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feathers, was a testament to his grace, and the amazing charisma of this avian ambassador from the world outside the window.
Whenever I think of that event, I have a special reason to be happy that Clay and I still feed birds today.
If you already feed birds too, you’re not alone. More than 68 million Americans, among them 2.1 million Virginians, watch and feed birds and other wildlife around their homes, according to the latest survey by the LLS. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Starting simple
But if you don’t feed birds yet, it’s not too late to start. With the coldest days of the year upon us, this is the time when buds can most take advantage of welltended feeders.
Bruce Jones [no relation to me, though he is my mentor in the world of birds and native plants] documented the “Birds of Rappahannock” in his columns in this newspaper in 2004. He has a simple recommendation.
“If I fed only one thing, it would be black oil sunflower seeds,” he said during a recent visit to his extraordinarily birdfriendly home. “They’re high in protein and fat, the two nutrients which birds most need in cold weather, and are eaten by most birds.”
Suet is another simple, nutritious choice. “With suet, Fve had birds at my feeders that I would never have otherwise seen, like the brown creeper,” Jones said. This winter visitor from the north usually clings inconspicuously to tree trunks, looking for overwintering insects in crevices.
Woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and cardinals all are highly attracted to suet It also has two advantages over seed. Nothing is spilled cm the ground, and suet feeders need to be refilled only every week or two.
Jones also uses hulled sunflower seeds, also called sunflower kernels or hearts. ‘They’re more expensive, but birds with soft beaks can’t crack open the hard sunflower hulls ” One example is the sweet singing Carolina wren, which lives primarily on spiders but needs extra help to survive cold spells.
Peanuts can be provided in specially designed feeders, as can thistle (also called niger) seed, though they also cost more
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