native sparrows, like to eat on the ground. They'll also pick up food dropped from feeders by other birds, and they'll scratch through leaves to find food you've scattered.
Still, I don't throw a lot of birdseed on the ground. It can build up and get moldy. Also, it attracts raccoons and other visitors I don’t want more of. I offer most bird food above ground level.
I put suet in a feeder that birds can access only from below. Woodpeckers and other awesome birds such as nuthatches can reach it fine. But here’s the advantage: starlings, which can take over suet feeders and keep other birds away, can’t hang on from below.
For goldfinches I buy nyjer seed. You can get special nyjer feeders with tiny holes. The rather expensive nyjer seeds come out one by one, so they last a while. It's just right for goldfinches but inaccessible to big birds. Nyjer feeders also attract Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and other small birds.
Hanging feeders are economical with seed. It’s ideal to hang them under eaves, sheltered from rain. I like feeders with a built-in roof to keep the seeds dry.
Be sure to put your birdfeeder where you can watch the birds from where you live. Enjoy the company of the birds while you're having your own meals.
What if we have to go away in winter?
Don't worry about the birds if you have to be gone from your home for a while in winter. Birds know about other feeders besides yours, and they won't starve. It might take them a while to rediscover your yard when you return, but they'll be back.
Help them find you
So if you aren’t already feeding birds, now is the time to start. Let them find your feeders before the weather gets terrible.
Such great advice, thank you! I had never seen the type of suet feeder you showed, that's a great idea. We keep suet and sunflower seeds out in feeders year-round, and we definitely notice ebb and flow patterns. Feeders are more quiet in the summer, and there are noticeable flurries of activity during migration fuel-ups. We have a small handful of over-wintering birds here in Maine who are quite regular feeders. That's like our special season, after the busy "tourist season", enjoying quiet time with "the locals" :)