When the weather is as cold and windy as it has been this past week, we find very few songbirds along the refuge road on Plum Island, in Salisbury Beach State Reservation, or at any of the usual properties where we seek birds. The challenging conditions keep birds hunkered down, or feverishly trying to find food to keep warm. Our bird feeders are exceptionally busy these days as birds take advantage of backyard feeders and the easy-access source of seed and suet. It also brings the birds coming to us and lets us view them from the comfort of a warm house!
When we are out birding, we do notice feeders along our way throughout the neighborhoods. As we drove around the past couple of weeks, we couldn’t help but notice the number of empty feeders we encounter. We expect that in spring as the weather warms and people think that birds can fend for themselves. But in the dead of winter?
We try our best to keep at least a couple of feeders going through the particularly harsh weather. Even just hanging out a simple seed or suet cake can be beneficial. When it is very cold, we put some millet on the deck and the juncos, tree and song sparrows come right up to deck for easy viewing.
Margo also throws out peanuts onto the deck and sometimes lines the railing with seed. The blue jays, titmice, and nuthatches come right up to feed. Occasionally a chickadee, cardinal or red-bellied woodpecker will come up for the peanuts. Sunflower also brings birds up close. Unfortunately, feeding on the deck also brings the squirrels at which time we also introduce hot pepper seed which birds don’t mind but the squirrels do.
The Carolina wrens have their own “cage” feeder on the floor of the deck with live mealworms. Starlings and squirrels can’t get at it, but the bluebirds haven’t figured it out yet either. We put out dried mealworms for the bluebirds. We hang a small dish of mealworms off the slider where they can feed and we can shoo away the starlings when necessary.
In this frigid weather, our heated bird bath on the deck, plugged into an outside outlet, is very popular. Our six bluebirds form a circle around the edge to drink and to help keep warm. Titmice, blue jays, titmice and even goldfinches come in to drink from the bird bath.
We keep suet out for the birds all year long. It draws the downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers in to feed and it is particularly welcome in the frigid weather. Many birds enjoy the suet for a quick “fat fix.”
We have also had a sapsucker come through the yard, and also have brown creepers circling up trees, searching for food in and under the bark. Neither the sapsuckers nor the creepers have come to the feeders, but I am thinking of making the suet more available to them by putting some on a tree trunk or two. My biggest concern will be squirrels getting to it, but I may try it anyway.
Shelled sunflower feeders are still attracting the yellow-throated warbler in Ipswich, and an orange-crowned warbler comes to suet in Lynn. This past week, a western tanager visited a mealworm feeder in Merrimac. Along with the tanager, a ruby-crowned kinglet visited suet at the same residence.
Watching these beautiful birds warms our hearts while benefiting the birds too!
Steve Grinley is the owner of Bird Watcher’s Supply and Gift in the Port Plaza, Newburyport. Email him at Birdwsg@comcast.net. On the web: www.birdwatcherssupplyandgifts.com.