People passionate about nature

Feeding Birds in Winter

Is it good for the birds?

Written by: Lynsay Perkins  Photographs by: Dennis Swayze

You may have heard that feeding birds in the winter causes them to be dependent on feeders or can interfere with migration, but according to Paula Grieef, Resident Naturalist at Oak Hammock Marsh, there isn’t really a down side to properly feeding birds in the winter.

“There are very few birds that would stay because of a bird feeder,” she says. “There is natural food out there. We’re just making life easier for those ones that are here.”

But if you aren’t mindful about how often you feed the birds, Grieef says you could cause more harm that good.

“If you start, you must continue feeding all winter,” she explains. “Birds don’t become just reliant on one feeder. They have a circuit. If you have a circuit of six feeders and five stop, that becomes a problem.”

Birds whose supplemented food sources suddenly disappear would have to look longer and harder for food. Not an easy task for a bird trying to survive a harsh Manitoba winter.

So unless you plan to get bundled up and fill your feeder in -40 weather, now is the time to stop putting out food for your local birds.

If you are going to commit to a winter of feeding birds, Grieef says the type of food you choose to put out is key.

“There’s not a lot of nutrition in food like bread, peanut butter, popcorn, and apples,” she says. “Those kinds of food fill them up and they can become malnourished and more susceptible to disease.”

Better options include things like black oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts in the shell.

Of course feeding birds all winter isn’t cheap, and there is also the inevitable mess to consider.  But if you’re doing it right, feeding birds can help you to connect with wildlife through the winter months.

“One of the big benefits is that it creates an appreciation for nature,” Grieef says. “Birdfeeding is a really great way to become aware and want to conserve nature.”

 

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