A good feed and an excellent source of calcium for all types of birds would be a chicken egg shell, as well as regular chalk - you can also put them in the feeder.
In the forest or just outside the city, tits, bullfinches, jays, fieldfares, nuthatches, sparrows, goldfinches, waxwings, pikas, siskins and other wild birds become frequent guests of feeders. On the streets of the city they are also supplemented by magpies, crows, jackdaws and pigeons. Recently, ducks have also been left to spend the winter in city parks: experts explain this by the large number of feeders, but it should be remembered that ducks, like other birds, should never be given rich bread - this product has a negative effect on the digestive system, as a result of which animals die.
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How to properly feed tits and sparrows in winter
Before you run and pour mountains of food into the bird feeder, you should remember that there should not be a lot of it. But this only applies to those cases when there is no severe frost outside. The whole point is that tits and sparrows need to be fed, and not given a feast. Otherwise, they will stop searching for food on their own, which will have a detrimental effect on their ability to survive.
It is best to place feeders on tree branches, but high from the ground. This is done to prevent rodents and pets from getting to the food and birds. In addition, food should be added to the feeder on a schedule so that tits and sparrows become accustomed to the schedule. It should also be taken into account that the process of feeding birds should be carried out until spring, so that hungry birds do not circle around the feeder.
Unique bird food
Ornithologists recommend making bait that contains 75% sunflower seeds. Since this food has a high calorie content. It is this that will be the main energy source, moreover, for absolutely every bird, both granivores and woodpeckers. Nuthatches and bullfinches also like this type of feeding. Basically, it is the seeds, which contain a large number of vegetable fats, that allow birds to survive in the winter.
Ornithologists also advise placing calcium baits in feeders, which are used to feed ordinary poultry. As a rule, this is construction plaster, eggshell.
Plant and tree seeds
Almost all birds prefer grain food. This includes the following cereals:
- wheat;
- rice;
- oats
That is why if you don’t know what to put in a bird feeder, then feel free to add grain and in the near future sparrows, pigeons, and other species of birds will flock to the meal. In addition, birds enjoy the seeds of watermelons and pumpkins, which must first be crushed, with great pleasure. Birds also feed well on hemp, burdock and even corn.
Many birds also like quinoa seeds, which you can prepare yourself . To do this, plants are cut in the summer, tied into brooms, and in this form they are stored until the onset of cold weather. After the onset of winter, they are simply stuck into a snowdrift located near the feeding site. If desired, quinoa can be threshed, and the resulting grain mixed with other cereals for feeding. Most granivorous birds, especially titmice, adore nettle seeds. But goldfinches prefer burdock seeds; if bullfinches often fly into the bird’s dining room, then it is preferable to add horse sorrel seeds.
They love birds and the seeds of some trees, such as ash and maple. Such seeds are also called lionfish. In autumn, they fall to the ground and many birds no longer have the opportunity to feed on them. Therefore, they can be collected in advance and simply hung on feeders during the winter cold. Such seeds are very popular among bullfinches, waxwings and many other birds that visit dining rooms in the winter.
Animal products
In times of hunger for birds, you can use raw meat and lard or add beef and chicken fat as food. Tits and nuthatches will enjoy such food, and other birds are especially eager to consume such foods. But it should be noted that meat feed should not contain salt, and should also be cut into small slices and hung on a string, and then on a tree or bush. Moreover, in such a way that dogs, cats and heavy birds could not reach it.
Meat products are quite high in calories, and birds desperately need such food during the cold season. Animal fat, which is found in meat, can be mixed with grain and you will get such a high-calorie puff pastry. Such pies are usually placed in vegetable nets and tied on branches.
Tits, woodpeckers and pikas especially love lard from sheep, pork and horse meat. Usually such lard is melted and poured over the branches and trunk of a tree. And in winter, birds simply peck at frozen greasy streaks .
Nuts, cones and berries
The most beautiful visitors to bird canteens, such as waxwings and bullfinches, are very fond of delicious rowan berries and hawthorn. But they need to be prepared first. This is done simply - just collect the crop from the trees in the spring and dry it. And in winter, plant the berries on twine and hang it on the trees.
For crossbills and woodpeckers, the main food is cones, which must be harvested in the autumn. But acorns are more suitable for jays. By the way, if you fill the feeders with such food, you can see squirrels in addition to birds; they also love such bait.
