Wrens and other birds who don’t mind the cold
Cheryl in Northwest D.C. writes: 鈥淎 wren has built its nest in a corner of my porch. I don鈥檛 mind it being there; I even put something down to catch the droppings. But I鈥檓 concerned that there isn鈥檛 much shelter in the chosen area, and that as it gets colder the bird will not be able to keep itself warm enough. What can or should I do to help the bird get through the winter?鈥�
The short answer is nothing, Cheryl. Although small, wrens are tough little birds that live here year-round; and they love to live near people鈥擨 have wrens nesting on top of a 90 degree turn on one of my house gutters. Cute little chickadees also love to nest near people.
These birds use the protection of their nests and their high metabolisms to keep warm naturally, but you can make them super-happy by providing fresh water and suet feeders.
The best gifts for wild birds
Special thanks to Cheryl in Northwest D.C. who noticed a wren nesting on her porch and thus got us talking about the important topic of wild bird care in winter.
Now, although wild birds don鈥檛 need聽to be fed by us, they would greatly enjoy the easy and highly nutritious food that suet feeders provide in winter. These little cages filled with cakes of suet (rendered fat, often with seeds and nuts mixed in) are a high-energy treat for birds that mimics their typical diet of pest insects. And聽it鈥檚 great fun to watch your featured friends as they hang onto the cages and slowly peck away — giving you a much longer look at these winged wonders than you get with other types of feeders.
Important: Never聽聽feed bread, cake or other low-energy leftovers to wild birds. It fills them up without providing the concentrated nutrition that they need.
Birdseed? I haven鈥檛 offered any in years and have more birds than ever.
Most packaged mixes aren鈥檛 nearly as nutritious as suet cakes, and seed feeders attract Evil Squirrels, mice, rats and voles to feast on all that spilled seed at the base. If feed with seed you must,聽make it oilseed sunflower, which is a highly concentrated source of nutrition. And聽make sure the feeder is designed to catch any overflow to prevent vermin prowling below.
Oh and good luck with the Evil Squirrel part鈥�.
And the birds will pay you back
The list of birds that spend winter right here in our area is long. But my聽聽favorites are woodpeckers, wrens, the chickadee, titmouse and nuthatch.聽 These mostly meat-eating birds are among nature鈥檚 greatest natural pest controllers. Insects聽make up 90 percent or more of their diet, especially in the spring when they鈥檙e raising their young (and when overwintering pest insects are just waking up).
To tap into this great natural resource, put up a bunch of suet feeders right now The high-energy suet cakes directly聽attract the birds that are best at eating your insect pests. Replenish the suet all winter, but stop feeding when the weather starts to warm. The birds will naturally migrate from the suet you鈥檝e provided to the insect pests that would have threatened your plants.
For the best results, you must stop feeding in warm weather. There鈥檚 abundant natural food at that time of year. And what your birds really聽need then is a reliable source of fresh, clean water — especially in the summer, when creeks and streams often dry up.
鈥淚 say cambrium; you say xylem鈥︹��
Last week, I warned you not to remove any bark to make a big cut Christmas tree fit into a too-small stand because 鈥渢rees can only transport water through a specialized layer of cells on the underside of the bark鈥�.
Well, the intrepid research team here at 小萝莉影视 has called me out on my scientific shorthand.
The bark聽, transports nutrients back down聽to the roots from the leaves or needles of a tree. Underneath聽that bark is a very thin layer called the cambrium (that we don鈥檛 have time for). Then聽you have your xylem (or sapwood) in the trunk which actually聽聽brings the water up. I humbly apologize for not previously delivering a full and complete botany lecture in 50 seconds.
Now: Don鈥檛 remove any of the bark or you鈥檒l get a floor full of dropped needles and it鈥檒l be a big mess. Oy.
Your 小萝莉影视 holiday-plant-tip-in-a-minute plot thing:
- Keep the reservoirs of cut Christmas trees filled.
- Don鈥檛 remove any bark to make a tree fit in its stand.
- Keep truly聽live trees (with their roots intact and in soil) in the house the shortest possible time; bring them indoors gradually, move them back outside gradually and dig the planting hole before聽the soil frees hard.
- Give amaryllis bright light until the flowers open; then move to ambient light.
- Keep poinsettia and so-called Norfolk pines indoors; they hate the cold.
- Keep real mistletoe away from children and pets; the berries are toxic.
- And finally, you can keep those stinky paperwhite narcissus from getting too tall and flopping over by giving them a drink. Instead of forcing the little bulbs in water and pebbles alone, use one part 80-proof booze to nine parts water. Unlike humans, alcohol keeps them (And yes, this is absolutely horticultural-journal serious. And you can use any 80 proof libation, but not beer or wine; for some reason they kill the plants.)
- And yes, paperwhites are Merry Christmas anyway.
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