winterizing the bird feeders

[AllegroRondo]

This is my first year with bird feeders. I've been keeping the feeders full all summer, and just added a suet cage. Lately, they've been eating a LOT more. Usually I fill the feeders once a week, but now its about every 3 days.

Is there anything I need to do for the winter? Add more suet? Add some fruit? Will they be OK with the same seed blends Ive been buying all year?
It doesnt get incredibly cold here, but it does get below freezing at times, and we get the occasional snow.

[semillama]

1. What seed blends have you been using?

Being in St. Louis, you're probably ok with the same stuff you've been using, but check your field guides to see what might come in for the winter. I'm a little farther north, and if I were feeding right now, I'd be switching to finch food for our winter finch invasion!

I have a crappy backyard with no nearby trees or cover of any kind, so I'm not currently feeding.

Speaking of St. Louis, my dad is visiting and he stopped in Fairview Heights on his way over to see his cousins, and they had a White-throated Sparrow, which apparently isn't that common there (Very common here!). So maybe focus on stuff sparrows like?

Do you have a hummingbird feeder up? I'd suggest doing that to see if you can't luck into one of these southwestern vagrants that the east sees every winter.

[AllegroRondo]

2. I am getting lots of finches

Im using a combination of sunflower seeds, nuts, and some dried fruit. I get it at Costco, the birds here seem to love it. Lots of purple finches, house finches, goldfinches, cardinals, chickadees, tufted titmice, and the occasional woodpecker. And a group of mourning doves that hang around on the grass picking up leftovers.

We do have a good variety of sparrows, but they dont come by the feeders often. We had a Eurasian Tree Sparrow that came by occasionally in the spring, but not lately. What kinds of seeds would I put out for sparrows? Maybe I can get them their own feeder.

I think the hummingbirds are gone, and I wouldnt want to leave a feeder out for them as it gets below freezing at night already. Im afraid it would crack.

[semillama]

3. You put on a type of thermal sleeve for the feeder

I have seen people use dark woolen socks. It's not too late for hummingbirds. There's a Rufuous Hummingbird in Ohio right now, and an extremely late juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan visiting a feeder, so you're probably safe leaving one up and hoping for a visitor.

as far as sparrow mixes, what you are using now is probably fine. Keep an eye out for Pine Siskins!

[AllegroRondo]

4. I saw my first Pine Siskin last Saturday!

Im still new to this, my life list in under 100 so far, so Im thrilled with every new sighting.

[vireo]

5. For sparrows

I buy millet in bulk and just scatter it on the ground; also is good for the doves.

[Imalittleteapot]

6. Peanuts

We have a feeder for shelled peanuts and one for peanuts in shells. They get a lot off activity from woodpeckers, blue jays,
titmice and chickadees.

Wrens and woodpeckers love peanut suet.

We use black oil sunflower and safflower seed in a feeder that attracts cardinals, titmice, chickadees and dove. We scatter mixed grain seeds on the ground for sparrows and other ground feeders.

Plant shrubs with berries for the berry eaters. Robins and mockingbirds love our holly and mahonia berries in the dead of winter. I've also seen cardinals eat mahonia berries.

We get some undesirable birds, but chalk it up to part of the deal. I don't mind the squirrels. They need to eat too.

As time goes by your birds will tell other birds who will tell other birds that you're running a pretty good birdie cafe. We can't keep up with it, filling the seed feeder morning and night and scattering ground seed 2-3 times a day.