Feed the birds this winter~ (2 Viewers)

[Nature__lover]

Hi I just thought I'd remind any new birders that winter is the most important time to feed, but you don't need to spend lots of money on feeders and bird food.
all these things are perfect for birds in winter;

Cooked (it must be cooked) plain rice or pasta.
try not to feed bread too much but crumbled wholemeal is fine.
halved apples and pears (if they're too soft for your liking, the birds won't mind!)
fat balls and fat cakes are perfect fatty treats for winter (if you want a homemade recipe you can ask me )
cut open jacket potatoes or boiled or roasted potatoes or
mash potato with seed mixed in.
plain, cooked couscous.
grated cheese.


Ensure that the area where you feed your birds is kept clean to keep vermin such as rats away. Put out small quantities and sweep any debris from the ground. Birds will not eat food that has gone off so regularly clear away old food and disinfect the area to prevent the spread of bacteria.

I would personally avoid putting food on the ground as it is hard to clean especially if it's on grass.

So I would put it out on a bird table or on a hanging tray feeder (get a thin baking tray, drill a hole in each corner and thread string through as handles to hang off a tree branch)

If anyone else has any good bird food ideas please comment!

 

[wildlifelove]

I back this point right up! If your going to start feeding your birds then do it now! It's winter so that means less food for birds and it's so hard for them to find food..With snow on the ground it's hard for birds to find worms and naturals so if you can get a few fat balls (try and put them in a feeder with out the netting as small birds like robins, tits and sparrows can get there small feet stuck) try and get some water out i no it's hard with the weather freezing it but that's why birds find it hard to find water!

 

[wildlifelove]

P.S... Nature_lover's fat cake is very good! i would try it. It works a treat

 

[Nature__lover]

thanks wildlifelove

 

[pwrpckron]

Feed the Birds this winter

We fed the Sparrows all winter in Bowman, ND...... we hated to do it but we pulled out and left. We dumped out at least 30lbs of seeds on the ground in the RV Park before we left, hope it will supply them for a few more weeks till spring and it warms up.

 

[Nature__lover]

pwrpckron , I'm sure they'll do fine - and that was a very kind thing to do!

 

[JulieSmith]

Going to try the mash potatoe trick for my garden! thanks.

 

[starseven]

I've a pet budgie and he loves eating mashed potato! He likes walking through it even more though...

This got me wondering, is it a good thing to provide warm food in winter? Or is there no advantage for them in eating warm food over cold?

Also, is there a reason why it's best to offer halved fruit rather than cutting it any smaller? And I would very much like your recipe for fat cakes if you don't mind!

 

[bongofury]

I And I would very much like your recipe for fat cakes if you don't mind!

Not sure what recipe Nature_Lover has but here's mine which you can try (Great Spotted Woodpeckers and Starlings love it):

Melt 2 blocks of lard. Take off the heat.
Mix in, in equal measure, porridge oats and peanut granules [you can crush peanuts yourself, or many shops sell them, such as Pets at Home] with a couple of large spoonfuls of whatever flour you have to hand. Mix it all up and add more peanuts and oats until you have a gooey substance.
Put cake cases into a tray and spoon out - you should get around 14.
Wait to cool.
Chill in the fridge til you're ready to put them out into a suitable feeder.

 

[Laggard]

Why must the rice be cooked?

 

[bongofury]

Why must the rice be cooked?

It will swell in the birds' stomachs if it is fed dry. The cooking process avoids this happening.

 

[Laggard]

It will swell in the birds' stomachs if it is fed dry. The cooking process avoids this happening.

I thought that urban legend was squashed long ago. Surprised to see it here.

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp

"This silly myth pops up periodically, and it is absolutely unfounded ... Many migrating ducks and geese depend on winter-flooded rice fields each year to fatten up and build strength for their return trek to northern nesting grounds. Uncooked, milled rice is no more harmful to birds than rice in the field." Another authority, the Curator of Ornithology at the University of California at Berkeley, agrees. Ned Johnson, a professor of biology at Berkeley who lectures frequently on the food and feeding of birds, added, "It's a myth. There is no reason why birds, including small songbirds, can't eat rice."

 

[bongofury]

I thought that urban legend was squashed long ago. Surprised to see it here.

Well I never. I have heard and read this so many times and it turns out to be completely wrong. The RSPB advice is similar:

Cooked rice, brown or white (without salt added) is beneficial and readily accepted by all species during severe winter weather. Uncooked rice may be eaten by birds such as pigeons, doves and pheasants but is less likely to attract other species.

 

[kennethwfd]

would emphasise the point about water when there is a freeze, they need water as much as food, and you may attract something which would not normally come to a bird feeding station. A ball floating on the surface creates movement and helps to stop water freezing

 

[GREENGRASS]

would emphasise the point about water when there is a freeze, they need water as much as food, and you may attract something which would not normally come to a bird feeding station. A ball floating on the surface creates movement and helps to stop water freezing

A good point and one I always forget but not this year.
Paul. :t: