Winter is on its way and some little guys need your help! 

Birds actually rely on home bird feeders during snow storms.  Winter storms can cut off bird food supplies for sometimes weeks at a time if snowfall doesn’t melt, and this can cause birds to starve by the thousands.  Backyard feeders become a food source that is essential to their survival. 

Here are some basic bird feeding tips that can help our fine-feathered friends survive:

Put out feeders with good capacity.

You don’t want to be filling your feeders constantly so you want to have big enough feeders or multiple feeders. Since some species of birds don’t get along well with each other, putting feeders in multiple areas of your yard will let some species establish their own territories.

Keep feeders full.

Birds need energy for long, cold winter nights so filling your feeders regularly is important. Be consistent with feeding, set up a reminder on your smart phone if needed.

Provide proper nutrition.

Here is a dirty secret. Some bird food manufacturers add fillers to their seed! Some good ingredients to look for are sunflowers, peanuts, niger, and millet seeds. Also, be sure to include fats. Suet is a great supplement.

Stock up on seed.

During a winter storm you may not be able to get out for a few days. Also, bird seed tends to be cheaper in the fall.

Clean feeders regularly.

Clean your feeders with a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts hot water.