Feeding your birds in the winter is a godsend, but you need to know how to do it. Otherwise, you can cause them complications and even death.
With the onset of winter, many people stock their bird feeders with a variety of grains in an effort to improve the birds. According to ornithologists, however, many people do it wrong, and feeding them can even cause death to birds in extreme cases.
When feathered birds are at stake
According to Zdenek Vermouzek, director of the Czech Ornithological Society, feeding is not necessary during mild winters, as the birds can get their own food. Bare frosts are not a problem either, as long as temperatures do not drop below -10 to -20 °C. However, once the really cold nights come with temperatures below -20°C, the birds lose a significant amount of fat reserves. For smaller species, this can mean up to a third of their weight, which they have to replenish during the day. If the ground is covered with snow or ice, finding food becomes a big problem.
Less means more
When feeding birds, it is important to follow a few basic rules. Above all, nothing should be overdone. Do not overfeed the birds and leave the feeder empty occasionally so that the birds continue to search for natural food. It is recommended to spread the feed in the morning so that they can quickly fill up after a cold night. Top-feeding makes sense especially during frosty days and snow cover. Outside the winter season, there is a higher risk of spreading diseases.
Feeders should be placed in a quiet place, preferably in the shade, where the birds have an overview of any danger. It is important to place them away from glass surfaces and protect them from predators such as cats. Don’t forget about hygiene and clean the feeders once a week with hot water.
Forget these foods
Never feed salt, spices, sweets, cured meats or moldy food to birds. Only unsalted bread is suitable, for example white breadcrumbs.
Also watch out for tallow balls in nets, which are available everywhere these days. Small birds can get their legs entangled in the netting and, when trying to free themselves, get seriously injured, break a claw, or beat themselves up until they die. In addition, empty nets that fall to the ground are also a risk. They attract hedgehogs or dogs, for example, with their smell, and after possible ingestion they can have serious problems or even die. It is better to pull the tallow balls out of the mesh and leave them alone.
Suitable feed
The basis of suitable bird food is quality food from proven sources, for example sunflower seeds, which are among the most popular. Cereal grains (oats, millet, wheat) are also suitable, which are especially enjoyed by sparrows and lovebirds. Apples and dried fruits will please blackbirds and cicadas. For a change, fat mixtures will attract woodpeckers, titmouses and nuthatches to your feeder.
At the feeders there are common species of birds, such as great tit and blue tit, house and field sparrows, green bell, blackbird or common robin. Interesting guests can be northern quills or goldfinches. If you want to trick the blackbirds, leave a handful of raisins outside every day. They are a welcome source of energy and minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron. Raisins must not be sweetened in any case.
Long-term help
In addition to winter feeding, birds can be helped in other ways, for example by planting bushes and trees with berries that will provide them with natural food. It is also good to provide shelters for birds in gardens and balconies in the form of birdhouses. In the gardens, try to limit the use of chemicals that destroy the birds’ natural food sources.
And one last piece of good advice. Avoid homemade PET bottle feeders. Small feathers can easily fly into their upper parts, but they cannot get out. He tries so vehemently to get free that it ends fatally.
Sources: idnes.cz, novinky.cz, dumazahrada.cz/
