During a recent snowfall, the garden shrouded in a blanket of pure white snow, Mark’s wife Mary exclaimed, “The cardinals illuminate the yard!”
During the long dark days of winter, every Canadian looks for illumination. The temptation to find it might be turning on your TV or iPad. But there is another way to shorten winter, and that is by turning to nature.
The native birds that stay over winter in our climate provide a window into something extraordinary. When in our history has there been a better time to slow down and observe avian activity than during the pandemic?
Between us, we have 16 bird feeders and we feed birds a mixture of quality corn-free seed, pure black oil sunflower, nyjer seed for the little songlets like nuthatches, suet for chickadees and woodpeckers and bird-quality peanuts for even more woodpeckers (always salt free).
Here are our favourite birds this time of year and how best to attract them:
Blue Jays
No need to wait for the season opener (baseball joke) as the Jays are lurking in your nearest cedar hedge waiting for peanuts. In the shell or out of the shell, bird peanuts are like candy to Blue Jays. Black oil sunflower seeds also work well. Members of the crow family, they are smart, noisy and bossy. When they are around most other birds step aside.
Chickadees
Cute, friendly (you can train them to take seed from your open hand) and chirpy. Chickadees get their name from their song, which is unmistakable from quite a distance. Black oil sunflower seeds are best.
Nuthatches
One of the few birds that travel on a tree trunk head-first. They are the kid on the monkey bars who has no fear. Entertaining. Nyjer seed and black oil sunflower seeds.
Downy and Hairy woodpeckers
Downy, the smaller of the two, and Hairys look alike but have different stature. Suet is a sure attractant as are raw peanuts out of the shell. Again, salt free as salt is not good for birds. Look for the distinct red flash on the back of the head of the males and the black and white markings on feathers that look like a black and white TV on the fritz.
Red Bellied Woodpecker
Known best for their brilliantly colour red head. Their red belly is hard to see but it is there. Feed same as Downy and Hairy woodpeckers.
Cardinal
You must love the outstanding colour of the male cardinal contrasted against the snow. A true winter wonder worth watching. Feed same as Blue Jays.
Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster, tree advocate and Member of the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow them at markcullen.com, and on Facebook.
