It took a while, but some real winter weather has come upon us – and the birds! With February and March ahead of us, the birds will really be counting on our bird feeding assistance over the ensuing weeks.
Very cold nights and snow cover will make life challenging for so many bird species along with the many mammals out there. Last summer’s growing season yielded good crops of wild berries and nuts which is helping to feed so much wildlife. As winter deepens less and less of this natural food is available and the birds can become more dependent upon your offerings at the bird feeding station.
One food source that generally remains in good supply throughout the winter is staghorn sumac which grows along wood margins and hedgerows all over Western New York. This shrub-like tree produces clusters of seeds that look like small red pyramidical sponges at the tips of their many branches generally 6 to 20 feet above the ground. It has long been said that toward spring that the sugar content in these rather fuzzy-looking seeds increases, which certainly is good timing for the many birds that will depend on this food source well into the spring. Sumac is considered a weed tree, but is a perfect example of why we should think twice before removing hedgerows or clearing land just to make it look nice.
When I’m out driving around, I pay attention to the sumac groves here and there. Several small groves have already been picked clean by the birds. Often these are the result of huge flocks of starlings descending upon them and wiping them out. Fortunately, there are many groves of sumac that remain available well into spring. You may see a grove of sumac that doesn’t have any clusters of seeds at all which are likely male plants. Sumac flowers and early fall foliage are strikingly beautiful. Sumac can grow in in very poor soils and dry conditions.
If you are out birding or hiking it’s worth your time to carefully inspect the clusters of sumac at this time year and right through April – even into May.
Over the many years I have seen so many birds eating them. I remember decades ago seeing evening grosbeaks eating them over near Camp Wyomoco in Varysburg. I have seen bigger birds such as turkeys, grouse, and pileated woodpeckers eating the seeds.
Many other birds also eat the seeds in winter and spring including bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, chickadees and even other birds that generally prefer insects.
During March and April when we start seeing many more robins and bluebirds moving in for the breeding season, sumac is a great place to see them feeding.
If your bird feeding station wasn’t busy in early winter, it should pick up now with colder snowier weather.
As spring rolls around more and more birds will be coming to the feeders as several species return from the south. Red-winged blackbirds will start the spring migration procession – often with a few appearing in February and a big influx in March.
With more birds around and less natural food available, the feeding station gets really busy. As you probably know, we have a bird feed shop here at our home in Wyoming. We often sell more bird feed in spring than we do in the winter months because of an increased bird population and less natural food available.
Keeping your birds well fed now is critical for winter survival.
Each morning it is very good to feed the many birds on the ground. Don’t put it out late in the day or the rabbits and deer may eat it up before morning.
Many native sparrows prefer eating on the ground.
If you study the variety of birds under your feeder you may be surprised at what you see.
With winter at its peak during the next few weeks you are likely to see some new visitors at the feeding station. Maybe one of these: flicker, sapsucker, bluebird, white-crowned and white-throated sparrow, Carolina wren, redpoll, pine siskin, evening grosbeak, or towhee.
Feeding the birds gives one a very good charitable feeling. The energy the birds get from seeds such as sunflower, peanuts, corn, nyjer, and white millet is vital in helping them keep warm over long, cold winter nights.
Beef suet is also very helpful.
All of us are asked to donate to nature-related charitable organizations which is fine, however, feeding the birds is a more direct way of truly helping nature firsthand and having the benefit of enjoying their beauty and interesting behaviors. It’s a pretty good trade!
Going forward, especially these next few weeks, I ask you to take feeding the birds even more seriously as we help them navigate through some pretty tough winter conditions. I often say we should be glad that we don’t have to find a place to sleep outside each night.
Happy birding and keep an eye on the birds at the feeding station – and on that sumac.
Hans Kunze is an avid birder and nature enthusiast who has been writing about birds and nature for more than 30 years. He writes for The Daily News twice each month. Write him at 6340 LaGrange Rd Wyoming, NY 14591 or call (585) 813-2676.
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