Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Bird love in Winter
Wow, I hope you are surviving our roller coaster of cold arctic air! As I write this, the temperature is 6 below zero but tomorrow is supposed to be 30 above. And then the deep freeze comes again.
How on Earth do our wild birds stay warm? Ruffling their feathers is number one. Most of our birds look twice as chubby in winter as in summer due to fluffing their feathers to provide insulation.
Night time for birds is tougher yet. That’s why providing nesting boxes (that link will take you to sites to build your own) and/or other shelter (like that spent Christmas tree) is such a good idea. The birds will cuddle up for warmth.
Birds will crouch down and fluff their feathers around their feet, or they’ll pull one foot toward their body at a time.
You’ll also find birds sunning themselves! They’re not looking to tan on a Mexican beach but warm up those little bodies! Birds will turn their back (the largest part of their body) to the sun to absorb the sun’s warmth on their skin.
One of the most important things for us to do is provide them with food to fuel their bodies which creates warmth. It’s a good reminder as the temperatures are so drastic WE don’t always want to go out there to check the feeders. Fill those feeders with quality feed. Spike’s & Houles have locally milled feed for birds. Click on the link to the right. Or right HERE.
Provide water too! Heated birdbath
