Snowbirds are Here!



Making treats for snowbirds.

I’m starting to see snowbirds again, and I’m not talking about people from up north who have winter homes in Florida.  I mean the actual birds that migrate to Florida when the weather turns cold where their summer homes are located. 

Just last week, I saw a very noticeable, American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos).  They are bigger than our year-round native brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis).  Although they usually tend to favor coastal shallow marshes for their winter homes, my family is lucky enough to live within a short drive to a few small, shallow lakes that seem to attract a growing number of them every winter.  The location must remind them of their habitat up north.

Another snowbird who is more common in backyards this time of year is the yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata).  Again last week, I noticed small groups of them darting from trees to bushes to the ground, hanging around in our local suburbs.  While they are in our area during the winter, they are attracted to many of our bushes with winter fruits and berries.  If you have the right plants in your backyard, you’ll see these gregarious birds often.  A favorite bush of theirs is the wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), which provides an edible waxy fruit all winter long for them.

There are many other snowbirds here too, making Florida one of the best places to bird watch during this time of year.  Some additional Florida wintering birds include ruby-crowned kinglets (Regulus calendula), Eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe), American robins (Turdus migratorius), cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), palm warblers (Setophaga palmarum), and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis).  If your child is interested in birds, you might want to start an annual tradition with him or her of joining in the Annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which takes place from December 14, 2014 to January 5, 2015.  For more information, check out http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count.  Children of any age who love birds will enjoy helping you spot them for the count.

To start getting your child interested in bird watching, you can attract birds to your backyard by feeding them.  It’s always good to have a permanent feeder located in your yard to keep birds around all year long; but during the winter, additional feeders are important to help birds increase their body fat to keep them warmer during the cold winter months.  To help birds with this, they often change their diets to more fatty foods.  This is a perfect opportunity to have your child help you make special bird feeders ideal for the winter. 

There are all kinds of creations that you and your child can make to help feed birds.  A simple bird feeder to make uses peanut butter spread on pinecones and rolled in bird seed.  Unfortunately, that keeps many children with nut allergies from feeding birds, but allergies shouldn’t prevent feeding and developing a love of wild birds!    



Adding bird seed to
suet-covered bagels.

Although my daughter doesn’t show any signs of allergies, we decided to make some nut free bird feeders today.  We used whole wheat bagels cut in half and threaded a long string through the hole.  My daughter helped me spread berry suet on each bagel, which you can buy at many pet stores or even grocery stores.  I then poured bird seed (nut-free) and small raisins into a bowl and had my daughter dip each suet covered bagel into the bowl so the seeds stuck to the suet.  Then we took them outside and hung them on several trees at different heights.



Hanging snowbird treats.

Unfortunately, any commercial bird seed, even if it does not have nuts in it, is likely made in a factory that makes other seed mixes with nuts, so there is the possibility of cross contamination.  However, even with severe nut allergies, you can still make a similar treat for birds in your home.  There are several recipes online describing how to make suet, which is basically beef fat.  Then you can add your own ingredients for taste from home-grown seed and fruit yielding plants or purchase seeds and fruits from manufacturers who specifically market to people with nut allergies.  

With or without nut allergies, everyone can landscape for birds by planting seed and berry producing plants, bushes, and trees, such as wax myrtle, American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), and dahoon holly (Ilex cassine).  Before long, these snowbirds will be enjoying your yard and bringing a smile to your child’s face. 

With Thanksgiving a day away, I am thankful for my family and the love we share of nature.  As well, I am thankful for the little birds that visit my yard and bring happiness and excitement to my home.  We hope they eat as well as my family will.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Bird treats hung around the yard.