solar powered hummingbird

solar powered hummingbird

Feeding wild birds all year long is important, but once autumn comes and it starts to get cold, you know it is time to prepare your wild bird friends for winter. Here are some tips to prepare them:

• Take down the hummingbird feeders. Hummingbirds migrate south around mid-September, so you should take down your hummingbird feeders at that time. If you leave them up, they may not migrate and that is bad because they cannot stand the cold weather up north and they will die.
• Put up bird feeders. The wild birds that do stay around all winter will need a food source. It might take them a while to find your feeders, but they will find them. They do need to have a food source in the winter months.
• Have a supply of suet cakes. The thing about suet cakes is that you can't put them out in the warm weather because they will spoil and get rancid. Store them in your refrigerator until the cold weather comes and then put them out. Suet is actually fat and this is good for the wild birds to eat because it is high in calories and that will keep them warm. Chickadees, finches and grosbeaks really love suet. However, if you do put out suet you will have to put it somewhere where the squirrels and raccoons can't get to it. Squirrels and raccoons are big fans of suet.
• Plant some cold-hardy shrubs in your landscaping or yard as these will provide a great shelter for the birds in the cold weather. If you purchase some that bear fruit, the birds can eat the berries and this will also be a great food source for them. Hollies have berries throughout the winter months and shrub roses bear red rosehips that actually cling to the plant in the winter and the birds love them. Evergreen shrubs make a good shelter or plant junipers that also have berries.
• Provide a heated water source. Birds need water during the winter months. You can purchase electric or solar-powered water heaters for your birds or you can add warm water to an existing water source so that the water doesn't freeze.
• Make sure that you purchase the right food for your birds. Read the label on the bird food bag and it will tell you what kinds of birds eat that type of food. Junco, chickadees and cardinals love sunflower seeds. You can also put peanuts, in or out of the shell, in your bird feeder as most birds love peanuts. Just be careful with peanuts because squirrels and raccoons also love peanuts.
• Give the wild birds shelter during the winter - Put up some birdhouses so the wild birds that don't migrate south for the winter can find shelter when the weather gets bad. A cedar birdhouse is a good choice as cedar is a wood that can withstand the elements. Hang them in a place that is protected from the wind, if possible.

If you follow these tips to feed the wild birds and prepare them for the cold winter months, your wild bird friends will be happy and healthy throughout the winter season.

Catherine writes articles on being environmentally friendly, both in your home and outside. For more information on taking care of your home during the winter months, go to http://trimthehome.net.

Amazing choir (Perpetuum Jazzile) uses their hands to simulate storm