When the temperatures turn cold and you get a little ice or snow, it is important to think of some of the smaller creatures that share our world and the struggles that they faced with to find food on a daily basis. One sure way to lend a helping hand to the many species of songbirds that choose to stay here for the winter is to put out a bird feeder or two.
Feeding birds is lots of fun and has gotten very, very popular. In fact, a recent survey by BirdWatchingDaily.com reported that 52 million Americans feed birds or other wildlife. That is more than play golf, hunt or fish combined. There is something soothing about feeding birds, something relaxing. With all the hustle and bustle of this season, we could all use a little relaxation.
An additional benefit is if you start feeding now, then in January you can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count, conducted by Cornell University. Watch this column for more details.
There are many types of feeders on the market and each will attract different birds. There are also many different types of bird seeds on the market, and the food you put out will also determine which birds (and animals) will come to your feeders. Some birds want to eat on the ground while others prefer eating while hanging upside down! Even the size of the holes in a feeder and the length of the perches will determine which feathery guests will visit your offerings.
The Audubon society offers some good information about backyard bird feeding including types of feeders, foods and birds that might frequent your feeding station.
What type(s) of feeders should you use — The type of bird feeder you use will determine which birds come to your yard to eat. Do you want hummingbirds, woodpeckers, orioles, chickadees, cardinals, goldfinches or doves?
Maybe your answer is “All of the above”. In this case you will need a number of different feeder types!
· Platform feeders are simply flat tables raised off the ground. Cardinals like these. Doves will eat from them too if they are not very far off the ground.
· Tube feeders are cylindrical tubes with openings up and down the tube — perfect for Chickadees and Goldfinches. Shorten the perches to keep larger birds away.
· Hopper feeders are bins that hold seeds that spill out of the bottom as the birds eat. Many birds will come to these — including larger birds like Blue Jays, Grackles and Starlings.
· Suet feeders are wire or mesh baskets that hold suet or pre-packaged suet cakes. Woodpeckers love these!
· Bowl feeders are hanging bowls that typically are covered by a large plastic dome to keep out the rain and snow.
· Specialized feeders include pine cones (great for lathering with peanut butter), and sharpened sticks to hold orange halves for Orioles. You can also sprinkle seeds directly on the ground — but this attracts other critters as well.
What types of food should you use — The favorite food of most seed eating songbirds is black-oil sunflower seed. This is a small solid black seed, not to be confused with the larger striped sunflower. Birds such as cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, juncos, mourning dove and finches are especially fond of black-oil sunflower. And another nice feature is that it is not a favorite of house sparrows and starlings, two less desired species. Offer it from hopper type feeders or tube style feeders.
Niger thistle seed will appeal to goldfinches. This small seed is expensive, but goes a long way until a goldfinch feeding frenzy irrupts at your feeder. A specially designed tube style feeder is needed for thistle.
Ground feeders such as bobwhite quail, towhees, and dove will also enjoy white corso millet, but spreading this may encourage unwanted visitors.
Feeding Tips — Feeding the birds can be very simple, from putting peanut butter on a pine cone to impaling half an orange on a nail. Here are some tips from the National Wildlife Federation to help you attract the visitors you desire while discouraging some of the uninvited guests:
1. Put out feeders with good size capacity: And/or use multiple feeders to provide ample food especially during snow and ice storms. There are many stores in your area that sell excellent bird feeders including bird-specific stores and most lawn and garden centers.
2. Provide nutritious winter seed foods: For most birds theses often include seed mixes of: black oil sunflower seed, hulled peanuts, niger seed and white millet seed. Mixed seed bags can be purchased at local bird and lawn and garden stores or you can go on line and visit the Scott’s Songbird Selections website for a store locator or to learn more about wild bird feeding.
3. Offer fatty food too: Birds need to burn more calories in the winter just to stay warm. Suet is considered a high energy food because it consists of fat that has 9 calories per gram compared to 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates or protein. Peanut Butter is also popular with our flying friends but is more expensive than suet. Suet feeders are a favorite of woodpeckers and other insect-eating birds
4. Keep your feeders full: Winter birds need to stock up on calories especially for those long, cold winter nights.
5. Be consistent and keep feeding through the winter: Birds grow accustomed to your feeders especially in severe weather when the snacks you offer may mean their very survival. If you leave home for an extended period, try to have a neighbor or friend keep the feeders going.
