Local Birds

NEED WINTER SUPPORT

By Joan Jurado-Blanco, Glenshire Resident

Harsh winters like this years are tough on birds. While our full-timers are incredibly hardy and ingenious about storing food and staying warm, lack of food in the wild can have a deleterious effect on them.

Unlike bears, birds can’t afford to lose any of their body fat. It’s what helps them survive sub-zero temperatures. This means they can’t skip a single meal! Heavy snow fall deprives them of many of their natural food sources, so providing them with some nourishment during winter is essential. Here are some suggestions:

• Suet: is the best all-around meal as it contains much needed fat, protein and carbs.

• Sunflower seeds and raw nuts.

• Peanut butter - free of sugar, salt or additives!

• Birdseed: Finches, Sparrows, Towhees & Juncos need it, especially when they cannot forage in the wild after heavy snowfall.

• Used egg shells: help females like Steller’s Jays build up calcium levels for their own egg-laying in the Spring.

Please remember to always place food away from predators.