Spring
The need for supplemental feeding is at its peak in the early spring. By now the natural foods available from the previous season are long gone, and the current season’s growth has not yet started. Birds are about to nest and lay eggs, putting further strain on their winter-weakened bodies. Egg laying requires a high level of calcium which can be supplied with crushed eggshells or ground oyster shell.
Summer
Even though natural foods are plentiful in the summer, there is still much you can do to entice birds to come to your feeder. During this season birds must feed not only themselves but their rapidly growing young. This rapid growth demands lots of protein, which turns even the most placid seed eaters into determined bug hunters.
There are several ways you can meet the nutritional demands of summer. Cut down on high energy, heat-producing foods such as suet and nutmeats. Or go a little buggy! Mealworms, the larvae of the Tenebrio molitor beetle, are commercially available, easily homegrown, and irresistible to many kinds of birds.
Fledgling Foods. If you feed birds year ’round, those that raise their young in your vicinity may bring their babies to your feeders. This requires an extreme amount of trust on the part of the birds, for if they have even one frightening experience at your feeder they may never return, let alone bring their fledglings. So sell or bell the cat, keep the field of vision clear, have some cover nearby, and put out some special goodies for the kids.
Nestlings are raised on a partially pre-digested “bug stew.” New foods should be soft textured and mild tasting. Offer some of the following dishes to introduce fledglings to new foods while establishing their trust in you and your feeders. Since suet may turn rancid, use the summer suet substitute in very warm weather.
Currants, raisins, blueberries, grapes, or mulberries
Cottage cheese
Stir fruit into cottage cheese and set out in shallow containers. Don’t set out more than the birds will eat in a day. Better to refill several times a day than to let the salad spoil.
BABY BREAD
Sugar
Milk
White bread
Stir a little sugar into milk until dissolved. Cut bread into pieces and soak in the sweetened milk for a few seconds. Set pieces on feeding tray.
CORNMEAL MUSH
1 part water
Salt
Choice of fruit: Mashed bananas,
strawberries, cherries,
blueberries, or preserves
4 parts water
1 part cornmeal
For leftovers:
Flour
Shortening or bacon drippings
Mix 1 part water with cornmeal. Bring 4 parts water to a boil and stir in cornmeal mixture and salt. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and pour into serving container, such as an old foil pie plate. Stir in fruit. Chill leftovers, form into patties, dust with flour and fry in shortening or bacon drippings as a treat for older birds.
COOKED CEREAL
Hot cereal of your choice (oatmeal, wheathearts, Farina, etc.)
Pieces of fruit, berries, preserves, or peanut butter
Prepare according to cereal directions and stir in additives. Serve as for Cornmeal Mush.
SOFT SUET
The softer texture and extra sweetness is much easier for young birds to swallow.
2 parts suet
½ part apple or grape jelly
1 part peanut butter
Melt suet and allow to cool until it begins to thicken. Stir in peanut butter and jelly. Pour into containers and set out on feeder tray. Consider nailing them down to avoid grand theft.
1 part flour
1 part peanut butter Dash salt
3 to 4 parts yellow cornmeal
1 part vegetable shortening
Mix dry ingredients and stir into gooey. Spoon into containers. Favored by tanagers, thrushes, warblers and many others.
SQUIGGLY WIGGLY STEW
Mealworm larvae*
Various sprouts: Bean, alfalfa, etc.**
Mix in any ratio and set out on feeder tray. The feathers are sure to fly for this highly nutritious combination.
*Raising mealworms is neither expensive nor complicated. It does require quite a devotion to the birds! The “worms” can be grown in any container from a jar, shoebox, or old casserole to an abandoned aquarium. Stock the container with bran and bread crumbs (or cornmeal, Farina, cracker crumbs, etc.) about half full. Place a few slices of apple or potato on top to provide moisture, add bugs, and cover the works with a few layers of old newspaper. Cover the container with a snug-fitting lid, something that will let air in but no bugs out, such as an old pillowcase, crop cover fabric, window screening, or what have you, and secure. Remove the wigglers as needed and replenish the crumb and apple supply every few months.
