In many parts of the US and Canada, especially in temperate areas, backyard birdwatchers reported that fewer birds than usual were coming to their feeders. While it raises concerns for some people that “something might be wrong” with the birds, a more likely cause was the mild fall weather and a good growing season, resulting in a plentiful supply of natural food.

For example, in places where there was a big acron crop this year, the Blue Jays, Stellar’s Jays and other acorn-eaters are busy chowing and stashing zillions of these favored food items. As a result you might not have seen them around as much. Similarly, American and Lesser Goldfinches might have been finding plenty of weed seeds out in the fields, and so have been giving your niger seed feeder a miss.

Though it might seem counterintuitive to humans, wild birds prefer to seek wild food rather than nosh on the supplemental food our feeders provide. It might seem like more work for a Black-capped Chickadee to glean dormant spiders from the tree bark than to grab a seed from a feeder. But with their “generalist” beaks that are not particularly adapted for seed-eating, a chickadee, titmouse or nuthatch must work hard to hammer open a sunflower seed. Ever notice how these birds will sometimes pick a seed out of the feeder, drop it, and grab another? They’re making sure they’re flying off with a seed that has a nice, meaty kernel worthy of their time and trouble. Yes, the birds weigh the seeds!

Also, our feeders are often dangerous places, where a concentration of small birds can mean extra attention from predators like hawks and cats. Small forest birds often feel exposed at the feeder -- rightly so -- and don’t feel comfortable hanging around.

Shorter days, colder nights…
But now that winter is almost here, the tempo of small birds’ lives is definitely changing! The sun is pale, the days short and the nights long. Natural food sources may be covered with snow or locked in ice.

Now the supplemental food we provide is more widely appreciated and has a bigger impact on the birds’ survival. Even in the coldest places the birds are not dependent on our feeders -- though your local House Sparrows might act as if they are. But the extra nutrition can certainly help increase their chances of making it through the winter.

Winter feeding, summer breeding
What’s also interesting is a new study conducted in the UK and Ireland, which revealed that birds with access to well-stocked feeders -- even if only in the wintertime -- can produce more young in the spring breeding season. You can read more about here:
view link
And here: view link

That seems a sure indication that our feeders help the birds, provided they’re kept clean, safe and stocked with nutritious seeds; not cheap filler.

Late fall migrants
In many areas we now begin to see not only our familiar resident birds visiting the feeder more; but also late-fall migrants from the boreal zone, who have moved south with the advancing cold. These potentially unfamiliar birds might only stick around for a day or a week, or they might hunker down in your vicinity for a long stretch.

Depending on where you live (check the range maps on the web pages referenced below), some of the avian visitors you might expect to see on or beneath your feeders as you celebrate the Winter Solstice are these:

Fox Sparrow: view link
White-throated Sparrow: view link
White-crowned Sparrow: view link
Golden-crowned Sparrow: view link
Dark-eyed Junco (the ones out west look very different from the eastern ones): view link
Purple Finch (note the differences from House Finch): view link
Red-breasted Nuthatch: view link
Boreal Chickadee (the “Chocolate Chickadee!”): view link
Pine Siskin (often with flocks of goldfinches): view link
Common Redpoll (also sometimes travels with goldfinches): view link

You might also notice some interesting winter visiting birds in your area. One of the most fascinating and unusual is the Northern Shrike: view link

It gets its nickname, Butcherbird, from its habit of impaling prey items -- including cute lil’ songbirds as well as rodents and large insects -- on barbed wire or thorns for later consumption. Shrikes are predators, which lack talons but have a sharp, hooked beak. Look for them “teed up” in open areas atop small trees, posts and poles. You might even see one stalking your feeder.

Brush up on your backyard habitat
Want to make your back yard even more appealing to the birds? Feeders are great but without cover the birds won’t use them. One no-cost way to enhance the area for birds is to create a brush pile with all those fallen limbs you’ve been picking up off the lawn. Toss ‘em together about 20 feet from your feeders and watch how much the sparrows, juncos and other small birds use the pile. They feel much more secure from predators with a good hiding place nearby.

Another nice amenity you can give to your backyard birds is a roosting box. The long, cold winter nights are very challenging for the small birds. They must forage all day to build up enough energy to survive the night. Some, like the Black-capped Chickadee, huddle together and use shared body heat to conserve warmth. A snug roosting box is like a 5-star hotel for them!

Finally, for the ultimate backyard bird magnet in winter, consider a heated birdbath. Fresh, open water is not easy to come by when most of it’s frozen. The birds often have to eat snow, which takes their energy in the form of lost body heat. Modern birdbath heaters run on as little as 60 watts of power (less than many incandescent light bulbs) and come equipped with thermostats for even better efficiency. Put one of these in the right spot and you’ll almost certainly see more birds of more different species than ever before.

Happy Holidays, Eons birders!

Peace and good birding,
Scott Cronenweth
Eons birding mentor
www.naturalpathwalks.com