Winter bird feeding is not a bad idea. Birds must eat to stay warm, but there is a plan to keep them warm and happy.

If you are a bird lover that enjoys seeing local birds, make sure that your seed buffet is open, especially when it is miserable and cold.

Fortunately, most birds are smart enough to know when to migrate. When the weather gets rough, the birds head to calmer and food abundant locations. If there is a time of the year to not feed birds, it is every season except Winter. Feeding birds during nice weather conditions birds to feast without working very hard. If birds fail to learn how to feast naturally, they will become doomed when things get tough. 

Winter feeding means great feed. Sunflower seeds and other seeds high in protein and oils will keep birds’ fat and happy. Fatty foods like suet are also good. The key is that once you start to Winter feed, keep the food coming. If you have a dog, they need to eat every day. You can’t forget, stop, or avoid feeding the dog. They will let you know. Birds just die when neglected. It’s too late to fly thousands of miles to warmer climates. 

If a bird feeder runs dry for several days or weeks, the birds just die. Unless you find their frozen corpses, you will never know. 

It is also important to place your feeders near some all-weather cover. Evergreens are a good choice. The birds can feed close to where they need to stay warm and roost. 

Never let feed get rotten or moldy. If there is old feed, it’s because the gravity flow is clogged. Once the feed is wet, it rots within days. If the birds eat rotten feed, they will die. Old bread, table scraps, and dog food are not what birds need. It gets moldy, rotten, and is not digestible for most birds. We’re not feeding carrion eating birds. No one wants buzzards at their feeders. 

If you love birds and want to feed them over Winter, BE RESPONSIBLE!!!

Montana Grant