94 
FOREST A N D STREAM 
February, 1918 
HELPING THE BIRDS THROUGH THE WINTER 
TO THE LITTLE FEATHERED CREATURES OF FIELD AND FOREST A BIT OF 
GRAIN OR SUET MAY MEAN LIFE THROUGH ANOTHER BITTER NIGHT 
By WALT F. McMAHON 
W ITH the coming of the 
snow the wild creatures 
face a long, cold season 
of storm and famine. This is 
especially true of the birds. 
The problem of finding enough 
food to keep the spark of life 
glowing in their bodies is con¬ 
stantly before them. Although 
they can endure very severe 
weather if sufficient food is to 
be had, they must always be 
searching and digging and pry¬ 
ing into cracks and corners for 
any tiny morsel that is edible. 
We can help them through the 
winter by supplying them with 
food. A few minutes spent in 
putting out a handful of grain 
or a piece of suet means very little to us, 
but it may mean a great deal to the little 
fellows, huddled up out in the lilac bushes. 
It may mean life through another bitter 
night and strength to face another day. 
Many years ago Mr. E. H. Forbush built 
a window feeding-shelf at his home in 
Wareham, Massachusetts. Upon it he 
mounted a discarded Christmas tree which 
he decorated to suit the taste of the chick¬ 
adees, j uncos and other birds about the 
place. It was a great success. Since then, 
both window food-shelves and Christmas 
trees for the birds have become quite popu¬ 
lar, and each winter brings new ideas for 
methods of attracting birds and devices for 
feeding them during severe weather. 
The simplest form of winter feeding is 
the practice of throwing out a handful of 
seeds or crumbs to the sparrows on the 
snow. It is best to clear away the snow 
or to tramp it down hard before putting out 
food, as otherwise exposure to the sun soon 
causes it to sink out of sight. 
Clearing the snow away is the bet¬ 
ter method as this also exposes a 
supply of sand and grit, so neces¬ 
sary for the digestion of the birds’ 
food. Such material is needed to 
crush the seeds and grain they eat. 
If they have access to a plentiful 
supply of grain without the neces¬ 
sary grit the food may sour in their 
crops with fatal, results. It would 
be well to mix sand, gravel, fine 
cinders, or poultry-grit with the 
grain, whichever is obtainable. 
Beef-suet forms the base of 
many foods offered. This is be¬ 
cause it is a heat-forming food and 
furnishes a welcome substitute for 
an insect diet. Many methods of 
offering it have been suggested, 
usually providing a holder of wire 
Chickadee weighing himself after his Christmas dinner 
Chickadee feeding on peanut string 
The cocoanut feeding-station may later house a family 
netting. The most common 
method is to tie pieces of the 
suet to branches, using plenty of 
string and wrapping it thorough¬ 
ly. This prevents the crotvs and 
blue jays from carrying off the 
entire supply. The simplest 
methods are usually the best, and 
the rule seems to apply in this 
case. Where there are rough- 
barked trees, such as oak, chest¬ 
nut or elm, simply take a piece 
of suet and scrub it into the fis¬ 
sures in the bark. The birds 
that will eat it are bark-explorers 
who get their living by examin¬ 
ing the trunks and branches of 
trees for insects and their eggs. 
Searching in the crevices in the 
bark they find the suet in a natural manner. 
It is both good theory and. practice. 
Peanuts form a very attractive food to 
offer our winter visitors. One of the many 
good methods of serving them is shown in 
the accompanying photograph. The peanuts 
are strung just as we used to string popcorn 
and cranberries for the Christmas tree. 
These peanut strings may be wrapped 
around the trunk or branches of trees, but 
should be bound firmly so the birds can 
work on them successfully. The chickadees, 
nut-hatches and woodpeckers will under¬ 
stand why they are there. It is interesting 
to note that they merely drill a round hole, 
just large enough to take out the peanut, 
without breaking the shell. 
A home-made feeding-station that is thor¬ 
oughly practical is easily made by sawing 
the end from a cocoanut. The cavity is 
filled with a mixture of beef-suet, chopped 
nuts, bread crumbs, or any such food that 
may be available. The suet is melted and 
the “bird-pudding” is stirred in 
while it is hot. A four-inch strip 
of poultry-netting bound around 
the outside holds the shell together 
in case it 'cracks when exposed to 
the changes of temperature. 
Bird-house manufacturers offer 
many styles of food-shelves for 
those who prefer to buy rather 
than build for themselves. These 
ready-made devices usually consist 
of a food-hopper which allows a 
small quantity of grain to drop 
into the feeding-tray below as fast 
as it is eaten. Some models also 
include a suet-rack, drinking cup, 
or other conveniences. A broad, 
projecting roof is an important fea¬ 
ture, as it protects both the birds 
and the food from the weather, 
and from being snowed under. 
