With the arrival of cold weather, many of us are taking our bird feeders out of storage and setting them out for our feathered friends. It’s important not only to feed our birds but also to keep them healthy.
A feeder’s nooks and crannies provide ideal breeding grounds for mold and contaminants from bird droppings and other sources. Precipitation adds to the problem. Dirty bird feeders are not bird-friendly.
The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology recommends washing feeders thoroughly in hot, soapy water, then soaking or rinsing them in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water. It’s important to dry the feeder thoroughly before refilling to avoid creating pockets of mold.
Feeders should be cleaned every two weeks, or even more frequently if they are heavily used.
Cornell also advises cleaning the ground below your feeder to prevent a buildup of birdseed hulls and other waste. Moldy or spoiled food is unhealthy not only for birds but for your outside pets. And bird food scattered on the ground can attract unwanted rodents.
Finally, you should spread your feeders apart to prevent overcrowding and make sure they have no sharp edges that can scratch birds, making them more susceptible to disease.
If you live in an area where bears are likely to help themselves to your feeder, it’s a good idea to keep your feeders in storage until mid-November, when bears go into hibernation.
In the spring, when bears are coming out of hibernation and often have cubs to feed, the feeders should go back inside. Bears are especially hungry in the spring because other sources of food — berries, fruits, and seeds are not widely available in the wild.
Deterring squirrels from feasting at your bird feeders is another challenge. I have tried many strategies over the years, including hanging bird feeders from wires strung between trees and festooned with aluminum pie pans. I saw this in a magazine and it appealed to my DIY side.
At first it seemed promising, but soon my squirrels developed the gymnastic skill to scamper along the wire and hop over the pie pans to get to the feeder.
After that I kept my son’s Super Soaker water gun on the back porch and occasionally spritzed the squirrels that weren’t intimidated by my shouting alone. My husband thought I’d gone around the bend, so I stopped, despite the instant gratification the Super Soaker provided.
But I have finally found a solution that works. It’s a squirrel baffle, a metal cylinder that attaches to the pole below the feeder and prevents squirrels from ascending. It took me a long time to try this simple gadget because it looked too easy. Of course, you still need to make sure the feeder isn’t within the squirrel’s leaping distance from a fence or tree or roof.
Finally, a word about seed. There are lots of different kinds of birdseed available; some are pricier than others. Commercial mixed seed often contains fillers like millet, oats and buckwheat that aren’t especially desirable to birds. These mixes can be wasteful, since birds tend to pick out what they like and leave the rest to spoil.
Sunflower seed is popular with many birds. It comes in two varieties and can be bought in bulk. Black oil sunflower seed has a thinner shell, making it easier for smaller birds to consume. Striped sunflower has tougher shells, and if you’re overrun by smaller birds and want to attract larger ones, you might prefer this type.
Finches prefer nyjer seed, a fine black seed that requires a special feeder with smaller holes to release the seed.
Be careful about feeding shelled seeds and nuts. While these are highly palatable, they spoil quickly. Most feeders take in moisture when it rains or snows, and that hastens spoilage. If you want to give your birds a special treat, make sure you only set out an amount that will be consumed in a day or two. And keep all your birdseed in covered, dry, rodent-proof containers.
There’s a lot of useful information about feeder choices, location and seed preferences on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website allaboutbirds.org.
Winter is a hard time for birds in New England. And it’s hard for people too. All the more reason to put up a birdfeeder this winter and enjoy the spectacle of happy, well fed birds from your cozy perch indoors.
Award-winning gardening expert and author Kerry Ann Mendez will present a webinar Oct. 27 from 2 to 3 p.m. titled “Radical Perennials-Non-stop Color! No Fuss! Environmentally Responsible!”
The event, sponsored by Bluestone Perennials of Madison, Ohio, will feature “superhero” perennials that provide profound color month after month, low-maintenance plants, and plants that support pollinators. The fee is $7.
Viewers can view the webinar any time, but to interact with Mendez they must register ahead of time. For more information and to register, go to http://pyours.com/webinars-kerry-ann-mendez/.
Be sure to make time in next month’s busy calendar to visit the Chrysanthemum show at the Lyman Conservatory of the Smith College Botanic Garden.
The show is a long-standing Smith tradition, going back more than 100 years.
The display is stupendous, featuring a vast array of colors and blooms as large as 8 inches across.
There will be a lecture Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. by Laurie Sanders, naturalist, writer, and former host of Field Notes about the natural history of Northampton, with emphasis on the Smith College campus and Botanic Garden benefactor Edward Lyman. The lecture will take place in 106 Seelye Hall and be followed by a reception at Lyman Conservatory.
The show will open to the public Nov. 5 and close Nov. 20. The hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show will be open till 8 p.m. on Friday evenings, Nov. 11 and 18. The suggested contribution is $5.
There will be a workshop on seed saving Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center, Room 101, 70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst. It will be led by Sylvia Davatz of Solstice Seeds in Hartland, Vermont. The session will offer the opportunity to learn about saving your own seeds, including pollination, isolation, plant populations, spacing, seed harvesting, processing and storing seeds. Seed sifters will be available for use. Participants are invited to bring seeds to swap.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.