ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — During the gloomiest part of the season, Nature provides a cure for the winter doldrums. Feeding birds in the winter can bring both color and joy with just a little effort. It's also very important to the birds that over winter here in the Northeast. Sue Barth is an experienced birder and knows well the many benefits received.
"Spring, summer, and fall, they've got a lot of natural food to choose from, foraging is easy, but in the winter it's so much more difficult for them, and this would help if you had feeders out there to conserve that energy, get food right at the ready for them."
There are many different types of food to choose from, and most are inexpensive. Barth says that certain forage can attract different species of birds.
"Black Oil Sunflower seeds are the main staple, and then I supplement with suet for the Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, they love that. I've been finding in the last few years Mealworms is a really nice offering, and it has attracted the Bluebirds to my house, which has been a real joy! "
Other things to consider adding could include native plants and trees which provide valuable cover for smaller birds. You might also add a heated birdbath. "The heated water helps them to maintain a good body temperature," Barth explains. "And also it helps them if they bathe in it to keep their feathers clean, they preen with an oil gland that they have, and that helps keep them and their feathers waterproof, believe it or not. The water helps them keep waterproof !"
It's not easy for these small creatures to struggle through winter but come Spring, these birds have a wing up on their migratory cousins. "The perils of migration are great !" says, Barth. " I mean, there's predation that occurs, there are different temperatures and weather events that you can run into, it's better to stay if you can, and the birds that stay here are specially equipped for that. And you know there's another advantage too, so, when nesting season begins, they're already here."
And there's also benefits to those who feed birds."It connects to every part of Nature really, it connects to plants of course, because that's a big food source for them, connects with all the other wildlife, connects with the seasons, it's very much an eye opener. And a joy!"
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