It’s that time of year when bird feeders become busy with winter flocks. I recently added a bird feeder to my backyard, and it is amazing how fast birds find them. Within two hours, a black-capped chickadee curiously perched on the feeder and flew off with a seed in its beak. Moments later another chickadee joined it. Soon a white – breasted nuthatch was gathering seeds and hiding them in the bark crevices of a cottonwood tree. Later in the morning a pair of downy woodpeckers were pecking at suet and small flock of Dark-eyed juncos were hopping around on the ground searching for seeds. Blue jays also came in to see what all the activity was about, and were probably disappointed they couldn’t feed from the squirrel-proof feeder. Next time you are at Reinstein Woods, check out our bird feeders and enjoy the colorful visitors at our feeders.

If you would like information about attracting birds, please visit birds & blooms or Project Feederwatch.

By Michael Adriaansen