Now that we are more or less confined to our houses--we find ourselves gazing out the windows longing for spring sunshine and green spaces. Winter has its own particular beauty though--more Oriental in its influence, with strong lines and simple shapes and curves. Much of the detail disappears, and we are left with the bones that make up the world around us. One of the things this enforced simplicity does is push what detail is left to see into the forefront of our vision. Shapes of branches write themselves sharply across our eyes; conifers stand out like block prints with their filagreed canopies. Another beautiful detail that now comes into sharp focus is the winter birds. They animate the quiet canvas with their movment and color--some now softened to camouflage, some remain brilliant like the Cardinals and Blue jays. The still winter air magnifies their singing and calling to a crisp clarity; and we are reminded by their presence that life continues on, waiting patiently for spring.
Watching birds has always been a part of my life. They have always uplifted and enriched my existence; and winter is very special because of the intimate contact it provides with them. Feeding birds has become a very popular pastime and a multi million dollar business. I am sure most if not all our members feed the birds, and enjoy the relaxing pastime of watching them at the feeders.
Here are some simple facts and tidbits to enhance your "feeder watching" through the winter months. Most of these things may not be anything new to folks, but it never hurts to put them down in writing.
The most economical food to feed is black oil sunflower. Almost all birds eat it, and pound for pound it gives them the most nutritional bang for the buck. The hulls do fall to the ground and make a mess. They also secrete a chemical which can inhibit the growth of plants that get buried under their mass. You can either--a) ignore the mess, b) rake it up in spring, c) situate the feeder so the mess falls where it won't be a problem, d) feed the "no waste" foods, which seem more expensive, but you are not paying for the weight of the seed hulls d)feed suet blocks or seed blocks which will minimize the mess.
The cheap "songbird" mixes are really kind of a waste--they are full of things like corn and millet which the small songbirds will not or cannot eat. They will provide food for species like sparrows, bluejays and starlings, so if this is the primary type of birds you see you can use this food. But if you want to attract the pretty little birds, you will need to supplement these mixes with sunflower seed. However--if you seem to see a multitude of sparrows and house finches--don't despair! First off, these humble birds need to eat too; and their presence acts as a beacon to the other little songbirds--a group of sparrows congregated in one spot tells everyone a new restaurant is in town. And second--if you should see a group of humble brown birds, don't just think "oh, sparrows (or house finches)" and write them off. Examine the flock a little more closely. Oftentimes different species group together in winter, and its not unusual to find a less common bird in the group. I have spotted white crowned sparrows, fox sparrows, song sparrows, purple finches, pine siskins and redpolls in groups like this.
Peanuts are highly attractive to birds in winter because they produce so much heat. You can buy unsalted "scrap" peanuts to mix in with your sunflower. Its best to choose peanuts over peanut butter--a lot of cheap peanut butters no longer contain peanut oil--its decanted off and replaced with cheaper oils. And while peanut butter is delicious to birds it can really make them sick if they eat too much of it. Suet or dough cakes are also good sources of energy and heat. The cakes with nuts and fruits in them will bring members of the woodpecker family to your feeders with great success.
Birds need water in winter. We have a heated birdbath and I am always surprised at how many birds use it. A friend of mine used to have bluebirds all through the winter at her heated birdbath. That right there would make any electric bill worthwhile.
Even if you live in a fairly populated area, there is a good chance that you have raptors around. These highly adaptable predators have become accustomed to people and the ones that eat birds have learned to monitor feeders. If you have large trees or overhead areas where a raptor could perch and watch your feeder--they are most likely doing so. Place your feeders near shrubs or trees that birds can quickly hide in when danger threatens. The most common predacious bird at feeders is the Sharp Shinned Hawk. This member of the falcon family is a beautiful and highly efficient hunter that will strike a bird almost as fast as you can blink. They are usually at your feeder and gone again before you even know something has happened. If you see your feeder birds suddenly become very still on the feeder--its quite possible that someone has spotted this hunter and given an alarm call. Here is a link to the Cornell website about the "Sharpie":
Even though it can be terribly upsetting to loose a bird in this way--keep in mind that the Sharpie serves a very useful purpose. The birds that aren't quick enough to escape are often old or ill, and will not make it through the winter season anyway. This way the provide food for another link in the chain, and are removed from the population, where they could potentially sicken other birds. Nature isn't always warm and fuzzy--and these beautiful and efficient killers are an important reminder of that.
Another important aspect about feeder placement is proximity to windows. We are often unaware of how our windows appear in certain types of light--they become almost mirrorlike and birds will mistakenly fly into them thinking they are part of the outdoors. Or a bird panicked by an oncoming predator or passerby will act without thinking and fly into the glass. The easiest thing to do is simply place your feeders less than 10 feet away from windows. This not only allows you very intimate viewing, it prevents the birds from building up enough speed to injure themselves if they hit. You can also place decals on the glass to make it obvious to the birds that there is a surface there. If you do have a bird hit the glass, usually it will bounce off and keep flying. But if it hits hard enough to stun the bird and it is very cold outside, you can go out and gently lift the bird and take it inside. Usually the bird will be lying on its back with its feet tightly clenched. If its a small bird like a chickadee, you can just hold it very quietly in your hand--keep it covered so its in the dark--just cup your other hand over it. After a few minutes the bird will recover and you will feel it begin to move around. Take it back outside and open your hand near a bush or tree. Stand quietly for a minute or two while your patient gets her bearings, and she will fly into the tree and recover on her own. Taking them indoors keeps them warm while they recover and protects them from harm while they are incapacitated. 
A larger bird like a blue jay should be covered loosely with a towel and carried gently inside, then placed in a covered box (be sure they can still get air) in a dark room. After about 10 minutes you should hear the bird scrabbling around in the box. Take it outside and just open the box. Step back and let the bird go on its own.
If you worry about birds harboring "lice" (I don't) or mites or something--wash your hands carefully and change your shirt after you handle it. I don't ever do this--but you certainly can if you worry about such things.
So spend some time enjoying the birds this winter. See how they go about living their lives--they live in a much more complex world than you ever imagined!
