[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s a busy time of the year for birds. Some are leaving our area for warmer climates in Central and South America. Others are arriving from Canada and Alaska. Among our winter birds are house finches, dark-eyed juncos, cedar waxwings, goldfinches, white-breasted nuthatches and various woodpeckers.
If you want to attract these birds, consider making a brush pile on your property. Birds love the shelter provided and the opportunity for roosting. Untidy is best – a pile of leaves can provide mulch that attracts insects birds feed on.
The best feed to attract a large variety of birds is black oil sunflower seeds. I also hang suet blocks and provide nyjer or thistle seeds.
It’s best to skip feed mixtures heavy on milo; many birds will ignore this cheap feed.
Best of all is a landscape of mature trees and shrubs, especially those that produce berries. This includes junipers and shrubs like dogwood, serviceberry and viburnum. Cedar waxwings and yellow-rump warblers especially like berries.
