David Carson's Bird Feeding Tips

Winter Feeding

For your money, one of the best-nourishing seeds to buy for your backyard birds is the small black oil sunflower seed. It provides more nutrition than the larger striped seeds. Cardinals love them, and so do numerous other species.

Some authorities believe this increased interest in winter feeding has expanded the range of certain species of birds. For example, in Audubon's day (1785 - 1851) the Cardinal was considered a southern bird and was rarely seen as far north as Philadelphia. By 1895 its range reached the Great Lakes, and by 1910 the Cardinal was in southern Ontario and along the southern portion of the Hudson River. In more recent years, Cardinals have become common backyard breeding birds as far north as some parts of southern Canada.

The following is recommended as a winter food only. In warm weather the oil from such a mixture can result in infection of feather follicles. A safe summer recipe directly follows.

Recipe for Suet/Peanut Butter Mixture (Winter Recipe)

The grease can be that which is melted out of suet scraps, or it can be waste fats from cooking, bacon grease, or lard. Heat the first four ingredients together until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add peanut butter. After cooling, place globs of this into holes drilled in a small log that can be hung in a tree. Make sure the log has a perch on it for the Cardinals. A dowel pin can be used as a perch. Be prepared to fill the log often on cold days. Store the remaining mixture in the refrigerator.

In addition to Cardinals, a variety of other birds love this mixture, including Chickadees, Titmice, Jays, Woodpeckers, Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Goldfinches, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, and Yellow-rumped and Orange-crowned Warblers.

Summer Feeding

The following are some suggestions of items you can easily provide for this critical time in the life of your favorite birds:

  1. Finely crushed eggshells provide females with added calcium vital to the development of eggs in their own bodies. These can be offered in the feeder right along with sunflower seeds.
  2. A peanut butter mixture for summertime feeding to take the place of the suet mixture mentioned earlier for the winter months is designed not to become rancid in summer heat. Mix together in a bowl: one part peanut butter, four parts cornmeal, one part flour, and one part vegetable shortening. No cooking is necessary. This can be offered in the same sort of feeder as earlier suggested for the suet mix - a hanging log with perches. Store any excess in the refrigerator.
  3. Mealworms are another source of vital nutrients to offer at summer feeding stations. They are readily eaten by Cardinals, and the adults often feed them to their young. As previously suggested, buy mealworms at a bait shop or pet store, or ask a biology teacher for a supply catalog.