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PrintFor the birds
Flowers might be fading as winter approaches, but you can still attract colorful birds to your garden. Here’s how.
Come the cold weather, we gardeners are going to miss the bouquet-beauty of flowers. But if you want to add color and interest to your landscape, think about birds.
On a stark, still winter’s day, there’s nothing finer than a flash of red, blue or yellow.
Anyone can attract a flying critter or two, says Donna Horton, senior staff naturalist for Oxley Nature Center, but a little knowledge about bird feeding habits can make the difference between tempting prime native and migrating species or nuisance birds.
That means knowing the ABCs of feeders and food:
There are basically three types of feeders: tray, hopper and tube feeders. The difference is the birds’ feet. Some like to eat on something flat (think blue jays, doves, cardinals or juncos). Others prefer to hang on to the tube (think gold finches, pine siskin and nuthatch).
To keep desirable birds happy and alive, food is not all. They need a plentiful supply of unfrozen, fresh water and shelter.
Water is obvious, but shelter also is key. Landscaping gives birds a place to flee from predators, both cats and hawks.
Cleanliness. Keep feeders clean and discard last year’s seed, particularly thistle.
Homemade bird-feeding projects are fun (particularly for children). For example, take a dried-up bagel or a pinecone from your yard, spread it with peanut butter or Crisco and then dunk it into birdseed. Hang it on a tree branch. The mockingbirds, juncos, cardinals, chickadees and cedar waxwings will thank you for it. Unless you want squirrels to steal the treat, use wire rather than regular rope to secure.
