Ten Tips For Winter Bird Feeding
Winter is a great time to feed the birds, as higher energy demands and fewer natural foods allow us to bring some species closer to home.
- The best seed to provide is black oil sunflower, which has high-fat content and attracts the most species.
- Offer nyjer seed for finches, white millet for sparrows, doves and other ground-feeding species, and both suet and peanut chunks for woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.
- Avoid generic seed mixes as these tend to have more waste and attract less desired bird and mammal species.
- Deter squirrels with cone- or dome-shaped baffles above hanging feeders or below pole-mounted feeders.
- Place feeders closer than 3 feet or farther than 30 feet from your home to avoid the deadliest window collision zone.
- Minimize disease by cleaning your feeders at least once every two weeks using soapy water and a 10% bleach solution.
- Provide covers such as brush piles or dense shrubs for roosting and escaping predators.
- Offer water to attract a wider variety of species, using a heating element when temperatures dip below freezing.
- "Birdscape" your property with native plants such as fruit-bearing shrubs and evergreen trees.
- Contribute to bird science and management by reporting birds you see at your feeder. The Great Backyard Bird Count [exit DNR] hosted every February is an easy, fun way to get started. For at least 15 minutes, tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see on one or more days. Project Feederwatch [exit DNR] spans the entire winter.
Wisconsin DNR Birding links
