By Tammy Thornton
If you had snuck a peek into my living room when I was young, you might have seen a little girl dancing around belting out songs from a Mary Poppins record playing “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. (Yes, I’m that old.) You may have also heard a mournful tune from that same little girl mistakenly singing the strange line, “Feed the birds, puffins away!” As you may recall, the poor little old bird woman from the movie selling crumbs for the birds at “tuppence a bag” indirectly plays a big part of the story as Mary Poppins tries to teach her little charges (and Mr. Banks) compassion and charity.
As the second verse goes:
“Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you’ll be glad if you do
Their young ones are hungry
Their nests are so bare
All it takes is a tuppence from you…
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag”
Well, unless you are actually using bags of crumbs, birdseed these days costs a bit more than two pence. But watching these little winged-friends visit your backyard and feeder can be very rewarding indeed. During the winter, they are eager for a little generosity, since fruit and seeds aren’t as plentiful as in spring and summer.
While a bag of mixed wild bird seed can attract a variety of birds, I find that they are often packed with fillers like corn and millet. These can be wasteful and attract bully black birds like starlings and grackles. Those types of birds take over and scare the songbirds away. Instead, I prefer using a higher quality fruit and nut blend of birdseed. Though it’s a little pricier than a generic wild bird seed mix, the lack of waste makes it a good value. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, cardinals, wrens, and many songbirds feast at my feeder gobbling up this high energy blend containing sunflower seeds, nuts, and fruit. It’s surprising how many different types of woodpeckers frequent our feeders. My family has enjoyed seeing downy and hairy woodpeckers, Northern flickers, and red-bellied woodpeckers (which barely have red on their “bellies” but look like they have red slicked-back hair, causing my brother to nick-name them the “Elvis” woodpecker).
If you really enjoy feeding birds as a hobby, over time, you may wish to attract a particular type of bird by offering them specific food. Many years ago, when visiting my family in Pittsburgh, I noticed beautiful yellow and black goldfinches covering my aunt’s feeder. I was excited to learn that the eastern goldfinch (also known as the American goldfinch) is the state bird of New Jersey and is commonly found in South Jersey. They prefer Nyjer seed, a tiny black seed that requires a feeder with small holes or a pre-filled “sock” feeder. Goldfinches also enjoy sunflower seeds and pulling the thistle-like seeds from my coneflowers and hanging out on my verbena bonariensis. As the days grow colder, you may think that your goldfinch friends have migrated. They are still around, but donning their dull winter plumage and travelling incognito.
Safflower is another type of birdseed that I enjoy using for various reasons. These seeds attract chickadees, cardinals, titmice, nuthatches, finches, blue jays, and woodpeckers. But what I really love about safflower is that squirrels don’t like it. Squirrels are my bane in the garden and I really enjoy being able to hang a feeder on a hook right outside my window without fear of those rascals trashing it. When I use anything that squirrels like (sunflower seeds, suet, nuts, etc.), I must go through physical and mental acrobatics to keep this seed out of reach. So, having an alternative that appeals to so many songbirds makes me quite happy. Just be careful to avoid the mistake that I made. Once, I grabbed a bag of hulled sunflower seeds (they look very much like safflower seeds). I absent-mindedly filled my vulnerable feeder and within hours, the squirrels had demolished yet another feeder. If I could write the lyrics to that Mary Poppins song today, they would go, “feed the birds, squirrels away!”
Shore Local News would love to hear about the birds that visit our readers’ backyards in the winter months. Drop us a line and let us know what works for you. Send your comments, pictures, or questions to shorelocalgardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton is a mom of four, a substitute teacher, and a Sunday school teacher. She is passionate about gardening and cooking, and loves the beach.