6. Remember water: Birds can become dehydrated in winter even if surrounded by ice and snow. Putting out a pan of water near the feeder on warmer days is a terrific idea.
7. Stamp down the snow below: Ground-feeding birds such as dark-eyed juncos, doves and many sparrows will be able to gather up the seed that drop from the feeders if they don’t have deep snow to try to manage.
8. Hang feeders in cat-safe locations: Place bird feeders in locations that do not also offer hiding places for sneak-attacks by cats and other predators. Think of placing the feeders ten to twelve feet from shrubs or brush piles. This gives the birds some time to react.
9. Save some money and stock up on seed: Bird feeding veterans say it is best to stock up on birdseed in the Fall when many lawn and garden centers are discounting it to make way for winter merchandise. Stored properly, (in cool dry places) seed can easily last for months, particularly seed mixes and sunflower seeds.
Gift Ideas — since it is the Holiday Season, bird feeders, or field guides (to identify birds) make great gifts and stocking stuffers. Two of my favorite field guides are Golden Press – Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America, and Kaufman Focus Guides Birds of North America. Both of these are simple references to birds that may show up to a feeder. They feature color and good descriptions of the birds, as well as habits and other interesting things.
Coloring has hit the adult level with the introduction of small, intricate coloring pages made for “older” kids. Research shows that coloring pictures is a great way to stimulate the mind, and The Cornell Lab or Ornithology has a great book of America’s Favorite birds. Priced at $16, this would be a great stocking stuffer for that bird lover on your list.
Another offering from Cornell Lab is the “Backyard Birdsong Guide with Sound” featuring an illustrated field guide of 75 North American birds, and it will play the call each one makes. The book costs $35 and both of these can be purchased from their website www.birds.cornell.edu. This is also a great source for information for birders, it has great resources and online training.
A small set of field glasses (binoculars) is a good gift as well. I have found that with binoculars, the more you spend, the more you get in the way of clarity and light. To get a good set of glasses that will focus sharply and magnify 8x or 10x be willing to spend a little over $100.
If you are looking for a gift that you won’t find in your local box store, then go to birdwatchersgeneralstore.com and you will find some items for birders that probably won’t be found anywhere else.
Top Birdfeeder visitors
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation conducted winter bird feeder surveys for years, but with modern technology, they rely on other data being collected by conservation groups like Cornell University.
Participating in this survey is as simple and logging into their website following the Project FeederWatch link and submitting a little information and joining with a $18 membership. New participants will receive a welcome kit, then directions to conduct the observations recommended by the site. After collection the data, the participant submits the findings online.
The top 10 birds found on the survey last year from Oklahoma were:
1. Northern Cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
2. Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis
3. Blue Jay – Cyanocitta cristata
4. Carolina Cickadee – Poecile carolinensis
5. American Goldfinch – Spinus tristis
6. Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolr
7. Mourning Dove – Zenaida macroura
8. House Finch – Haemorjous mexicanus
9. House Sparrow – passer domesticus
10. Downy Woodpecker – Dryobates pubescens
Hackberry Flat Hosting Spring Migration Tours
Oklahoma wetlands are a popular stopover for many migrating shorebirds and the Wildlife Department has scheduled a series of tours at the renowned Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area that features these northern-bound travelers.
“Hackberry Flat is a major refueling station for these birds, and they take full advantage of our wetland units in April and early May,” said Melynda Hickman, biologist for the Wildlife Department. “Our tours will take visitors on an open-air trailer ride around the most active units so they can experience these wetland habitats at a truly amazing time.”
Visitors will have nine opportunities to tour the wetlands with a biologist this winter and spring. Reservations are required for these free events and children must be at least 8 years old due to the length of tours. Contact Hickman at [email protected] or by calling (405) 990-4977 for more information.
