We're All About Birds, for All Seasons

February brings flocks of finches, siskins and sometimes even red polls to our yards.  These visitors quickly gobble up whatever Nyjer seed you make available.  Woodpeckers are visiting the yards more often, too.  If you've not tried a Minnesota-made natural suet log, you should do so.  Even the nuthatches and chickadees seem to prefer the natural perches over the metal suet baskets.

Every now and then a drought of birds occurs.  Here's a recap of what happened a couple years ago.

February 2006

It's a feast or famine winter here in the Twin Cities.  Either you have birds, and nice numbers of them, or you don't have any at all.

Why?  Mild weather.  Cold weather pushes birds to eat more often to maintain their warmth and survive the bitter cold.  Not only that, but the mild winter hasn't pushed the migrating birds as far south.  Remember last year at this time?  We saw near record numbers of Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls in the metro area.  This year?  Not a one.

So, during this National Bird Feeding Month, don't get discouraged:  keep offering your seed to those birds who pass through or just count on your feeders every once in a while.  If you have Nyjer seed in a tube feeder, you'll want to make sure it doesn't dry out.  You can tell by looking at the hulls: they should be a nice shiny black.  If they look russet or flat in color, you should put a small amount of fresh seed in.

And, if you're one of the lucky people who have lots of birds this winter, enjoy them!  They're most likely resident birds who will visit your feeders throughout the year.

Questions you'd like answered about winter birdfeeding or the lack of birds?  Just drop us a note and we'll get back to you.