12 weeks of winter: Feed your feathery friends
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA EXTENSION - www.extension.umn.edu
Birding is a great way to pass the long cold winters in Minnesota and can provide you with hours of entertainment. By providing a variety of food types you will increase the number of species that will frequent your feeders. Get your bird book and practice identification or have your camera ready to snap a great picture. Many birds will become used to your presence and you can get very close, or even feed them from your hand. Birds have their own “personalities” and you will learn quickly who is who outside your window!
Bird feeder fillers
Black oil sunflower seed. Almost every bird that visits a feeder will eat these seeds. The outer shell is thin and easy to crack open, and birds that can’t crack the seeds open will scour the ground under the feeder for the bits and pieces that fall. Black oil sunflower seeds are high in fat so they make a great winter food source.
Peanuts. Dry roasted and unsalted peanuts are great options that provide a high protein and fat source for birds in winter. Shelled peanuts can be used, but they really only attract Jays and woodpeckers. Birds love peanut butter too, but be sure to avoid the brands that contain partially hydrogenated oil. Squirrels love peanuts in ANY form, so be forewarned!
Suet. Can be purchased wherever birdseed is sold. You can also purchase it at the meat counter or from a local butcher. It will become rancid, so put it out in smaller amounts. If you are a hunter or know one, ask them for the ribcage from their deer and hang it up. You will be surprised at the number and variety of birds that will love it! You may want to hang it out of view of your nearby neighbors.
Thistle Seed. This is a more expensive feed, but it attracts finches of all sorts. Feed it from a specialized feeder with smaller holes or a “thistle sock.” The sock is a mesh bag with small holes and the finches can pull the seeds out through the mesh. Thistle seed can go bad if it gets wet; a sign that this has happened is if the birds stop feeding on the bag. Take it down and get a new sock feeder if this happens.
Safflower. This white, thin-shelled seed is known to be a cardinal favorite, and it can be added to any feeder that holds sunflower seeds. It can become soggy and inedible in wet weather if it is on the ground.
Cracked Corn. Many bird species like this seed. It can also attract deer, turkeys, moose or caribou depending on where you live, so be prepared! Whole corn is fine for squirrel feeding, but birds need the smaller pieces of cracked corn.
Mealworms. Almost all feeder birds (except goldfinches) will eat mealworms if you offer them. Although they are called worms they are actually the larval stage of the darkling beetle, Tenebrio molitor. You can feed them live in a dish, or get them freeze-dried.
Fruit. Birds also need their daily servings of fruits and vegetables and this can be difficult in the winter. Grapes, slices of citrus fruits, apple slices, banana slices, cranberries and melon rinds will all be happily consumed by our feathered friends. You can also feed raisins if you chop them and reconstitute them in warm water before feeding.
Homemade bird treats. Make up a recipe for feeding your favorite winter birds. Smear peanut butter on a tree trunk and stick whole peanuts into it. Melt suet and pour into a muffin tin. Add any seeds or fruit you would feed in your feeder, put a string in it to allow you to hang it up, let it harden and voila! A homemade feast for your winter bird visitors.
