An enthusiastic group gathered at St. Mark's Presbyterian Church on a chilly Sunday afternoon, to learn a few tricks from the Moose Jaw Nature Society’s past president, Kim Epp, about feeding birds in the winter.
Moose Jaw sees a number of different species of birds that stay through the winter, and they could all use some help getting enough food to survive the cold months.
“In the winter, a little bird like a chickadee has to feed near constantly in the cold weather, to help them to survive,” said Epp. “[Hanging feeders] actually helps birds survive in the winter, and urban birds actually have a higher survival rate than ever because more people are feeding birds.”
Down in Wakamow Valley, birds such as chickadees, redpolls, finches, nuthatches and even blue jays frequent the Nature Society’s feeder — as well as squirrels, of course. American robins are even wintering here more often.
Epp, along with a handful of other members of the Nature Society, brought all of the supplies to put together a few different types of winter birdfeeders to hang down in Wakamow Valley.
The easiest feeders to make were the pinecones and bagels slathered in peanut butter and birdseed, with a string to hang from a tree.
The more complicated feeders involved hollowed out pumpkins or gourds, filled with a suet mixture that offered a ton of different nutrients — peanut butter, cornmeal, frozen berries, and other nuts and almonds.
Epp also offered a few tips on what type of seed best attracts what type of birds: for those looking to attract blue jays or nuthatches, Epp recommended filling a feeder with peanuts, while nyjer seed attracts chickadees and finches.
Choosing a mix heavy in black oil sunflower seeds will dissuade sparrows from a feeder, and squirrels will generally avoid safflower seeds.
She also handed out a recipe for suet cakes, which are blocks of hardened pork or beef fat mixed with eggshells for calcium, fruit, peanut butter and other ingredients to provide a longer-lasting food source, suitable only for the winter. All birds seem to enjoy suet cakes, especially woodpeckers, said Epp.
Epp has been hosting make-your-own winter bird feeder workshops for a few years now, although this year she decided to take the experience one step further.
The group spent some time making their feeders, before heading down into Wakamow Valley to hang their creations and to hand-feed the birds — with pine nuts, as those tend to be a popular favourite among the small and flighty.
The Moose Jaw Nature Society plans field trips and workshops such as this one regularly and encourages the community to come out and take part. The best place to keep up with the group is on their Facebook page.
