Saving the World One Bird at a Time

Our backyard bird feeders can make a difference! Especially this time of the year. During periods of cold and severe winter weather, our birds will utilize them as the cricitial source of food that enables them to survive from day to day. I read about a 3-year study in Wisconsin that concluded that when temperatures fall below 10 degrees, Black-capped Chickadees (which happen to be my very favorite bird) have only a 37% survival rate as opposed to the much higher 69% survival rate for those able to utilize feeders. That's a substantial difference. And if chickadees are represenative of our other feeder birds, then our feeders can make a big difference in the number of birds that survive the winter.

Also, birds may burn up to 10% of their body weight in stored fat each night to stay warm...and this fat must be replaced every day. Be sure to keep your feeeds filled with the high-energy, high-fat foods that provide your birds with the crucial nutrition they need to survive. What would this world be without them. So get out there and feed those little birds!