February is National Bird Feeding month, created to encourage people to provide food, water, and shelter to wild birds. Participating in National Bird Feeding month can help bird populations survive winter and provide you some entertainment in your yard!
How can you celebrate National Bird Feeding month?
Everyone has a favorite bird. Is it the beautiful red cardinal that stops by your feeder every morning, or the chickadee, with its distinctive “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call? There are so many birds to see – learn a new species this month and figure out how to attract them to your yard. The Cornell Ornithology Lab has a terrific mobile app “Merlin” to help you identify and support wild birds.
If you are already feeding the birds, add another feeder to your yard; if you don’t have a feeder, now’s a great time to get one! Different birds prefer different feeders, and certain feeders are made for different types of feed. Target new species and attract multiple types of feathered friends to your backyard for more entertainment this year.
Are you in an area where water sources freeze? Add a heated birdbath or fountain to your yard. This will not only provide an essential resource to your feathered friends, but you will likely attract more birds to your yard – birds gather in areas where they can find reliable food, shelter, and water.
The birds will appreciate the extra food and water available to them on cold, rainy, or snowy days; many will also be preparing for migration further north and need the extra food for energy before their long trip. If you are providing food and water, be consistent – birds will become used to the resources. Keep it up all winter and the birds will remember your yard as a safe place full of what they need!
As we celebrate birds this month, plan ahead for spring planting season and determine which flowering trees, shrubs, groundcovers and flowers will bring birds to your home. With Audubon’s Native Plant Database you can find the best plants for the birds in your area. Growing bird-friendly plants will attract and protect the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for, and better for the environment.
Please feel free to share or adapt this article in your newsletter or other customer communications.
National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture
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