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Keep a bird-friendly yard during the coldest months of the year
When it gets chilly outside, birds' metabolism works overtime to keep them toasty. Plus, their sources of food and water grow scarce since 50% of a bird's diet is insects! Keep reading for a few ways to help your local birds get through winter.
Provide high-energy feed. Birds need high-energy food full of fat and protein, especially when it's cold outside and they burn energy just keeping warm! Peanut Suet Cakes , Bird Grub , and our High Energy Nuggets are great choices for keeping bellies full and bodies insulated. Birds of all kinds will flock to your feeders if you keep those high-energy foods around.
Keep their feed dry and accessible. Wet feed is no good, since it breeds bacteria and spoils quickly. Be sure your birdfeeder is weatherproof (like our Bird Grub Feeder) to keep seed dry, safe, and delicious. Also avoid placing your feeder in a high-wind area, so that birds feel safe stopping by to munch. They'll feel even safer if the feeder is close to trees or bushes so they can quickly hide from surprise predators.
Provide a water source. Birds can live on snow alone, but warming it up in their bellies just takes more energy. When they can't find snow, they'll travel miles to find water. Keep your bird bath stocked with fresh water, and when it gets really cold, use a birdbath heater like our Ice Eliminator . It'll keep the water from freezing so that birds can stay hydrated. Water also helps birds preen, which keeps their feathers properly aligned and insulating. When birds can't insulate, they lose body heat!
Seal their shelters. During the summer, well-ventilated birdhouses are a must, since that heat can build up and get dangerous quickly. But in the wintertime, birdhouses need as much heat as possible. Seal up your birdhouses with weather stripping, or pick up a shelter specifically designed for winter like our Wayside Shelter . Add a few handfuls of dry grass or wood shavings to the bottom of the birdhouse to keep birds cozy and toasty all winter long.
