Give Birds Everything They Need to Survive and Thrive this Season

In winter, when days shorten and nights stretch endlessly, your backyard bird feeders transform from convenient snack spots to essential survival stations. With each dip in temperature and every blast of wind, it's a challenge for birds just to stay warm.

Birds have a few temporary tricks for making it through winter. You may notice birds looking "puffier" than normal. This natural fluffing creates space under their feathers and better insulation, trapping warm air close to their bodies. Birds also perch on one leg to minimize heat loss or shiver to generate immediate warmth.

As for those lengthy nights, small songbirds must rely entirely on their fat reserves, burning through their energy just to stay warm until dawn. In fact, a tiny songbird can burn through an astonishing 75-80% of its energy stores every night. That’s like a person shedding 20 pounds overnight and having to gain it all back the next day!

You can help your birds survive the challenges of winter with a few simple actions.

• Stock your feeders with high-fat foods, such as our Winter SuperBlend®, Jim's Birdacious® Bark Butter® or SuperSue® products.
• Offer an open source of water for birds to clean their feathers, helping their insulation efforts.
• Provide shelter from wintry elements with natural plant cover or a cozy roosting box.

These few acts of kindness will help the birds and will bring a little joy to your winter experience. Visit us soon for more expert advice to help your birds thrive this winter.

 

 

Give Birds a Super Winter

Winter is a wonderful time to feed the birds. Not only is a chance to help birds get the necessary fats for surviving longer nights and colder temperatures, but it's also a good time to see a variety of birds visiting you're feeders. Our Winter SuperBlend® is a high-fat seed blend, specifically formulated to provide birds the essential energy and fats needed to survive whatever winter throws at them.

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Prevent Window Strikes and Help Save the Song Birds

Here’s a harsh truth: colliding with windows can be fatal for birds. Even if they manage to fly away, they're not just “stunned,” birds are often seriously injured. Windows reflecting sky or greenery trick birds into thinking there’s a clear flight path, and juvenile birds (who are just figuring things out) are especially at risk.

Preventing window strikes is one way you can help Save the Song Birds. With a few thoughtful adjustments, you can help birds recognize your windows as barriers, not passage ways.

• Feeder Placement: Place bird feeding stations within three feet (1 meter) of the window or beyond ten feet (3 meters). Within three feet, birds ‘fleeing’ the feeder area will not have built up enough speed to injure themselves if they strike the window. Beyond ten feet, birds will have enough time to spot and avoid the window.
• Visual Cues: Apply deterrents to your windows (such as screens or decals) to help birds see the barrier and give them a chance to take action before any harm is done.
• Install a Window Feeder: Use a window feeder to make birds more aware of the glass and so you have a front-row seat to watch your feathered visitors.

Go here to learn more, or stop by the store and we’ll walk you through the best ways to wipe out window strikes.

Go here to purchase window decals online

 

Wild Birds Unlimited in Winchester is your source for high quality Zeis Optics. With exceptional optical performance, these are perfect for bird watchers and all nature lovers.

Check out our range of optics here 

 

 March Nature Happenings 

Project FeederWatch continues, www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw

• Song Sparrows can be seen feeding on the ground.

• Listen for the following to begin their courtship rituals during the month: Barred Owls, Screech Owls, White-Breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Crows, and Bluebirds.

• Wild Turkeys begin gobbling with males strutting and looking for mates.

• Phoebes and Fox Sparrows begin to arrive, along with Tree Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and Grackles.

• Look for the Phoebe wagging their tail from prominent, but low branches.

• Male Indigo Buntings begin to appear in the region.

• Woodpeckers are establishing their nesting territories by drumming. Don’t be alarmed if a male begins drumming on your gutters and drain spouts, that is how they attract females.

• Purple Martin scouts return by the middle of the month; be sure to have your houses ready. Do you need another Purple Martin House? We have them!

• Bluebirds stake out their territory. Be sure to have their houses ready. Bluebirds become more widespread and begin mating late in month. Attract them with nesting boxes and mealworms.

• Woodcocks are doing courtship flights. Look for them at Blandy Experimental Farm and Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve.

• Rusty Blackbirds begin their Northerly migration this month check http://rustyblackbird.org/outreach/migration-blitz/

• March is the peak month for watching migrating waterfowl at Lake Frederick and Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve.

• Take time to prepare and install boxes for cavity-nesting birds.

• Begin to monitor all nest boxes towards the end of the month.

• On warm nights listen for the early Spring Peepers coming out to serenade you.

• Woodchucks emerge from hibernation.

• Male skunks wander widely, searching for mates.

• Red Maple, Red Bud, Dogwood and Cherry Trees begin to bloom towards the end of the month.

• Roadside 'weeds' (e.g. Speedwell, Purple Deadnettle, and Storks bill) bloom before most native wildflowers.

• Inspect trees for Gypsy Moths and Bag Worms on hardwood and conifer trees. Remove any that you may find.

 

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