Wow, it’s been a nasty winter; huge snowfalls from the mountains of California to Lake Shore Drive in Chicago to 5th Avenue in New York City, with record low temperatures in places in between. The weather forecasters are filling up my head with Alberta Clippers, Nor’easters, Chattanooga Choo-Choo’s, and I’m not sure if it’s El Niña or El Niño, but one of them is playing havoc on my daily commute.
My mother has been feeding and watching wild birds, squirrels, chipmunks, ducks, possums, raccoons, and any other sort of small wild animal native to Ohio for as long as I can remember. We moved to Ohio from Florida when I was still a kid, and she took to the wildlife here like a duck to water.
With the winter months kicking into full gear, you may be wondering what you can do to help your feathered friends stay healthy and warm during these chilly months. As the colder months near, bird watching can become more enjoyable for the viewer, but the winter makes it a difficult time for a bird to survive.
During the winter months, humans have learned to live with less sun-filled hours in the day. When I wake up, it's dark. When I go home after work, it's dark. It's the way of life for many areas on our planet, and we learn to survive.
During my 18+ years of working in a retail pet store, some of my most memorable adventures involved different types of birds. One of the stores had a big pet supplies promotion with a special on Parakeets.
Jim Curran