Yup, one in five Canadians are doing it. All year round, all over the country. No, they’re not doing that it. They’re doing what’s known as birding! It’s the act of watching, monitoring, feeding, filming, or photographing birds. Did you know that there are more than 450 different kinds in Canada alone?
Birdwatchers will spend an average of 133 days in a year on the activity. That’s more time than is spent on any other nature activity – including gardening, another favourite hobby which people dedicate more than 70 days a year on average to.
This Popular Hobby Knows No Seasons Either
Feeding our feathered friends during the frigid winter months is vitally important for their survival. Studies have shown that wild birds that have access to a supplemental source of food tend to fare better than birds that don’t, especially during the winter.
What’s on the Menu?
Since we are only going to discuss winter feeding, we’ll focus on a menu of those foods which contain higher concentrations of fats.
In order to stay warm and survive in the cold, birds need to move around more and that in turn expends more energy. It’s a simple equation: fats provide energy.
Depending on the type of feeder(s) you use and the species of birds that flock to your feeding station, you’ll want to include a mixture of foods such as black oil sunflower seeds, hulled peanuts or peanut hearts, thistle seed, white millet seed and peanut butter. Note: Do not put out mouldy, sugary or salty food.
You can also hang out suet for the birds. It ought to contain a variety of ingredients – seeds, fruit, oats, peanut butter, corn meal and meal worms – in fat. Suet is a high energy food for chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and other insect-eating birds that appreciate a source of animal fat in winter. You can either buy commercially made suet or make your own.
Place suet in coated wire suet holders and hang them in a variety of locations around your garden – suspend them from a shepherds crook or from a tree branch at least 1.5 metres above the ground. Do not use suet that’s wrapped in filament or string as birds can get caught in them.
5 Tips for Success
You may not see many over-wintering birds at your feeder(s) at first, but with time you will soon see an increase in the number and variety of birds that visit.
1. Shelter
If your climate is prone to strong wings, heavy rain, or heavy snowfall, it is best to position feeders in sheltered areas. This will help protect the feeder and the birds who come to it from the brunt of bad weather. When possible, place feeders in an easy to access location so refilling is simple and try to locate them near evergreen trees or shrubs so the birds have protection. Your discarded Christmas tree, once the holidays are over, placed outdoors near a feeder, will work to provide added cover.
2. Beware of Windows
Birds cannot distinguish the reflection of the sky or foliage in windows from the real thing. Thus they may fly into the glass by mistake. Window collisions are often fatal to small birds. Feeders should be placed either very close to any window (less than 1 metre or 3 feet), or much further away (greater than 3 metres or 10 feet). From close feeders, birds cannot hit the window hard enough for injury, and distant feeders provide enough room for birds to maneuver safely.
3. Clean and Tidy
Maintain your feeders by washing them out regularly – keeping them clean helps to prevent the spread of disease and germs. Also clean up spillage and discarded seed husks regularly under your feeders so you’re less likely to attract mice or rodents who may also be out during winter months supplementing their provisions.
4. Place Feeders Out of Reach
If you have cats who go outdoors, ensure feeders are inaccessible. This also means you must ensure ground spill is kept to a minimum so birds who are ground feeders are not vulnerable. Better yet, keep the cats indoors.
5. The Best Feeders to Use
The most effective feeders to use during wintertime will have a wide cover or a roof with wide overhangs over the feeding ports, perches and dispensing trays. This will ensure the bird food does not get buried or wet during snowfalls and storms.
Whether you’re new to birding or already an avid established hobbyist, all your feathered friends will be appreciative of this extra and welcome supply of nourishment during our harsh Canadian winter when nature is less able to supply birds with the nutritious and fattier diet they need to survive.
Discover more about winter bird feeding; you may find it’s a hobby you’d enjoy pursuing too! Visit the Canadian Wildlife Federation for more information.