Getting Ready for Winter Bird Feeding

Now that winter is approaching, there are a few things that we have remember to do before the snow arrives:

Feeder Preparation
It is always good to clean and repair your bird feeders before winter starts. Take them apart if possible, and clean them properly. To do that add 5ml of bleach, (more or less one teaspoon full) to 4 liters of water. Bleach will help to get rid of harmful bacteria that might be present. An old toothbrush or small brush comes in very handy to clean the corners or small spaces. Once they are clean, remember to put your feeders in a spot where you will be able to see them and where they can be easily accessed for filling and cleaning. 

Bird Bath Preparation
If you have a heated bird bath for the winter remember to clean it to before using it again this year. Don't forget to keep an eye open for algae when the bird bath is in use and to periodically clean your bird bath throughout the winter season.

Bird House Preparation
It can be surprising to see how much birds make use of available shelters during the cold winter months. If you don't have any bird houses up in your yard, consider adding some prior to winter arriving. If you do have some up, now is the time to clean them in preparation for winter.

So now that we are ready for winter bird feeding, which birds can we expect to see at our feeders during the winter months? On the prairies here, some of the more common birds that are seen at backyard bird feeders include: chickadees,nuthatches, downy and hairy woodpeckers, house finches, purple finches, pine siskins, and redpolls. For more information on these birds and what mixes to feed them see other articles on this blog or our website.

This article was written for us by our Saskatchewan bird expert  - Willie Delport

What birds to expect at your feeder this winter - on the Canadian Prairies

So you have followed all the backyard preparation steps and you are getting excited about what birds you will see at your feeders this winter.  Who should you expect?  Here are some of the usual suspects that we see at our feeders out here on the Canadian Prairies.    

Chickadees

These lovely and friendly little birds will be constant visitors at our feeders for the whole winter. They can get so tame that they will actually eat out of your hand. They will also let you know when you forget to put seed in the feeders. They like to eat black oil sunflower, sunflower chips (kernels), red-skinned peanuts and mixed tree nuts.

We recommend that you feed them our: Chickadee and Nuthatch mix, Nutty Temptations mix, as well as our No Mess Gardeners Mix.

Nuthatches  (Red-breasted and the White- breasted )

At our feeders, the Red- breasted Nuthatch is a regular visitor. Like chickadees they are very active. Always trying to find a spot to hide the seed.

  

The White-breasted Nuthatch is also a visitor at our feeders. Not as common as the Red-breasted Nuthatches, but we will see also see them in the winter.

Like chickadees, nuthatches enjoy black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, red-skinned peanuts and mixed tree nuts. 

We recommend that you feed them our: Chickadee and Nuthatch mix, Nutty Temptations mix, as well as our No Mess Gardeners Mix.

Woodpeckers

Downy woodpeckers are regular visitors at our feeders through to the winter. One year we were surprised to see a pair of parents bringing their young offspring, all four of them, to the feeders at the beginning of August. There, the parents showed the young how to eat the tree nuts from the feeder.

Hairy woodpeckers, like the Downy’s, are regular visitors at our feeders during winter. They might show up a couple of times in summer, but not that often. They look very similar to the Downy's but are quite a bit bigger.

Both of these woodpeckers like good quality mixed tree nuts in particular but will also eat sunflower chips, red-skinned peanuts and suet.

We recommend that you put feed them our: Jay & Woodpecker Mix, our Nutty Temptations mix, or pure tree nuts.   They also enjoy suet. 

House and Purple finches

The House and Purple finches are also regulars at our feeders during summer as well as in winter. Like all finches they like to eat black oil sunflower seed , sunflower chips, and nyjer seed. 

We recommend that you give them our: Mother Nature's Wild Finch mix, or feed them pure black oil sunflower or sunflower chips.

Pine Siskins  

They will be at the feeders this winter again. We’ve seen them every winter and with the trees loaded with cones here in our town we’ll see them again.

They like to eat sunflower chips and nyjer seed and the other seeds in our Mother Nature's Wild Finch mix.  Alternatively, you could feed them just  pure black oil sunflower or sunflower chips.

Redpolls  (Common and Hoary)

The Common and Hoary redpolls look very similar . The Hoary have a lighter color than the Common Redpoll. These little birds are so much fun to watch. They came from way up north, from the tundra. If the food crop in the north is not very good , they will come down south. In the winter of 2015-2016 we had hundreds of them at our feeders. Lets keep an eye out for them. Normally they will show up around the middle of December.

These little birds love black oil sunflower, sunflower chips and nyjer seed.   

We recommend feeding them our Mother Nature's Wild Finch Mix, pure medium sunflower chips or pure black oil sunflower.  

Now we want to hear from you.  Tell us about your experience. What birds are at your feeders this winter?  What seed mixes do they prefer?  We enjoy getting your backyard feeding tips and pictures.  

This article was written for us by our Saskatchewan bird expert  - Willie Delport