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.
A bird wants the same sort of things in and around their homes and feeding areas as humans and other animals do. To consider an area safe to feed, birds look for food, water, shelter, and lack of predators. No matter where you live, providing a variety of foliage with plenty of spaces in between for birds to fly in is a standard.
Most people who feed wild birds have seen suet cakes and suet feeders for sale, but often don’t know when or how to use them as wild bird food or bird feeders. Suet can help you welcome a whole new set of delightful birds to your backyard feeders.
Jim Curran