 I have always loved feeding birds and watching them as they flock to the feeder. While I get a wide selection of birds to my feeder over the course of the year, chickadees are the most common and remain all year long.
This time of year they are the first bird to my feeder in the morning and are often waiting for a refill before the crack of dawn. I enjoy their company as I sip my morning coffee and contemplate the tasks I want to complete for the day. For me, feeding the birds allows me to make use of my garden long after the time for planting and growing has passed. If you enjoy feeding winter birds you may be interested to learn that providing high-energy food sources, like suet and black oil sunflower seeds, may make the difference on whether the lovely chickadee survives the winter or not. According to Wild Birds Unlimited, offering food for chickadees during periods when the temperatures drop below 10 degrees F nearly doubles their survival rate. Without supplemental food a mere 37% of chickadees survive the winter, but with your help via a feeder filled with seed the survival rate surges to 69%.
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