EXPLORING NATURE: WINTER BIRDS

A few lucky folks still have hummingbirds in residence, mostly of the rufous variety, but for many of us, the hummers have departed. Thankfully, a new cast of winter birds will soon be arriving.

Of course, there are some birds that stay in this area year-round; northern cardinals, blue jays and Carolina chickadees, for example.

But starting in late November, you can expect several new birds to start showing up. These include orange-crowned warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets and cedar waxwings.

One species I especially look forward to is the American goldfinch. I get a big thrill when these energetic little birds arrive with their bright yellow feathers brightening my day.

Red-bellied woodpeckers will also be among the new arrivals, along with house wrens and pine warblers.

If you want to give these new birds a reason to stop at your place, I have two words for you – suet and water. Inexpensive suet blocks can be purchased at many hardware and grocery stores and I especially like the peanut variety. These are magnets for woodpeckers and most any bird that has insects in its diet.

Water is another commodity that our avian friends search for. If you maintain a birdbath with clean water, you’ll attract lots of birds.

And while suet is a great food for many birds, I’ve found black-oil sunflower seeds to be an almost universal favorite of my feathered friends.

I hope you enjoy the new and different birds arriving with colder weather. In a year that has been full of anxiety and worry, I think we can all use a little of nature’s nurturing.