Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Iowa: Winter Bird Feeding, Start Now

If you were waiting for wintry weather to start stocking the bird feeders in Iowa - you have it. With temperatures dipping into the teens and even single digits, it is creating crowds at those backyard feeders.

The latest U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Outdoor Recreation Survey indicates that 609,000 Iowans feed wildlife. Most of that is maintaining winter-and late fall-feeding stations for birds. Migrating songbirds are setting up their feeding stops now, ahead of the heavy duty wind, cold and snow. They want to expend as little energy as possible, while consuming maximum calories to stay warm.

The bonus to us?

"It's just a great way to bring the outdoors right into our homes. We can see the songbird activity, hear their cheery calls. They brighten our spirits," assesses DNR wildlife diversity technician Pat Schlarbaum. For him, the dark-eyed juncos showing up in the fall trigger the call to step into action.

The first step is cleaning your feeders. Removing debris and bacteria reduces the chanced of disease this winter. Use a weak bleach and water solution to scrub and rinse them; whether they are still hanging in the yard...or are stored in the garage somewhere.

Next up? Run an extension cord and small heating element to the birdbath.

"If you are the one providing water for the birding community; you are probably going to have the largest selection of songbirds visiting your backyard," predicts Schlarbaum.

Should you have just one feeder and one choice of feed...black oil sunflower seed attracts the widest variety of 'desirable' songbirds; cardinals, nuthatches, tufted titmice, blue jays, chickadees and more flock to sunflower seeds. Do yourself and the birds a favor. Flip the bag over and check the fat content. The higher it reads, the better it is for birds and the more bang you'll get for your bird feeding buck.

Overall, different feeds attract different birds. Nyjer thistle attracts finches. Suet attracts woodpeckers. Lower priced millet or milo, spread on the ground, is big with mourning doves, sparrows and other ground feeding species. Be wary of discount mixes, though. Fill a feeder with it, and you could end up with much of it scratched out to the ground as birds waste it, to get to the 'good stuff'. You may be money ahead feeding the more expensive stuff...and buying less of it overall.

Schlarbaum touts sunflower hearts for woodpeckers and titmice, too. Experiment and see what food sources attract the birds you prefer to see. Most of that is keeping winter bird feeders stocked...and watching the feathered palette of color on the blanket of snow in your yard. Oh, it's coming alright.

Stepping it up a Notch
Should just feeding and watching birds in the yard not be enough, you can take it to the next level. Two popular winter weather activities include the Christmas Bird Count, which gets teams outdoors in a specified area; and the Great Backyard Bird Count, where you simply tally birds seen from your window.

Results are valuable, as these 'citizen scientists' provide information on wintering birds; especially winter territories and trends, such as movement into new areas.

Though promoted nationwide, a couple websites; www.iowaaudubon.org and www.iowabirds.org provide more information. That includes links to local chapters, clubs or blogs...and lots more information that is 'for the birds.' Also, any full service bird feed supply outlet has information on the counts, winter bird watching walks and other activities and products to step up your winter bird watching involvement.