What you can and cannot feed tits and sparrows in winter
What you can feed:
| Food: | Peculiarities: | Who eats: |
| Sunflower (seeds) | Seeds should make up almost 70-75% of the total feed (they are filling and high in calories, and contain a lot of fat) | Tits, woodpeckers, sparrows, nuthatches and other granivorous birds |
| Millet | Raw or boiled cereal (without spices and oil) | Sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, greenfinches and other granivores |
| Millet | Dry food (often sold as pet parrot food in pet stores) | Sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, greenfinches and other granivores |
| Oats | Raw or boiled cereal (without spices and oil) | Sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, greenfinches and other granivores |
| Wheat | Raw or boiled cereal (without spices and oil) | Sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, greenfinches and other granivores |
| Rice | Raw or boiled cereal (without spices and oil) | Sparrows, goldfinches, pigeons, greenfinches and other granivores |
| Meat | Pieces of raw or dried meat, finely chopped. Without any salt or spices! | Tits, nuthatches and other species (crows, jackdaws and magpies may arrive) |
| Salo | Raw lard without salt! It can be strung on a thread and hung | Tits, nuthatches and other species (crows, jackdaws and magpies may arrive) |
| Beef fat or chicken fat | It can be mixed with bread or placed separately in the feeder. Fat should not be salty! | Tits, nuthatches and other species (crows, jackdaws and magpies may arrive) |
| Dried rowan (viburnum, hawthorn) | The berries must be prepared in advance and dried in the fall. They can be placed in a feeder or hung with beads | Bullfinches, waxwings |
| Maple seeds (lionfish) | They should be collected in the fall, when they fall from the trees. In winter, such food is often inaccessible to birds, as it is covered with leaves. Mud and snow | Bullfinches, waxwings |
| Cones | From various types of coniferous trees, should be collected in the fall | Woodpeckers, crossbills |
| Nuts | Any fresh nuts, not salted (like store-bought peanuts) and not roasted | Woodpeckers jays and other species |
| Acorns | Gathered in autumn | jays |
| Corn | Dried | |
| Watermelon and melon grains | Good source of fats and nutrients (prepared in the summer, dried) | Bullfinches, jays, woodpeckers |
| Pumpkin seeds | Good source of fats and nutrients (prepared in the fall) | All granivorous bird species |
| Chicken egg shell | Serves as a good calcium supplement (you can put a piece of natural chalk in the feeder) | For all types of birds |
conclusions
As conclusions, here is a complete guide and advice from ornithologists in one table:
| What can you feed | What not to feed |
| Unroasted and unsalted sunflower, pumpkin, flax, watermelon and melon seeds | Black rye bread |
| Unsalted lard and meat | Millet and wheat groats |
| Dried berries: rowan, viburnum, bird cherry, hawthorn, cranberry, lingonberry | Baked goods and yeast baked goods |
| Wheat bread crackers | Potatoes, peas, cabbage, onions, spicy herbs |
| Eggshells and chalk | Dairy |
| Boiled eggs | Any salted, fried, smoked, spicy foods |
| Non-roasted nuts: walnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts | Spoiled food, rancid grain products |
| Cereals: oats, rice, millet, pearl barley, oatmeal | Cereals: millet, buckwheat and barley crops |
Why can’t you feed birds salted lard and fried seeds?
Any disease that affects a bird in the winter becomes many times more dangerous for it than it would be in the summer. Gastrointestinal diseases in birds are quite common, as during harsh winters they may eat junk food in search of survival. This food is offered to them by a person who knows little about the feeding habits of animals.
INTERESTING: It turns out that chewing gum thrown away by humans is often perceived by birds as a piece of bread. They peck at it, but then die, since the chewing gum completely inhibits and clogs their digestive tract.
When offering lard to tits and other birds, make sure that you do not cut it from the salty part. Salt is poison for birds. Their kidneys and liver cannot digest and remove it, and therefore such a product will be certain death for the small creature.
Menu for poultry canteens
To make bird food more varied, you can prepare a special mixture for bird feeder visitors. As a rule, such a menu should include the following components:
- Sunflower seeds - 500 grams;
- white millet - 350 grams;
- corn grains - 150 grams.
For more high-calorie feeding for feathered visitors to the feeder, you can make a special pie. To prepare the bird treat, you will need three glasses of margarine, which must first be softened (you can replace margarine with any fat). To it you need to add three glasses of millet and one glass of sunflower oil. As additional ingredients you can add rolled oats, apple peel, nuts, sugar. All ingredients must be mixed and frozen until solid. Place the bird pie in a cardboard box and hang it on a tree.
Almost all birds eat bacon skins very well, but they must be finely chopped. They also like canned pet food. Birds will not remain indifferent to boiled eggs or potatoes. You can feed them to rolled oats, but in flakes and not in finished form. In addition, they can be given ordinary dried larvae, insects and pupae.
How to get kids involved in bird feeding
It is best to feed birds in winter together with children. This way they will learn to care for our smaller brothers and love nature. To do this, you can turn feeding tits and sparrows into a game.
