Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Birds and their many benefits
A couple of weeks ago I talked about the benefits of bats and birds. I want to add to the list of birds that bring joy AND munch on those unwanted pets.
Take the adorable wren! These energetic, perky little darlings are fun to watch with the bonus of them munching on ground bugs like beetles, caterpillars, grubs, snails and my recent nemesis, ANTS!
They’re picky about where they hang out. Some tips include leaving leaf litter intact for them. At bird feeders they love mealworms, peanut butter, peanut hearts and suet. Spike’s is great for all kinds of bird seed/feed. Wrens prefer running water and will nest in dense shrubs.
Chickadees, on the other hand, are super easy to keep them coming back. They love to eat!
While they’re voracious insect eaters, in Winter, they love those black sunflower seeds. Use a tube feeder and provide a roosting area for them to keep warm. The hole only needs to be about an inch to an inch and a quarter. They’ll squeeze in and cuddle up. Chickadees also have large broods. You may find 8 eggs in a nest in spring!
And there’s Goldfinches! These birds LOVE seeds. That includes weed seeds. After they eat them, those seeds aren’t viable! They love nyjer seeds and hulled sunflower seeds. Providing a heated bird bath will help keep all these birds in your backyard in winter and sticking around for the rest of the year!
