Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Tough Spring on plants, people and wildlife
Wow, 2018 will go down as the year without Spring… or at least starting a good 3 weeks late. FINALLY, this weekend we had Spring!!
Not only have people and plants not been happy but the hungry wildlife are having a difficult time surviving.
In fact, some experts have called this a ‘bird emergency’. The unusual April storm already killed or severely weakened many migratory birds such as robins, warblers, and woodcocks;deep snow cover cut off the food supply for the survivors.
The Raptor Education Group out of Antigo, Wisconsin, which operates as a rescue primarily for birds of prey, is asking that anyone who sees a struggling bird or has a bird feeder to provide some help.
Marge Gibson said birds have not been able to access their normal food sources— worms and other insects. Stock your feeders with cut-up raisins, dried mealworms, shelled sunflower-seed pieces, frozen blueberries and crumbled suet blocks.
You can also put food on the ground near evergreens or rural roads. While we’re starting to see “normal” temperatures, nature’s going to need some catch up time.
It’s not just birds but deer, who typically drop their first fawn in April, are struggling. Unfortunately, feeding deer isn’t the best thing. While we have good intentions, and it’s okay for birds, tight concentrations of deer, where you’ve put out food for them, can dramatically increase the odds that an infected animal will spread Chronic Wasting Disease.
Regulations may differ! Check for more information: Wis DNR MN Dept. of natural resources