BIRDING IS THE COUNTRY’S SECOND-MOST POPULAR OUTDOOR PASTIME (AFTER GARDENING)
Winter will be here, officially, in just a few days. But, we have already experienced some cold weather and snow already here in Central Virginia. How about all that snow last week? Just imagine what it must be like for our feathered friends. How do they stay warm? Or, what do birds eat when the ground and shrubs are covered in snow?
Every year I get more attached to birding. So, between my love of gardening and now my love of birding, I seem to spend a lot of my free time outdoors with nature. I love it and wouldn’t trade it for the world.
So, back to the question of how do birds keep warm. To stay warm, birds need to stay active and their activity is fueled by calories and protein. And, the birds get their calories and protein by eating the seed that we provide them in bird feeders.
This is the time of year that birds need our help with food the most. Once we start putting food out in our bird feeders, we need to make sure to keep the feeders topped off. Once we start feeding, the birds become dependent on this bounty of food.
Some of the more common birds to attract to the feeder are:
- Tufted titmice
- Chickadee
- Dark-eyed junco
- Blue Jay (and yes, they are bullies at the feeder)
- Nuthatch
- Carolina Wren
- Woodpecker
- Sparrow
- And our beautiful state bird, the Cardinal
There are all types of bird feed you can buy with some being better quality than other brands. Personally, I like to use Wild Delight bird seed. Yes, it may be more expensive but the quality is unmatched. In the Wild Delight bird seed, there are no filler or waste added to the bag. Don’t forget about the idea of a suet feeder. Suet is “high octane” food for birds.
Lastly, I make sure to sprinkle food on the ground below my feeders for those birds that are ground eaters such as the Robin, Dove, and others (and yes, the squirrels love my bird food on the ground).
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT BIRDING OR WOULD LIKE SOME HELP TEACHING BIRDING TO CHILDREN, WE HAVE CREATED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO MEET WITH THE RICHMOND AUDUBON SOCIETY. SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, IS OUR KIDS DAY IN THE GARDEN EVENT. THE RICHMOND AUDUBON SOCIETY WILL BE HERE AS ONE OF OUR MANY GUESTS OFFERING.
We really enjoy this segment of your newsletter. We like feeding the birds and use suet as well as other good quality bird seed. We also use peanuts. We have spotted many different types of birds including several sightings of the pileated woodpecker and even a heron in our creek now and then. Bird watching is fun and very interesting. I hope you decide to continue with this helpful information.
Janice,
Thank you for your nice comment of sharing your fondness for bird watching and bird feeding. I most certainly will be continuing my blog in 2019. Happy Holidays and have a wonderful 2019!!! Regards, Doug