Taking care of our feathered friends is simpler than you might think
Our long and often very cold winters are tough on all of us, but we can make it a little easier on some of our local birds. Ravens and magpies can go to the dump or the grocery-store parking lot and eat heartily. It isn’t quite as simple for our common, smaller birds.
Bird feeders are readily available, although a bit expensive to buy, but home-created feeders can easily be made with materials already at hand. YouTube has numerous DIY instructions for feeders made from scraps of wood, repurposed plastic bottles, waxed milk containers, aluminum pots and kettles. A perch for the feeding bird can be made from a dowel, a tree branch, small wood trim, a pencil or a wooden spoon. Just drill a hole in both sides of the feeder and push the perch through and out the other side with a little glue, if necessary, at the holes. Hanging is easy when using wire, cord or an old dog collar. A cheap key-chain type carabiner or other hook at the top makes it easy to remove the feeder for filling.
Feed is readily available at our big-box stores, and buying it on sale saves many dollars. Various mixed seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, stale bread crumbs and leftover pancake/waffle/bannock bits are always accepted. Commercial suet cakes can be costly but convenient. If you have the time and inclination, suet is easily created with melted lard or bacon/pork fat mixed with seeds, with or without dried fruit, peanut butter, etc. Suet feeders are available but wire-mesh burger/fish cookers or even suet-dipped pine cones work very well. Cat kibble is popular with whisky jacks and magpies.
Squirrels are a challenge as they like to eat and are extremely patient and ingenious at getting food out of a feeder. They are daring and can jump quite a distance, both vertically and horizontally. They will very soon discover the “open for filling” lid on the feeder and will get inside to gorge themselves. A cord, wire or bungee wrap can be used to secure the lid.
Bird activity at feeders attracts neighbourhood cats, so hanging them higher than a cat can jump can help.
We have about 20 feeders at our house. Some are more popular than others, but all are used throughout the winter. Most of them can be watched from our windows. The most-common birds gathering and feeding are various sparrows, chickadees, juncos, redpolls and a few others. Grosbeaks are fairly regular, and the completely red male is nice to see. Crossbills are rare.
We have almost daily visits from a group of four to six magpies—one of which has only one leg, which makes it difficult to perch. I try to accommodate that bird by daily putting seeds, fruit, cat kibble and meat scraps on a flat board that I keep clear of snow.
Please realize that bird feeders can be a bear attractant. Keeping the area clear and taking down the feeders in spring can help reduce potential bear-human conflicts.
Feeding the birds requires minimal physical activity. If you are interested, it is a positive use of time, doesn’t cost very much and makes you feel good.
