Lifestyles of the Wet and Happy on Monday, September 07, 2009

As the season changes, so do the birds! The weeks of parched gardens and pollen-laden air are behind us. This November we’ll welcome fog-shrouded mornings, brooding skies and breathtaking sunsets. And we welcome the birds of autumn, coming from higher elevations and the more northerly locales of their summer homes.

Who are the autumn arrivals? We welcome Spotted Towhees, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows, Varied Thrushes, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Pine Siskins.

What feeders are best for our rainy-weather guests? You’ll appreciate screened feeders, rain domes, and low-maintenance tube feeders during our wetter months.  Platform feeders appeal to the widest range of birds.  Tubular seed feeders and wood hopper feeders also work well in wet weather. 

What food is best in autumn? 

1) Black oil sunflower seed is the year-round favorite, of course.  At this time of year, white proso millet becomes more popular since it appeals to the newly-arrived sparrows and other ground-feeding birds.

2) Try Northwest Mix or Pacific No Waste in a platform feeder for optimum autumn feeding.  Northwest Mix is a blend of plenty of black oil sunflower seeds plus millet and cracked corn.  Pacific No Waste is the same basic mix with all the hulls removed.  It’s great for a patio or apartment/condo deck:  since it’s all food, there are no seed hulls left behind and nothing can sprout. 

3) Be sure to offer suet!  It’s a high-energy food that is a great substitute for insects, which become more scarce in cooler weather.

4) If you’d like to help our resident Anna’s Hummingbirds through the winter, keep your nectar feeder clean and filled.  They are likely to become quite loyal to your feeder if you are consistent.

It was Benjamin Franklin who said that rain, “which descends from the Heavens upon our vineyards [is] ... a constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.” We know that we live in “God’s country”, and our newly-arrived bird guests must feel that way as well.