Channel 7: How to Feed Birds for the Winter

Posted on January 11, 2010 by admin

After the busy holiday season, January is a perfect time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the birds.  During this time of year, their natural food sources have been depleted.  Because our winters here in Colorado can be bitter cold and snowy (like ours so far) or mild and sunny, birds will appreciate a high-calorie seed mix loaded with black-oil sunflower, high-fat foods such as suet and penuts.

The price of bird feeders and seed can cost a small fortune.  However, making your own bird food mix is very cost effective and can provide crucial nutrients for winter survival.

Bertha and Phil will do a hands-on demonstration of home-made bird feeders for the winter.

Example of a recipe (use to put inside a pinecone or a branch with holes drilled in):

  • 1 Cup Peanut Butter
  • 2 Cups Corn Meal
  • 2 Cups Quick Cook Oats
  • 1 Cup Lard or Suet
  • 1/3 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Cup White Flour

Prepare by melting lard/suet and peanut butter together and stir.  Add remaining ingredients.  Allow mixture to cool.  Cut into squares and keep unused portions in the freezer.

Shrubs and Trees to plant to provide food and shelter for birds for the winter:

Trees:

  • Hawthorn
  • Oak
  • Mountain Ash
  • Rocky Mountain Juniper
  • Austrian Pines
  • Pinon Pines
  • Spruces
  • Firs
  • Hackberries
  • Plums
  • Flowering Crabapples

Shrubs:

  • Honeysuckles
  • Snowberries
  • Red Twig Dogwoods
  • Yellow Twig Dogwoods
  • Sumacs
  • Coralberries
  • Serviceberries
  • Chokecherries
  • Shrubby Plums

This entry was posted in Gardens