Fall Tips:
With the arrival of colder weather comes a noticeable influx of sparrows and juncos across southern Quebec.
It’s time to bring out your ground trays and millet to attract White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos. With a bit of luck, some of these birds will stick around and visit your feeders all winter long.
Now’s also a great time to reinstall your chickadee feeders (if you had put them away) and to hang up your suet cages. Most birds will soon be looking for higher-energy food like black oil sunflower seeds and rapeseed (canola). Don’t forget to raise your squirrel baffle to account for upcoming snow accumulation.
To protect your feeders from snow or freezing rain, consider adding weather domes above them. Winter is also a great time to offer frozen mealworms in a log feeder, a treat much appreciated by chickadees, woodpeckers, and nuthatches.
And don’t forget water: to keep it available during the winter, use a heated bird bath or add a safe heating element to your existing bath.
