Treats for Tweets Winter Feeding for Our Feathered Friends
By Johnson County Master Gardener Cindy Adley, a Wildbunch Writer
The basic requirements for bird survival are food, water and cover. Growing certain trees, shrubs and flowers can provide the food and cover. Oaks, maples, pine trees, American holly shrubs and nandina make excellent choices for your yard, and they will provide nuts, berries, and, of course, cover. Sunflowers, asters, zinnias, cosmos, and black-eyed Susans are great flowers to let go to seed.
You should also consider the different feeding stations birds prefer. Use ground level feeding for birds that like to eat off the ground, such as sparrows, mourning doves, quail and pheasant. Provide table-top level for wrens, chickadees and cardinals. Use a flat container that has a drainage hole to prevent food from staying wet. Use hanging feeders for finches, nuthatches and species that can hold on in the swaying wind. Tree trunk sites are primarily for woodpeckers and usually contain suet, bird cakes or peanut butter. Some species will feed at all four stations, but most prefer their own level. Check your local feed and garden centers for seed mixtures.
Morning and noon are busy bathing and drinking times. Make sure your bird baths do not freeze. It is acceptable to put warm water in your bird baths several times a day in the extreme cold weather. I put a plastic shallow container in my concrete bird bath to keep the concrete from cracking.
If you are stringing popcorn and cranberries for your Christmas tree, string a few extra for your birds. Decorate a tree outside with strings of marshmallows, old bread, raisins, grapes, apples and orange slices. Dip pine cones in a peanut butter and cornmeal mixture or a suet mixture.
Put crushed egg shells in a separate container from the seeds. Calcium is important for egg-laying female birds. Dry dog food is a good choice for insect-eating birds that need protein in their diet. Soften the dog food with hot water so it feels like a moist sponge. Put out sparingly to see how much is eaten in a day, because this can attract other wildlife.
Don’t throw away your Christmas tree, but tie it to a fence post or tall tree and it will give excellent bird cover.
To make suet, use one cup shortening or lard, one cup peanut butter (crunchy can be used), one to two cups cornmeal and one cup birdseed. Soften shortening and peanut butter over low heat and stir in dry ingredients. Make a batch without bird seed, since not all species will want the bird seed. This can be spread on pine cones or put in hollowed-out oranges and tied to trees. So remember, having food, water and cover will bring the wonderful sound of birds to your yard.
Happy eating to our fine feathered friends. Tweet, Tweet!!
“Happy Gardening!”
