Winter birds are back, and so is the Rockbridge Bird Club Seed and Suet sale – just in time to stock your feeders before the first cold snap.
The sale is a fundraiser for Boxerwood to support upkeep of the nature center’s diverse wildlife habitats. Ordering begins this week and runs through Oct. 27.
Wild bird seed and products come directly from a familyowned supplier in Ohio that purchases seed from small Midwest farms. Offerings include crafted blends, suet cakes and bird feeders.
The Farmers Co-op, co-sponsor of the fundraiser, will receive the delivery and host a drivethrough pick up in their parking lot on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon and from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Product information and an order form are posted on the Boxerwood webpage (www. boxerwood.org). You can order online and pay with cash or check when you pick up your order, or you can print off the order form and send it with a check to Boxerwood. Either way, order forms must be received online or by mail no later than Oct. 27.
Feeding birds in late fall and through the winter helps provide them with a reliable source of food during the coldest months. It has the added benefit of attracting birds to your yard, so you can enjoy observing them all winter long.
There are more easy ways to help birds survive winter. Like us, birds need water as well as food. Place a bird bath or basin in a sunny spot where the water is less likely to freeze and refill it daily. By leaving brush piles and empty nest boxes, you can also provide birds with shelter and a place to roost during a freeze.
The Bird Club also encourages people who feed birds to participate in Project FeederWatch, a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders throughout North America. The program is run by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada and is open to all. Participants count birds they see at their feeders, then upload their counts on the FeederWatch database, where scientists use them to track longterm trends in bird populations. It’s a fun way to get to know your backyard birds.
For more information, visit www.feederwatch.org.
