Our Fowl Neighbors seeds: ground, tabletop, hanging and tree trunk. Check out the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival May 18, 2013 Now is the time to help birds make it through these tough winter conditions. Deep snow and prolonged freezing temperatures make finding food a survival challenge. Bird Feeding: It’s Fun to do and Helps Wildlife Too Finding food in the winter can be a tough prospect for Utah’s wild birds. During the late summer and fall, most birds leave Utah for areas that are warmer. Those that stay find a food supply that snow, long nights, below zero temperatures, storms and frost-forming inversion layers have severely reduced. Only birds capable of finding seeds, berries, dormant insects and other limited food sources can survive Utah’s tough winters. During the cold months of winter, birds need to eat regularly to maintain their body heat. And that’s where you can help. Feeding stations can play a pivotal role in helping wild birds survive. Bird feeding can also bring a host of small, colorful, fascinating characters right into your backyard. Sound like fun? It is. But once you get started, you have to stay committed to providing food to your birds every day. You have to stayed committed Most birds develop feeding patterns, moving from food source to food source along a regular daily route. The birds that visit your yard will start to rely on your feeding stations, especially during winter storms, cold snaps and other critical times. If you don’t feed the birds, the birds may not have time to find other sources to last them through the emergency. If you start feeding birds, it’s very important that you feed them every day through the winter and well into the spring. Feeding stations Different types of food attract different types of birds. Wild birds have the easiest time finding food when the food is placed in an area where the birds would naturally look for it. For example, a spotted towhee, which feeds on the ground, is more likely to find food if you leave the food on the ground. A goldfinch, on the other hand, will be looking for food higher up in a tree. Four basic feeding locations will accommodate most of the birds that eat Quail, juncos and most sparrows and towhees are ground-level feeders. Because they usually search for food in tree branches, chickadees, finches, grosbeaks, pine siskin’s and jays are quick to find food in tabletop and hanging feeders. Nuthatches, creepers and woodpeckers prefer tree trunk stations. Types of food Most winter birds will eat sunflower seeds. They especially like the little, black oil sunflower seed. White and red proso millet, canary seed and thistle or Nyjer seeds are good for attracting smaller birds such as finches, sparrows, chickadees and pine siskin’s. Suet and fruit will also attract birds. Suet, which is another name for fat, is a rich source of energy that some birds can use. Simply stuffing the suet into cracks in the bark of a tree can turn the tree into a good suet feeder. Feeder placement As you set up your feeding station, keep two things in mind—variety and safety. Providing a variety of foods and feeders, placed at different heights, will attract a greater variety of birds. Also, remember to place your feeders where you can easily see them. A good place is near a window, a balcony or another place where you can see the birds without disturbing them. Placing a feeder close to a window will actually cut down on birds flying into the window because, after leaving the feeder, the birds won’t have time to build up much speed. Everyone wins Bird feeding can supply hours of entertainment and enjoyment to people of all ages. It can also help supplement resources the birds need in an era when natural habitats are dwindling. By: Billy Fenimore Wild About Birds Nature Center 1986 N Hill Field Road, <strong>Layton</strong>, <strong>UT</strong> 84041 (801) 779-BIRD (2473), WildAboutBirdsNC@gmail.com WildAboutBirdsNC@gmail.com Photo Credits: Spotted Towhee and California Quail Paul Higgins American Goldfinch Steve Guyman Mourning Dove Lee Duer Black-capped Chickadee Tom Mathewson 8 For valuable coupons visit: mytownsbest.com • ©2013 The Best Of • 1-888-816-2295
For valuable coupons visit: mytownsbest.com • ©2013 The Best Of • 1-888-816-2295 9
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