Here’s what you need to know about winter bird feeding and creating a haven for wild birds in your backyard during the coldest months. The cold and snowy winter months can be hard for all wildlife, including our favorite backyard birds. For wild birds, the tough weeks of winter can be especially hard, as most food has run out. A reliable source of food from our gardens and feeders can make all the difference after a severe snow or ice storm. By keeping your bird feeders full of the food they need, you’ll find that helping backyard birds through the winter is both easy and rewarding. Winter Bird Feeding Wild birds may benefit from bird feeders year-round, but they need them most in winter. Energy-rich seeds and suet provide our feathered friends with the calories they need to keep warm, especially when food is scarce or buried under ice and snow. To attract winter birds to your backyard, consider setting out one or more of the following: Don't have a good bird feeder? … [Read more...] about Tips for Winter Bird Feeding and Care
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Why We Kiss Under Mistletoe–and Other Mistletoe Facts
Why do we kiss under mistletoe at Christmas? The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe started way back in 16th century England. The custom traveled to early America, where kissing under the mistletoe was mentioned in a Washington Irving short story, “The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.” In Irving’s day, whenever a couple kissed under a mistletoe sprig, they took off one of the white berries. When all of the berries were gone from the sprig, the kissing power stopped. How’s that for good luck? Mistletoe Once Symbolized Romance, Fertility, and Vitality At Christmastime, we think of kissing under a sprig of mistletoe. In the 21st century, that mistletoe sprig might be artificial. Yet, most folks (like me!) prefer the real thing and order fresh or dried mistletoe to carry on the "kiss under the mistletoe" tradition. Some scholars believe that the ancient Greeks started the kissing tradition when they celebrated Kronia. The Kronia celebration was in the winter, … [Read more...] about Why We Kiss Under Mistletoe–and Other Mistletoe Facts
Feed Birds with Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
Making homemade birdseed ornaments is a great project that is fun, kid-friendly, inexpensive, and it feeds birds such as cardinals, finches and grosbeaks. As if that wasn't enough, making homemade birdseed ornaments results in great gifts that are fun to give during the holiday season. Birdseed ornaments and wreaths fit the “bill” on all counts. (Did you see how I snuck that pun in?) Feeding songbirds is a great way for us to interact with nature. Plus, homemade bird seed ornaments help birds get through the tough months of autumn and winter. That’s when available food is scarce, and wild birds need all the help they can get. Studies show that consistent bird feeding produces significantly earlier egg laying dates, larger clutches of eggs, and higher chick weights across a wide range of bird species. Feeding birds is not only good for the birds, it makes bird lovers happy. Here’s how I create homemade birdseed ornaments for my bird friends—and for my people friends, … [Read more...] about Feed Birds with Homemade Birdseed Ornaments
How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard
If you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard and garden, you are in good company. It seems like everyone loves hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are known as the “winged jewels” of the garden. This moniker is appropriate, since the iridescent feathers of hummingbirds reflect gorgeous jeweled tones of brilliant red, vibrant violet, metallic green and blue, and shimmering gold. A hummingbird’s feathers are actually designed to reflect light. That’s why these beautiful birds can look quite dull in the shade, which aids in their ability to hide from predators. Hummingbirds Live in the Americas When it comes to attracting hummingbirds, it’s important to know the reality of hummingbird geography. Quite simply, you can’t attract hummingbirds to your yard if you live where there aren’t any hummingbirds. There are more than 320 species of hummingbirds in the world—and they only live in the Americas. The majority of these extraordinary birds can be found near the equator in … [Read more...] about How to Attract Hummingbirds to Your Yard
