Everyone in the Ohio River Valley, and most of the neighboring couties on either side of the river, are bracing for a wicked winter snow storm projected to begin here in Southeast Indiana tomorrow evening. Current prediction is 12-18 inches of snow… Oh, my poor little birds. (OK, squirrels, too.)
I’ve been enjoying an audiobook, The Comfort of Crows, and it really made me think about helping my feathered friends during the impending severe weather. My garden club is reading the book to discuss at our February meeting, but the timing was also perfect for real life. Ken and I took the Indiana Master Naturalist training nine years ago, but I clearly needed reminding about winter weather and wildlife, and what I could do for my backyard birds. Or in my case, urban courtyard birds!
I think I’m as prepared as a last-minute bird helper can be. Fortunately we do have Burford Holly foundation plants at the front of the house that are LOADED with berries, and our perennial flower beds are unkempt and scattered with plant stalks and leaf litter for a bit of shelter.
What I didn’t have until yesterday’s parcel delivery was a heated birdbath and a new feeder with a supply of nutrient-rich food. I knew my tiny blue bee/butterfly watering cups (pictured above) were useless during the winter, and though the Ohio River is only 2+ blocks south, I wanted a non-frozen water source near my food sources. Snow will be heavy, and extended cold temperatures will delay a thaw. I ordered a very inexpensive heated bird bath as a test during this storm. We’ll see how it works, and if it is adequate.
We don’t feed our visiting birds during warm weather because we feel there’s lots of insects and seeds for them to forage, but I completely fell down on the job of cold weather food supplementing. We had tossed our old feeders, thinking maybe this winter we’d find a couple of new ones – but we hadn’t. Short on time, I bought a hanging mesh bag of Nyger Seeds as a quick fix. I also ordered a new Nature’s Way cylinder-style feeder as local suppliers had nothing but “decorative houses on chains” left on their winter shelves. I got one with biggish holes and a “Bugs & Berries” bag of seed I thought might attract the birds to my “emergency feeding station.” Fingers crossed these new additions will do the trick.
Even though during the warm months we get agitated about the oh-so-bold neighborhood squirrels, I feel even those daring devils could use some help finding food in a foot of snow. I had a bag of raw peanuts leftover from a holiday peanut brittle adventure, so I broke them up slightly and put some of those around the property. When the snow has fallen, we can put out more on cleared porch railings.
Now we just sit and wait. The car’s gassed up. We have a supply of rock salt that we hope will eventually work. We have phone chargers and emergency lanterns ready, lots of bottled water, and a variety of food groups at the ready. If we loose internet, Ken will loose his mind (without TV). I will knit, needlepoint, and look outside the windows for signs of life after the snowfall.
