Hello neighbor and happy new year! By now, you’ve hunkered down in the armchair with a sigh

and a seed catalog. You’re not the only one dreaming about seeds. Look out the window. That

chirping chickadee is singing the blues if you haven’t left some perennials standing with seed

pods. That goldfinch is hoping you planted shrubs with berries. Those bluebirds have been

blown off course in our latest storm and are searching for shelter. And all of our feathered

friends are thirsty.

Don’t put your feet up yet, my friend. Our feathered wildlife especially need our help in the

winter months. Food becomes scarce, weather conditions become severe, and water sources

are frozen. You can increase birds’ survival rates with a few simple steps. Choosing high fat

options for feeding such as nuts, suet and unsalted peanut butter amps up the calories for

these little guys. One of the most popular options to feed them is black oil sunflower seeds and

mealworms are especially high in nutrition.

I know you woke up today thinking, “today’s the perfect day to make bird cookies!” Lucky for

you that I have a recipe for that and it’s easy peasy. Mix 7 grams of unflavored gelatin with ¼

cup water. Mix in birdseed. Push into cookie cutters. I usually let the whole concoction dry and

then push a needle through with some heavy thread to hang it. You can also push a straw

through to make a hole for yarn. Importing a child for this activity ramps up the excitement and

the birdseed sprinkled throughout your house.

Another easy natural birdfeeder is to slather pinecones in unsalted peanut butter, then roll

them in a bowl of seeds. Attach to a tree with yarn. If you thought it was fun to do the previous

bird cookie with kids, you can imagine the joy when you add peanut butter to the mix!

My very favorite homemade birdfeeder, however, depends on my husband’s love of citrus

fruits in the winter. My granddaughter and I steal his empty orange halves. We punch 4 holes

around the rim. A skewer works well for this. We fill the bowl with peanut butter, then smash

as much birdseed as we can on top. You’ll probably know enough to wash your hands before

then trying to string the yarn through the holes for hanging. In my own defense, I got distracted

by the nine year old trying to taste the seed. By the time the shrieking stopped, we both were

coated in peanut butter and I’m pretty sure I had seed up my nostrils. My husband vowed to

stop eating oranges. I’m sure your experience will be more sedate.

Feeding birds in winter provides those important calories to help them conserve energy and

stay warm, but actually, dehydration is a bigger threat than starvation. Without access to

water, they can’t do a thorough job of preening, which affects their insulation. They lose body

heat. This affects mortality rates. Googling “electric or solar bird baths” will give you lots of

options. You can even simply buy a heating element to put into your existing birdbath. Or, just

put out a shallow bowl of water every day.

With fresh seed put out and a warm birdbath up and running, the birds will be better prepared

for spring breeding and you know what that means: avian party time in your yard come spring!

Now pour yourself that cup of tea and settle in to watch the busy, joyful activity out your

window. I’m off to scrape the last of the peanut butter out of the carpet!