Many backyard birders are misinformed...Often people have a misconception about bird feeding in the Fall. People are worried that if they keep their wild bird feeders filled with bird seed, birds will not migrate when they should.
Fall is the time of year when wild birds are preparing for their long journey to the south. They will be trying to stock up on body fat. The natural sources they have dined on during the summer may have depleted. So birds will frequent wild bird feeders more often and stay longer to make sure they build up enough reserves for the migration.
Natural instinct is a very dominating factor in bird wildlife behavior. There is no need to worry about preventing the birds from going south.
Birds not going South are looking for the backyards to visit....
For Birds that are not migrating, Fall is the time that they establish their winter feeding territory. Birds are already making decisions about which back yards they will visit this winter. Therefore do not wait for extreme weather to begin feeding because you might miss out.What you do this Fall as the days grow shorter lets the birds know that you will be there when the serious winter comes. Cold will increase their calorie requirements. So they need to be ready. That's why they're studying their resources in advance. Noting where food is available.
On the other hand, if you wait until hard weather arrives,the birds may not ever realize what you have to offer. Under the stress of freezing weather, they can't afford the luxury of exploring. They must go where they know there will be a payoff.
8 ways to help birds prepare for cold weather....
- Provide rich foods such as black oil sunflower, niger, & safflower in your wild bird feeders.
- Presence of native migrant sparrows and juncos in fall requires white proso millet & millet mixes scattered on ground-feeding sites. Red proso millet and milo (grain sorghum) are generally unnecessary as an ingredient of fall bird seed mixes.
- Invest in a few low-height feeding trays and fill them with cracked corn for doves and other ground feeding birds
- Peanuts, peanut pick-outs, peanut butter, commercial suet cakes, and suet from the meat market are all great high-energy food sources that chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and jays love
- Hummingbirds may visit feeders up to times of hard frosts, so keep their feeders filled.
- Shallow trays stocked with mealworms can be used to attract a wide variety of birds, ranging from Carolina Wrens to Northern Cardinals and American Robins.
- Make efforts to provide fresh water for birds as you move into winter
- Providing thick trees such as evergreens for shelter in your yard is appreciated by chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. If you do not have them Fall is a great time for planting some.
Leave all seed and suet feeders out until there haven’t been any birds at them for at least two weeks. This also applies to syrup feeders for Hummingbirds and Orioles.
Birds migrating south will stop and "refuel the tank" so to speak. Often you will see the same birds stopping at your wild bird feeders in the spring and fall but never see them in the summer months. They will usually stay for two to four days and then be off to their summer or winter homes.
Wild bird feeding in the Fall provides very important opportunities for bird wildlife; a vital food source for those backyard birds who have been accustomed to using your feeders and a valuable resource for migrant birds.
I got much of my information for this post from Bird Feeding in Fall, Feeding Birds in the Fall, Wild Bird Feeding int the Autumn, and Fall bird feeding tips
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Other posts that may be of interest to you:
Preventing bird disease at your bird feeders
Most Common Birds to Feed or Nest in your Backyard
Big Problems with Invasive House Sparrows and European Starlings
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