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Can I share my Christmas with the birds?

Can I share my Christmas with the birds?

Absolutely! Sharing your Christmas spirit with the birds is a wonderful idea. 

Winter is the most difficult time of year for birds. Cold weather and frozen make food less available, especially food sources like berries and insects. Keeping your birdfeeders refreshed through winter helps birds survive cold months.

Since birds burn a tremendous amount of calories just staying warm, high-energy, high-fat foods is very helpful.

Any ideas for what to share?

Nuts and seeds

As you prepare your nut mix or holiday snacks, set aside some for your backyard birds.

Raw, unsalted nuts like peanuts, almonds, or chopped walnuts are excellent, high-fat energy sources. Classic bird seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds (easy for small birds to crack) and pumpkin seeds are also good choices.

Please beware that all nuts and seeds must be completely unsalted. A bird's tiny body cannot hold as much salt as we do.

Fruits

Your Christmas treats can easily become a food source for fruit-loving birds.

When coring apples, save a few slices. Apples are a great, longer-lasting fruit. Always remove all seeds, as they contain traces of cyanide harmful to birds.

Orange halves or slices are favorites of orioles and tanagers. 

If you have raisins for birds, remember that dried fruits should be softened first. Soak them in warm water to make them safe and easy for birds like bluebirds or robins to eat. 

Avoid any fruit cooked with sugar, spices, or wine.

High-energy food

To give birds a calorie boost against the cold, share some fat from your pantry. Hard fat, such as lard or suet, is wonderful.

Plain, unsalted peanut butter (without added sugar or xylitol) is another excellent choice, but it must never be offered alone in a bowl, as it can be a hazard.

Chunks of hard, mild cheeses can also be offered.

The Don'ts

  1. Avoid human foods

Never share processed snacks, seasoned leftovers, or anything containing salt, sugar, or artificial additives.

  1. Bread is junk food for birds

Breads fill their stomachs with low-nutrient bulk and only give birds a false sense of fullness without the essential energy.

  1. Never use kitchen scraps

Mixed kitchen waste may include cooked meats, gravy, or bacon fat. These scraps are often high in salt and, when greasy, can dangerously wreck waterproofing of birds' feathers, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia.

Tips for more Christmas vibe

Bird Christmas fat Cake

These cakes combine hard fat, like lard or suet, with a mix of dry ingredients (unsalted nuts and seeds, grated cheese or raisins). You need a stick as a core, and a plastic-free string. You may also use cookie cutters such as Christmas tree or gingerbread man, or any other shapes you like.

Combine your dry ingredients with room-temperature hard fat at a one-part fat to two-parts dry mix ratio. 

If the cake feels crumbly, try slightly increasing the fat ratio.

Firmly pack your mixture around a stick. Press the mixture into festive cookie cutters, filling the mold completely.

Chill it in the refrigerator until it turns solid.

Gently remove the stick from your cake. This leaves a small hole in the center of the decoration.

Finally, hang your creation with a plastic-free string in a place safe from predators. 

Fruit wreath

You need a clean, flexible garden wire to start. 

To begin, cut apples, oranges, and hard cheeses into chunks. The chunks must be large enough to thread.

Thread the fruit pieces onto the wire, then bend the wire into form a loop, twisting the ends together.

Now you have a delightful and nutritious fruit wreath, ready to hang from a nail or a branch.

Orange bowl

If you have juiced oranges left, you can turn them into bowls.

Cut the oranges in half, remove any remaining pulp, and keep the hollowed-out peels.

Poke four holes, arranged in two opposing pairs.

Thread a plastic-free string through two symmetrical holes. Then thread another string in the same way to create a hanging loop.

Finally, fill the orange peel bowl with snacks you’ve prepared.

Also, you can hang it or simply put it wherever it is safe for birds.

REference:


https://www.petmd.com/bird/feeding-birds-in-your-backyard

https://finenaturalist.blog/fill-feeder-fruit-attract-colorful-birds

https://nhm.org/diy-bird-feeder

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-birds/feeding-birds/feeding-birds-kitchen-items/

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-make-fat-balls-for-birds.html

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