**Many kinds of seeds can be sprouted for bird feeding and the process of coming to life makes them all the more nutritious. Place seeds, such as mung bean, alfalfa, radish, or other into a jar and soak in warm water overnight. Place a cheese cloth or other well ventilated cover over the jar and drain off the water. Replace with just as much water as it takes to keep the seeds moist. Rinse the seeds and replace the water twice daily until the seeds sprout (2 to 6 days).
Some of the birds of summer are especially fond of fruit — the riper the better. Tanagers, orioles, even some woodpeckers will gladly swoop down to indulge in a sweet fruit salad.
SUMMER FRUIT SALAD
Oranges, halved or quartered
Banana, cut into chunks
Apple, cut into pieces
Black cherries, whole
Seasonal berries, whole
Other fruit as is available
Set out smaller pieces on feeding tray. Impale orange halves and other large pieces on nails driven up through the tray floor.
Drive nails into a wooden post and skewer fruit to it, using the same type of ingredients as above.
Summer is also time for hummingbirds. There are some basic rules to consider for their well-being:
■ Choose feeders with multiple openings rather than a single tube.
■ Some parts of the feeder should be red to attract attention.
■ Keep feeders clean. Bacterial and fungal growth can be debilitating to the birds. Rinse thoroughly every few days with hot tap water and scrub with a bottle brush, hot water and a little white vinegar, not soap or detergent.
Although honey is more nutritious than plain sugar water it is also much more susceptible to spoilage and contains botulism toxins. Molds form quickly, which can infect the hum-mingbird’s tongues. The birds cannot feed and soon perish. Therefore, honey/water solutions are not recommended.
Too strong of a sugar solution can be harmful. Concentrations of more than 1 part sugar to 4 parts water can cause liver enlargement and subsequent liver failure.
To prepare homemade hummingbird nectar either white or brown sugar can be used. Never use artificial sweeteners, as they contain no calories and will quickly starve the birds to death.
Once the hummers become regular customers you may reduce the mix to 1 part sugar to 6 parts water. This further decreases the chance of liver damage and encourages the birds to continue to seek out natural foods. Commercial preparations which contain vitamins and minerals are also available.
HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR
Sugar Water
Mix equal portions of sugar and water and bring to boil. This helps the sugar dissolve completely and retards fermentation. Dilute to a ratio of four to one by adding 1½ parts of cold water per part of sugar mix. Store unused portions in the refrigerator.
Bees or wasps can become troublesome at hummingbird feeders. They can be discouraged by smearing a little petroleum jelly or salad oil around the dispenser holes.
During autumn young birds are learning to fend for themselves, and migratory birds are preparing for their long flights by putting on as much fat as possible and by molting into a new set of feathers. These transitions are taxing on the birds and demand optimum nutrition if they are to survive the winter. Starting a winter feeding program early in the fall has the added advantage of luring birds to your feeder that might move on further south if you wait until later in the season to start feeding.
Winter
Freezing temperatures, chill winds, snow cover, and lack of natural food make winter the most obvious time to keep bird feeders full. Nights are long and temperatures plummet. A study of chickadees found that they could put on as much as 7.5 percent of their body weight during the day, only to have burned it off by the following morning. Birds will be most active in their search for food first thing in the morning and again just before nightfall. Make sure feeders, water, and grit are accessible at these high-demand times.
Freezing weather places a tremendous energy demand on a wild bird’s system. Because of this, high fat/high protein/high energy foods are more important in the winter than any other time of year. They are referred to as “heating foods.” Nuts are one example, and suet, the hard, white beef fat found behind the kidneys is a favorite winter offering. It is gratefully accepted by at least eighty different species of North American birds.