Birds appreciate the help they find throughout winter
Many of our feathered friends decide to remain in our gardens, declining invitations to follow some gardeners who “fly off” to Florida, Arizona or other balmy spots. They have faith they will find what they need to survive the harsh winter ahead.
Make sure your garden is hospitable for birds and they will repay your generosity with their songs, bright colors and amusing antics.
A bird-friendly garden includes large shade trees and evergreens, understory trees and sizable shrubs, ornamental grasses and small shrubs, and perennials and ground covers.
Shade trees and large evergreens not only provide shelter from winter storms and a place to hide from predators, they also provide food. Woodpeckers and chickadees dine on the seeds of pine cones. Oak, walnut and hickory trees offer nuts.
Small and understory trees and large shrubs, like crabapples, hollies and chokeberries, have persistent berries that remain on branches throughout much of winter to satisfy the appetites of blue jays, cardinals, finches and more. Evergreen and thorny shrubs are also additional places for birds to take cover.
Gardeners appreciate the structure ornamental grasses add to the winter landscape. Birds are thankful when native ornamental grasses, such as little bluestem and switch grass, are left standing so they can dine on the seeds.
There are many varieties of perennials that supply seeds to nourish birds in winter. Black-eyed Susan, blazing stars, coneflowers, coreopsis, goldenrod, ironweed and Joe-Pye weed are seed-bearing favorites of many types of birds. Goldfinches and chickadees prefer to perch on spent flowers and nibble on seeds; juncos and sparrow would rather feast on seeds that have fallen on the ground.
If your landscape is not already planted in these layers of plants, make plans to add them next year. In the meantime, put out feeders to supplement the food found naturally. Position feeders near tree branches or large shrubs to give birds a place of escape from predators. If space allows, multiple feeders allows for a variety of birds without overcrowding and birdie battles.
While bird seed is available at box stores, grocery stores, garden centers and specialty bird stores, be sure to purchase high quality seed. Read package labels to determine the quality. Look for the ingredients and percentages of each included in the bag. Sunflower and safflower seeds, corn and peanuts satisfy most songbirds. Finches favor Nyjer seed.
Waste-free seed mixes are more expensive but, in my opinion, are worth every penny. They don't contain any weed seeds that will sprout into unending weeds under the bird feeder come next spring.
Suet — concentrated animal fat infused with seeds, nuts or fruit — is also an important part of many avian diets. It is a quick source of energy and is a good substitute for insects not readily found in winter. Suet can be purchased or made at home. There are many recipes online for do-it-yourselfers.
Suet feeders should be hung at least 5 feet above the ground where they will be visited by blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, wrens and more.
The most important thing to remember once you put out a bird feeder is to keep it filled. Birds will come to rely on it as their source of food. In late winter, it is especially critical as natural food choices are depleted.
Last, but not at all least, birds must have a clean source of water. They not only need water to drink, they also need it to keep their feathers clean. Clean feathers offer more insulation than dirty ones. Buy a de-icer for your current birdbath or buy a heated birdbath. If neither of these is possible, put out a shallow dish of fresh water every day (or twice on day on very cold days).
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist, garden writer and speaker. She blogs at gardenwithdiana.com.