98
Escarpment Magaz ine
fal l
2011
Who wouldn’t love
feeding the birds? A
flash of colour, a
swirl of activity as
wild birds cluster
around your feeders —
this is just the ticket to
brighten a dreary, Autumn or Win-
ter day. With its abundance of natural habitats,
the Niagara Escarpment and the surrounding country-
side are a great setting for birdfeeding. But why are
some yards full of winter birds, and others almost
empty? Careful attention to a few basic rules will help
ensure that you are the envy of your neighbours.
Start now.
If you haven’t yet started birdfeeding, fall is the per-
fect time to start. This is the season when our hardy
winter birds set up their feeding patterns for the cold
months ahead, so having your feeders available now
will make a big difference in the diversity and num-
bers of colourful birds you will see this coming winter.
A variety of feeders and foods attracts
a variety of bird species.
Start with a feeder for black oilseed - a slightly smaller
version of sunflower seed, but richer in energy. Seed
feeders come in two basic types – hanging plastic or
polycarbonate tubes, and hopper feeders, most often
made of wood and mounted on a post. Either type
will work fine, although cheaper versions are vulner-
able to damage by squirrels.
You can enhance the attraction of these feeders by
filling them with a seed mix that adds other elements
to the black oilseed. Peanuts, for example, are gour-
met fare for Bluejays, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.
Smaller seeds such as red millet appeal to sparrows
and juncos. But shop carefully – not all seed mixes
are equal. Grocery or department store mixes are
loaded with cracked corn and white millet, which are
low on the appeal scale for most birds.
Your next addition should be a finch feeder, a tube
with tiny holes designed to let goldfinches, redpolls,
and siskins pry out equally tiny seeds. In winter, these
finches come in flocks, roving the countryside to sam-
ple a series of feeders. You can buy a “finch mix” of
small seeds designed for these feeders, but the best
choice is nyger
seed, small and
black and deli-
cious to finches of
all kinds. A busy
nyger feeder, which
could host several hun-
dred birds a day, develops a
sprinkle of black on the snow below. This is
not waste – rather it is the seed husks discarded by
the birds as they roll the nyger in their heavy bills.
Your third feeder should be a source of suet, since this
dense fat is a concentrated source of energy for
woodpeckers, chickadees, and many other birds.
We even have a magnificent pair of pileated wood-
peckers that regularly visit our suet feeders! Suet
mixes, designed to fit in a small hanging cage, are a
popular way to provide this avian treat, or you can
also find suet logs or feeders for suet balls or other de-
signs. Suet mixes even come as Christmas wreaths,
as a seasonal present for your birds.
Provide shelter and cover nearby.
Most birds appreciate some escape cover within ten
to fifteen feet of your feeders, in case a hungry hawk
stops by (or more likely comes whizzing through the
flock). Some species, such as the ever-popular cardi-
nals, insist on dense conifer cover nearby. A cedar
hedge or thick spruce tree is perfect.
Keep your cat inside.
House cats kill millions of songbirds every year across
North America, and hungry winter birds exploring the
snow below your feeders are especially vulnerable.
basics
birdfeeding
Bringing Birds
to Your Backyard
BY RON REID