Words On Birds 10-17-25

 

     Juncos, white-throated and white-crowned sparrows are migrating through our area. Numbers of all three have been seen along the road on Plum Island, and we had our first white-throated sparrow feeding under our feeders at home. With the recent colder nights that we have had, most of the catbirds have headed south, though a few have lingered on the island. 

 

     Many other migrants have left for warmer climates. Despite the migration, many backyard birds will stay and endure our New England winter, including cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, gold and house finches, mourning doves and woodpeckers.

 

     So how do birds survive the harsh New England winters? Birds have a number of ways of dealing with the cold. The most obvious way is that they have feathers. Feathers have the means of trapping air pockets which insulate birds against the cold. Birds, like humans, also shiver when they are cold, generating short-term heat. Birds also roost together, sleeping against each other to keep each other warm.

 

     Even with these tricks, birds still struggle to survive the cold. People can help birds through the cold and harsh weather. Providing birds with high calorie foods, a heated birdbath, and places to roost will help them survive the cold late fall nights and the winter months.

 

     Increased activity at feeders in the weeks ahead will indicate that the natural food supply is getting low this year. Natural food such as insects, berries and seeds become scarce as the colder months enshroud us. 

 

     The best seed that you can have available for the seed eating birds like cardinals and chickadees is black-oil sunflower or a mix high in sunflower. These black-oil sunflower seeds have thinner shells than striped sunflower and provide a higher oil content, making them a more efficient and nutritious food for birds in the colder months. 

 

     Sunflower hearts, without the shell, provide even more energy per bite with less work for the birds. And it leaves no debris under the feeders. Sunflower hearts are often included in the better mixes, or it can be served alone in a tube-type feeder.

 

     For finches, thistle and sunflower hearts are high in calories, which helps birds store fat and keep them warm during the colder months. Finch mixes, combining those two precious ingredients, are most popular with goldfinches, pine siskins, and possibly redpolls visiting us this winter. These foods will help attract them, and provide the nourishment they need to get through our winter. 

 

     For woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and many other birds, peanuts and suet and are great foods that provides high calories and fat, and won’t freeze during the winter. Peanut feeders have an efficient mesh on which birds can perch and pick the peanuts out through the mesh. You can also spread peanuts out on a tray alone, or perhaps mixed with sunflower to attract a wide varied to birds.

 

     Don’t forget those juncos and other sparrows. Add white millet to a low tray, or sprinkle it on the ground under the feeders like we do. You can also spread cracked corn on the ground if you wish to feed the neighborhood turkeys. Most of the blackbirds have left, or should leave by the end of the month.

 

     As temperatures will soon be dropping below freezing at night, now is the time to think about adding a heated bird to your yard. There are a variety of deicers that can be placed in any bird bath to keep water open during the cold fall and winter nights. Baths with built-in heaters are the way to go if you don’t already own a birdbath. Today’s models of heated birdbaths and deicers are low wattage and thermostatically controlled, so they don’t use much electricity.

 

     Providing spots where birds can roost at night is another way to help them huddle together and stay warm away from predators. Evergreen thickets in your yard is one way to provide roosting shelter. Many birds huddle together in nesting boxes at night to get out of the harsh weather. Clean out bird houses, add dried grasses for insulations for birds to use at night and during inclement weather. 

 

     You can also add roosting boxes that are like nesting boxes, but they have the hole at the bottom and the top seals in the heat. These often have perches inside to accommodate many birds. Roosting pockets made of straw and other grass-like materials also serve as insulated havens for birds at night.

 

     So remember to start filling your feeders with seed and suet if you haven’t done so already. Add heated bird baths to your winter plan. Add additional roosting boxes or roosting pockets to shelter birds in the months ahead.  

 

     As the colder months take hold, the birds will thank you with their colorful presence on those cold, dreary days.