Christmas is for the Birds . . . Too!

Christmas Tree of Birds

Originally posted 12/24/2013

As I wait for my last package to be delivered today, Christmas Eve 2013, I watch the wide variety of birds at my platform bird feeder from my kitchen table. I typically see birds that usually don’t feed together, do so in the cold of winter. No doubt the recent days of ice we had in North Texas inspired these feathered friends to share the feeder even more so. Those birds that usually feed on insects during the warmer months find their preferred live food extremely scarce this time of year. Suet, fruit, seed and human left-overs are nice forms of sustenance we can provide them until the warm weather appears again.

I’d like to say here first of all, if you are fortunate enough to have more food than you can eat at Christmas, please say a silent prayer of gratitude with me. Next, if your abundance of food is that which you can share with friends or neighbors, do so! During our recent ice storm, I witnessed one neighbor have pizzas delivered to her family and then I saw her teenaged son take one of the pies over to an elderly mutual neighbor. We are fortunate to have such goodwill among us. However, if your left-overs this season pass their expiration date or you simply receive food items you don’t care for, you may wish to be discerning before you toss them away. Stale pastries, breads, nuts and over-ripe fruit can all be added to your bird feeder.

A few friends you might see at the feeder if you add specific seed or left-overs this winter are:

  • Blue Jays – Love nuts – especially peanuts, whole and shelled. Also like sunflower seed.
  • Mockingbirds – Apples.
  • Cardinals – Sunflower and safflower seed and apples.
  • Doves – Millet and breads.
  • Woodpeckers – Suet.
  • Chickadees – Sunflower seed.
  • Sparrows, wrens & finches – Variety of seed and breads.

My wish for you today, however you may celebrate during the winter months, is that you have happiness, health and always enough food to share. Merry Christmas!

Cindy

Of course, if you choose to set out some perishables for the birds, be sure to clear your feeder in a day or two or you might inadvertently invite a few small mammals to your home that you’d prefer stay outdoors.

This entry was posted in Birds, Seasons and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.