As I’ve written about in many a post, one of my favorite things about gardening . . . is attracting wildlife to my space. (Even the deer. As long as they stay out of my backyard!) I provide food, water, cover, and places to raise their young for all kinds of wildlife in my garden . . . and I utilize sustainable gardening practices (I don’t use pesticides or herbicides in my garden beds, for example, and I follow recommended practices for cleaning and maintaining my garden spaces). I do what I can in a world that insists on having no weeds . . . and no mosquitos.
In the summer, the living is easy . . . and I don’t have to do much to keep the birds happy in my garden. I only have one active feeder through the summer months (it’s an ancient and ugly feeder that we’ve had for at least 25 years; it’s quite the workhorse, though), and I let that go empty for most of the summer. “My” birds feed on what’s in my garden — seedheads and berries and insects and nectar. They nest in my trees and my hanging plants and in my pergola. They drink from my birdbaths and ponds. They have a really good time!
But in the winter? Oh, it’s a different story! I work extra hard to take care of my birds in the cold months! I hang a couple of double-suet feeders from hooks in my pergola. I have a peanut feeder for the jays and squirrels. I spread bark butter on my trees. And this year, I decided to put up a second feeder, and I splurged on a Bird Buddy. (If you haven’t heard about these, they are little bird feeders with a camera inside. They take photos of the birds at your feeder and you access the photos on your phone with an app.) I’ll tell you all about my experience with my “BirdBud” next week, in Part 2 . . . so stay tuned.
During the winter, the birds really depend on the food I provide. I check and re-fill the feeders at least once a day, and during the recent sub-zero stretch of freezing weather we’ve been having, I’ve been checking and re-filling the feeders twice a day. (It’s amazing how many peanuts blue jays and squirrels can eat when they’re cold.) Lately, in this cold, I’ve been spreading a lot more seed directly on the ground for the ground-feeding birds (including a very unhappy mourning dove who came back a little early this year; he looks pretty miserable out there). And I repurposed some old cookie sheets to serve as “platform feeders” for scattering peanuts. (I’m also heartened to see a flock of about 30 early-returning robins happily devouring the Hawthorn berries still on my tree.)
And, because birds have a hard time finding water when it’s cold out (birdbaths and pond water freeze over), I have a heated dog dish that I plug in for the winter. (I have this one.) You can also get heated birdbaths or birdbath heaters, but my garden isn’t set up for electricity where I have the birdbaths. So . . . this heated dog dish works just great. And I’ve seen the rabbits and squirrels grab a drink, too. (All critters need water in the winter!)
Freezing water in the garden is not just an issue for the birds. We also have a small pond that is home to frogs. If the pond completely freezes over, the frogs will die (because they need the oxygen in the water, and if the pond isn’t aerating . . . no oxygen) (it’s science . . . and I’m probably not explaining it exactly right, so don’t quote me). A little “hole” in the ice is all you need to keep the water aerating, so we have a little pond heater. (This one.) It’s been working overtime, but it’s doing its job.
I just noticed how dreary and cold it looks in the pictures I’m sharing here. And, well. That’s because it IS very dreary and very cold here in my garden right now. Every once in a while, the sun pops out for a moment, but not very often. Taking care of the birds in my garden gives me a reason to get out there when I really don’t want to . . . and it brings me joy in an otherwise bleak winter landscape.
If you garden “for the birds,” too – or if you just like feeding them in your backyard, here are a few tips from Wild Birds Unlimited to help you be “seasonally-savvy” about what birds need to survive in the winter:
- During winter, it’s especially important for birds to find a reliable source of high-calorie, high-fat foods for extra energy. Best bets: sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts.
- Locate feeders so they’re out of the wind. The east or southeast side of a house or near a row of trees is ideal.
- Position feeders near cover, but in the open, to allow birds to watch for danger.
- Provide a roosting box or natural plant covers to aid birds seeking protection from cold weather.
- Provide an open source of water. In areas where the weather can turn cold and possibly freeze, use a heated bird bath or bird bath heater to give birds the water they need.
It’s great fun to watch the birds – even in sub-zero temperatures.
Especially when you can watch from the cozy warmth of your own house!
There is nothing that fills me with more delight than watching the birds and squirrels in the winter! They brighten the black and white landscape! I likewise fill feeders and put out suet… water has been my issue so thank you for sharing that dog bowl link! That will be a welcome change to my current set up (which had no heater but was reliant on me melting and refilling OFTEN!) I am eager to hear how your bird camera feeder is going!
