Backyard Birding

‘Tis the season for harvesting and baking. While you are busy with season favorites, don’t forget about your birds! Fruits and nuts are a little too expensive for me to purchase just four our birds, but even these coveted treats can be offered on a budget. Here are a few ways to take advantage of seasonal items to attract birds to your yard:

1. Squash and pumpkin seeds.

Whether you are carving a field pumpkin, or preparing a pumpkin pie, set aside the seeds. Lay them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in a warm oven. This will speed the process, but they will eventually dry on a counter as well. Store them in a bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them. Nuthatches love them, and many other birds will eat them as well. You can try laying out a slice of pumpkin. At least the squirrels will enjoy this fruity treat,

2. Dried apples.

If you pick apples, set aside a few that are bruised or damaged. These make good applesauce, but there are a number of birds which may be attracted to apples, including robins and bluebirds which do not normally frequent feeders. Slice the fruit thinly and dry in the sun or in a warm oven. Store in the freezer and serve up a nice treat throughout the winter.

3. Apple cores.

A lot of seasonal cooking includes cored apples. Do not just throw those cores away. You can serve them as is and birds will peck at them. Squirrels will also cart them off and store them when they come across them. I dice them and throw them in a bag in the freezer to add to our homemade, imitation suet I put out in the winter months. Birds will eat the apple seeds as well. so be sure to include them!

4. Other fruits.

We eat a lot of fruit in our house, including just about whatever is in season. The cores or pips often have quite a bit of fruit left on them. Children also do not always eat all of the fruit. All of these fruity leftovers get diced up and frozen to be served to the birds at a later date.

5. Nuts.

Many insect eating birds greatly appreciate this high protein food. If any of the nuts in your stores are less than desirable, freeze them for your birds. You can also collect nuts from the trees in your neighborhood, including acorns and walnuts.

I do not feed my birds too many fruits when the weather is warm because I do not like the ants and bees it attracts. It also molds more quickly and since I set it out rarely, it will sometimes go bad before the birds discover it as a food sources. The only exception to this is apple cores. I hang them from our lilac bush regularly and it is always consumed within a day. During the winter, however, the fruit remains frozen and is normally eaten before I discard it. I also add it to my suet recipe which the birds love.

birding, backyard birding, birdwatching