Lexington, KY - At this time of year, landscape design magazines tend to run articles about winter interest in the garden. Evergreens, dried grasses and seed heads keep the garden interesting even in the coldest weather. But consider bringing more life to this scene. Birds are the ultimate in winter garden pleasure, adding movement, color and song.
Last year, a friend who loved watching the birds in her backyard garden took down her feeders after someone told her that she was just making the birds lazy and doing more harm than good. I found the opposite opinion in my recent reading of Julie Zickefoose's delightful book "Letters From Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods," in which she extols the benefits of assisting birds, especially through the times when natural food sources are lean. Who is right?
In an often-quoted study conducted in Wisconsin, ornithologists concluded that while natural food supplies much of the dietary requirements of our avian friends, feeders nonetheless provide an important supplementary food source. Feeders can make harsh times easier and increase winter survival rates, but even regular feeder visitors know how to find natural food.
And what about migration? Can this easy access to food confuse birds and delay their natural instinct to move to milder climates? No worries. The change in day length spurs migration, an instinct so strong that no bird feeder can hope to compete. Birds on the move may stop at your feeder for several days if they need to fatten up for their long journey and, during especially bad weather, this calorie contribution may mean the difference between life and death for some of these travelers.
Laura Erickson, an ornithologist at Cornell, and author of "The Bird Watching Answer Book" and "101 Ways to Help Birds," notes that feeding in the warmer months can also make a bird's life easier. She says that the nesting season demands a lot of energy from birds as they produce eggs and bring food (mostly insects) to their young. Erickson does shut down her feeders if birds start bringing their fledglings, since growing birds need lots of protein and calcium, which birdseed and suet simply don't provide.
What's on the menu?
The Seed Preference Test, conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, showed that sparrows, blackbirds, pigeons and doves like millet, which is ignored by other birds. Milo appeals only to jays, pigeons and doves. Nyjer (or 'niger') seeds attract goldfinches, redpolls and siskins.
Black-oil sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of species. Smaller than gray-striped sunflower seed, with a thin, all-black, papery shell, black-oil sunflower seeds can be cracked by sparrows, juncos and even small-billed goldfinches. It's a better buy, too, because 70 percent of each seed is meat, compared with only 57 percent for striped sunflower. Its high oil and fat content helps birds get through cold winter nights.
Many knowledgeable bird lovers speak highly of sunflower hearts (no shells). They are somewhat expensive, but a bag lasts much longer than a bag of seeds with shells and, being without hulls, hearts are accessible to weaker billed birds. Also, they are relatively free of waste and leave less mess around the feeder. One drawback: hearts quickly rot when damp, so they should only be offered from feeders that keep it dry.
Avoid offering bread at your feeding station. It gets moldy, attracts mice, and lacks the nutrients needed by birds.
Egg shells?
It makes sense that birds would need calcium for their bones and, during the nesting season, female birds require calcium to make strong egg shells. Crushed egg shells from boiled eggs provide a good source of this mineral. It's important to heat the shell to avoid any chance of salmonella. Baking the shells in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes will also do the trick.
Your wildlife habitat
Native plants provide nutritionally balanced food (better than feeder food), cover and nest sites. Remember that local plants are perfectly adapted to our soils and weather conditions. These wonderful plants also feed the insects that birds require for their young. For more information and assistance, contact the Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones, a national organization promoting the use of native plants in our gardens. (www.for-wild.org)
It's also important to offer clean water for drinking and bathing. Erickson notes the dangers of heated birdbaths. When temperatures are well-below freezing, open water steams up, and birds visiting the birdbath may become coated with ice. Some birds may be tempted to bathe and, when they hop away from the warmth, ice may form on their feathers, making it impossible to fly. Her recommendation: If you choose to have a heated birdbath, remove the heater when temperatures fall below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Providing a safe snackbar