First, thank you for posting a real January post. This time of year it bugs me when people from more moderate climates start posting their snow drop photo’s. Winter ain’t over in January here!!
Second I look forward to your bird buddy post. I’ve looked at them and thought all I would get would be squirrel portraits. We have 3 different varieties of squirrels and I swear they compete to see who can outsmart every birdfeeder first.
I can just imagine all the birds flocking to your house for food and water! I have two feeders in the winter and the people in my neighborhood know me as the lady that drags their Christmas trees from the curb back to my house. The birds use the feeders a lot more if they have some cover by the feeders and Christmas trees provide just the right amount. Then I can also add peanut butter on pinecones as decorations. I’m looking forward to seeing your BirdBuddy photos.
I would love to have a bird feeder, but the neighbor has a few feral cats she takes care of. They wreaked havoc on the ground birds the year we moved in.
I did have a peanut butter feeder in the front tree and a lovely catbird would come a eat from it. BUT …. either it blew away, was stolen, or the dang squirrel took off with it.
We’ve had trouble with squirrels eating the bark on our apricot tree (honestly, they’ve destroyed it, we just haven’t gotten around to taking the tree out). So I’m curious about the Bark Butter — would that encourage the damage, or distract from it? Too late at our house, but I still wonder.
Bonny, I love the image in my head of you creating cover with Christmas trees – I know we can actually see the distance the birds prefer – we have some nice bushes and trees for cover and a stretch of lawn. There’s definitely a sweet spot for the bird feeder.
I like your idea of using an old cookie sheet as a platform feeder. I was just noticing that one of my sheets (and a low roasting pan) need to be replaced. On the list for next week! We have a peanut feeder that we fill with shelled peanuts, but the store is often out of them. Maybe I’ll get some in the shell and put them on the tray…along with other stuff. We get a ton of birds and always enjoy watching them…as does Mabel of course!!!
Our birds dislike the new spot for our feeders (I think they’re too exposed to the neighborhood wandering cats) but the other day I threw a whole lot of seed out on the ice and even in the birdbath (frozen). It’s probably 80% gone now, and we’ve seen lots of birds there, and then of course one of the neighborhood wandering cats was hanging out this morning. Maybe I’ll throw more in my enclosed garden bed and see if they find that!
My blizzard prep for this last storm included $50 worth of seed, nuts, worms, fruit and suet to be sure my lovely variety of birds wouldn’t run out when they most need it. I even stock an assortment of goodies for the crows, whom I love watching (and talking to, when it’s warmer). As for your lone mourning dove? He might have missed the bus to my house. I have well over a dozen who’ve turned the space below my elevated deck into a coop. My aggravation with them, though, is the way they roost in my platform feeder and poop in the heated bird bath while they warm their feet on the rim. Kinda like that woman before you in the stall, who pees all over the seat then leaves it there. Ewww. Sorry to soil your blog with THAT image!
I can’t wait to hear about your Bird Buddy and who you capture eating at it! We used to have a fair amount of holly around our house. I hated it and we’ve since removed it, and I really only feel bad about it this time of year because the birds used to love to eat the berries. But they also then pooped all over our front steps and railings. I’d much rather put out feeders for them at the back of the yard. I guess that’s a project for the next phase of the garden!
I can’t wait to see that feeder! Doug takes excellent care of the birds in the winter – similar to what you do. They sure bring a lot of joy this time of year!
I look forward to hearing more about that new feeder. We have everything except water but our next door neighbors have a water source year round. I am always intrigued by the idea of a winter garden and how everything is resting until Spring.
Taking care of the birds, and even the squirrels, is important during the winter. We always had feeders for them but do not do that anymore here in Phoenix because it only attracts the pigeons,and they are such messy creatures. But we do hummingbird feeders though and they are so delightful to watch.
Dale takes care of our birds year round, cleaning and filling the feeders, making sure they have water, hanging suet etc. He just got worms for our bluebirds and they are having a wonderful time!
Thank goodness for people like you who have a perfect environment for wildlife, especially birds. We have seen very few birds this winter and I know they hide in our many bushes (I hear them having conventions in some of the larger bushes). Sadly, a nearby friend has a birdfeeder on her patio but it has turned into a hawk feeder and she had to take it down. I have no way of feeding the birds easily, but I can put a heated bowl on my patio or maybe at my front door area. I plan to investigate after seeing options in your post. Thanks, Kym!