Caring for Birds in the Winter Wildlife Garden

Your wildlife garden can be the key to bird survival through the winter. You can create rest stops for migrating birds to provide them with everything they need to fuel their long journey.

It’s easy to discover which birds migrate through your wildlife garden so that you can lay out the welcome mat for them.

Here are some ways you can care for birds during a cold winter with your wildlife garden:

Provide food: Keep a bird feeder filled with high-energy food such as black oil sunflower seeds or suet.

Offer water: Place a bird bath or keep a small pond unfrozen to provide birds with access to drinking water.

Create shelter: Place bird houses or plant evergreen shrubs and trees to provide birds with a place to roost and escape cold winds.

Keep bird houses clean: Clean bird houses annually to prevent the buildup of bacteria and parasites.

Minimize disturbance: Avoid disturbing birds by reducing noise and activities near bird-friendly areas during the winter months.

Protect bird habitats: Avoid cutting down trees and shrubs during the winter months as these provide important shelter for birds.

Provide cover: Consider planting native evergreens or installing brush piles to provide additional cover and shelter for birds.

Reduce lights: Minimize nighttime lights as they can disorient birds and make them more vulnerable to predation.

Encourage natural food sources: Plant native shrubs and berry-producing trees to provide birds with natural sources of food.

Monitor bird activity: Keep an eye on the birds in your garden and provide extra food and water if necessary during severe weather events.