4. Explore your region to see what you might be able to attract to your feeder this winter! Winter may have just begun but the yard doesn’t have to be lifeless for the next few chilly months. I’ve got sunflower seeds in the feeder and a suet cake, too. “It has a good, high fat content the birds need in the winter… Food and Feeder Preferences of Common Feeder Birds. Most birds that stay in cold regions in winter eat seeds. Feeding the birds will help them survive when it’s super cold and snowy or when food supplies are scarce. 1. Have a variety of bird food choices on hand. Attracting birds to our gardens in winter is important to increase the biodiversity of your garden and keep on top of pests. Feeder use usually is low in summer, fall, and early winter because natural food sources, such as seeds and berries, are abundant then. In addition, if you are having a mild winter and food is plentiful, birds will not visit the feeder as much. Always hang suet, so as not to attract mammals. Host a winter bird-feeding party. In addition, if you are having a mild winter and food is plentiful, birds will not visit the feeder as much. You can help attract birds to your garden by adding elements in and around your property, such as shiny objects, bird feeder stands, nesting boxes and baths or other water sources. It’s not much of a chore to keep a bird feeder full during the warm months, but trudging through the snow in the dead of winter is not as pleasant. Use large feeders when it’s cold to attract winter birds so that you don’t have to fill them as often. Adding the best winter bird foods to your feeders when the temperatures drop will give birds adequate energy to survive even the worst weather. More Resources for Feeding Winter Birds. So I moved it off the deck into the yard near some trees. Of course, the most commonly used bird attraction tactic is to provide food by a way of a bird feeder. Large birds eat dog food, a cheaper alternative to seed. If you want to make sure birds keep coming back in the winter, you need to keep the feeders well stocked! Insects are hard to find in freezing weather. Position hopper feeders on a pole about five feet off the ground. “Some birds like to land on the feeder and others are ground feeders,” Leppold said. Birds need water for drinking and bathing and are always on the lookout for suitable watering holes. Our houses are very close and I have few trees/bushes in my yard. Helping Birds in Winter: Learn how birds in winter are battling and surviving in extreme conditions, and what you can do to help. 2. Shrubs with berries will be especially popular and help attract more birds to your yard. How to Attract Birds to a Feeder in Winter. Some plants going to seed, like milkweed, attract insects that in turn also bring the birds, which feed on the bugs. Winter weather limits the color palette to grey, white, brown and a bit of green, so why not attract some colorful birds to your garden by using feeders? But I can hear the silly things near by bigot any ideas? You can buy suet cakes in the market for a little over $1 each. Suet, which is simply rendered fat sold in blocks, is a great addition to your bird feeder in the winter. You’ll end up with a lot of fans in the woodpecker community if you hang some of this out near your bird feeder. Birds love suet. How to attract birds to my window feeder. During the colder months, birds that hang around and weather the winter need plenty of energy to keep warm. So in winter, offer seeds to the wild birds. Locate your feeder close to trees and at least thirty feet away from windows (or closer than three feet). Sheltered Feeders / Bird Houses. (Read more: How to Help Birds in Winter) 6 More Ways to Attract Winter Birds.