For example, one piece of lard can be tied to a branch, and from the bottom you can make a small swing from another piece. This way the birds will have lunch, and the children will have fun seeing a titmouse on a swing.
If you wait long enough, the bird will take food even from human hands, but for this you will need to be patient.
Alternatively, you can take the pine cones and roll them in bird treats, and then hang them on tree branches. Simply put, the act of simply feeding birds during the winter season can lift spirits even in inclement weather. Everything, of course, depends on a person’s imagination.
What food is best for feeding wild birds?
The high nutritional value and high calorie content of the food will give the birds a lot of energy and ensure the creation of fat reserves that will help the birds survive the cold winter nights. Therefore, you need to feed the birds in your garden with quality food.
Most garden bird species will enjoy sunflower seeds, nuts, and live or dried mealworms. For convenience, you can use ready-made specialized high-quality mixtures for birds. At the same time, choose food that contains a large amount of sunflower and millet seeds. Mixtures with lots of unappetizing fillers, such as wheat and corn, are not very attractive to birds.
Avoid seed mixtures that contain beans, peas, rice and lentils. Only large species of birds can consume them in dry form, but such birds very rarely fly to feeders. But prepared bird food and sunflower seeds are not the only suitable foods you can feed your birds.
By using kitchen scraps as bird food, you are using your excess food for a good cause. But you could just throw them away! By turning waste into food for birds, you have nothing to lose. And the birds enjoy a wide variety of food, flying to the feeders again and again.
Attention: do not forget that the basis of the diet when feeding birds should still be specialized mixtures or sunflower seeds. If birds ate nothing but kitchen scraps, they would not be able to obtain enough nutrients for healthy growth and energy. However, poor nutrition can lead to health problems, such as obesity or feather deformation. To avoid harm, offer food scraps in limited quantities.
Where can you put food?
People often sprinkle grain on the ground or stumps in parks or forests. You can see for yourself that this is not the best idea by observing the birds for a while. To avoid feeding pigeons, rooks, magpies, mice and rats, it is better to make a small feeder and hang it on a branch. Then large birds will not be able to drive away small tits from the feeder. In addition, make sure there is a “roof” that will protect the food from the snow - without shelter, the food will quickly get wet.
Examples of feeders:
- From a plastic bottle
- Made of wood
Birds need to be fed correctly
Every year, environmentalists appeal to all residents of the city and villages with a request to show kindness and mercy and hang feeders near their homes. Put grain, seeds, bread crumbs there, and the birds will thank you in the spring. They will destroy pests and entertain you with melodious singing.
It is important to remember that birds receive only part of the necessary food from humans, and must find the rest of their diet independently in nature. An essential condition for a successful feeder is the size of the inlet opening. It should be wide enough so that the bird can easily get inside the feeder and leave it without hindrance. And if you are patient enough, you can train nuthatches and tits to eat right from your hand.
Who to feed in winter
First of all, small representatives of the passerine family need feeding. City residents traditionally love doves - biblical symbols of peace and purity. In urban conditions they cope well without outside help.
Let your attention be focused on insectivorous species that switch to plant food with the first snow. It is more difficult for them to survive in cities, but they bring many benefits to the environment. When spring comes, these small birds will begin to eat dangerous insects that destroy parks and squares.
Save the tit in winter, and it will save the tree in summer. Great and blue tits, brown-headed tits and marsh tits, nuthatches, and common pikas are not a complete list of those that trees need most. Bullfinches, larks, partridges, sparrows and other helpless birds that are hampered by a thick layer of snow in their search for food also need feeding.
Is it possible to give tangerines to birds?
What should not be given to birds: salty, fried, sour, hot, spicy peels of citrus fruits - lemons, tangerines, oranges; black bread is strictly forbidden - it contains more salt and yeast than wheat, it causes fermentation and diarrhea, and if left to be preserved goiter, the bird may die
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Which birds come to the feeder in winter, and which bird will not appear at the feeder in winter?
When installing a feeder, you should be aware that it is always a source of debris. Therefore, feeders have no place on windowsills and balconies of houses (your neighbors may complain). It is best to install it on trees at a height where they will not be accessible to children who want to misbehave and knock it down (or add junk food).
Read also: How to attract birds to your garden
It is possible that along with the “good-natured” birds, you will also notice “brazen” thieves such as crows, pigeons, magpies and jackdaws. However, most often they eat in feeders:
- Sparrows
- Bullfinches
- Tits
- Nuthatches
- jays
- Goldfinch
- Crossbill
- Pika
- Waxwing
- Chizh
Birds wintering in the city
