Backyard feeders make life easier for birds in winter

Many of us maintain our birdfeeders throughout the year, regularly restocking them with fresh seed and keeping them clean. Fall, though, is the traditional start of the bird feeding season, and, if you haven’t done so already, now is the time to get started to help the birds through winter.

Even though Georgia’s winters tend to be mild, birds still can use our help — especially during spells of frigid temperatures. All birds require more food in winter just to stay alive. Tiny birds, like chickadees, sparrows, finches and titmice, are particularly at risk in cold weather, because their metabolic rates are high and they have less fat to maintain body heat.

Once the birds learn where they can find dependable food supplies — namely, your feeders — they will continue to return to them during the more severe weather.

Here are some of your questions and the answers from various experts about fall and winter bird feeding:

Q: Will feeding the birds deter them from foraging on their own in the wild?

Hanging feeders now and keeping them well stocked with seed will help birds — such as these female house finches 

A: Not likely. Foraging for food is ingrained in birds. Chickadees, for instance, may get only about 25 percent of their total food needs from backyard feeders; the rest is found in their natural habitat. In winter, birds can still find insects in tree bark, berries on trees and shrubs, and seeds on garden and wild plants. Even so, there is less wild food available during the cold season. So, maintaining a backyard feeder in winter makes the birds’ lives easier and makes our lives more enjoyable.

Q: What is the best type of feeder?

A: If you hang just one feeder, choose a tube feeder — one with metal ports around the seed dispenser to deter squirrels. Hang it at least 5 feet off the ground.

Q: What is the best overall food?

A: Black-oil sunflower seed will attract the widest variety of birds.

Q: Anything else?

A: Yes. Water. Birds need a dependable supply of clean water throughout the year for drinking and bathing. Sources of water include small pools and waterfalls, birdbaths, drippers and misters.

In the sky: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be first-quarter Saturday. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Venus is low in the west at dusk. Mars and Saturn are low in the southwest at dusk.