Winter is for the birds

It’s been a long while since we’ve had an October that felt a good deal like it was February instead. Somehow, trying to turn those fluffy winter coats and Aunt Sally’s fuzzy felted (hats) into a scary creature of the night for Halloween just doesn’t cut it. Might as well all go trick-or-treating like a bunch of Michelin tire bubbas or the Pillsbury dough boy.

Ooh, scary. Not!

According to the weather wizards this was one of the coldest Octobers on record in 90 years for the Anchorage area. Huh? Didn’t we just have one of the coldest summers on record? Did we just miss out on a whole season altogether? I mean, we didn’t even get a chance to drag out that old standby, “You should’ve been here last month. The weather was fantastic!” even once this summer.

So, how are gardeners going to keep their spirits up as we go into that long tunnel of winter?

Go feed the birds instead of your angst. You’ll still be able to play with seeds, get outside, and you get the entertainment for free. If you’ve still got any berries on those mountain ash and choke cherry trees, you’re in for a Bohemian waxwing treat. Clouds of those beautiful birds will cover the trees, filling the air with twittering sounds and acrobatics. In less than an hour the branches will probably be picked clean and the whole circus will move to the neighbor’s trees. Bring your binoculars.

Some of winter’s birds are ground feeders, but for families with cats this presents a problem. Putting the seed and crusts of bread on platforms or tables out in deep snow helps to keep the cats away.

Most of us will have redpolls, chickadees and pine grosbeaks looking for those hanging tube or tree feeders. You’ll save money and waste less seed if you don’t buy the premixed birdseed. Stick to black sunflower seeds, both shelled bits and in-shell, and black Nyjer thistle seed. If you can find safflower seed, it is reputed to be scorned by squirrels and loved by chickadees.

Personally, I don’t understand those bird folk who vilify squirrels and members of the Corvid family. What could be more entertaining in the dead of winter than watching a high-flying squirrel hanging by one foot swinging out to a feeder? Or watching a rumor of ravens and magpies taunting an overfed tomcat lurking below a feeding platform?

If you’ve got a stale baguette or uncut loaf of bread lying around, drill or gouge some holes into it, fill them with peanut butter mixed with seeds, thread some twine through one end and hang it up for a quick suet feeder.

For those of you who really want to get birdy this winter you might join the folks at Project Feeder Watch, a program operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada, as a winter-long survey of birds by volunteers who track visits to feeders in backyards, nature centers and other likely spots in North America. The data collected helps scientists track movements of winter birds so they can decipher long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.

Tracking started yesterday, but you can start anytime by going to their Web site at www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/ to sign up. Becoming a member is a great way to get outdoors and try to engage in winter. Learn how to collect scientific data on birds, weather, identify birds, record data online, watch a live feedercam, read articles and view photo galleries of birds, along with a host of activities that will keep you busy all season long. Students will find a comprehensive new program for home-schoolers that any student can participate in.

Hang out with local birders and get in on the Thanksgiving Day bird count with the Alaska Wildbird Rehab Center in Wasilla, www.akwildbirdrehab.org or 907-892-1670. Their meetings are 6 p.m. the last Friday of the month at The Loon Attic on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway in Wasilla. Don’t miss their Wild Bird Presentation tomorrow 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kaladi Bros. Coffee in Wasilla. These folks will be bringing the birds that don’t generally eat at your feeders, but eat the birds who do. A great horned owl, a diminutive merlin and a buff red-tailed hawk are some of the beautiful birds of prey they will be bringing along to introduce you to some bird fun and facts.

Get your boots and binoculars, grab the bird seed and enjoy the colorful show outside!

Brooke Heppinstall, artist and gardener, is the owner of Wool Wood Studio & Gardens, an art studio and nursery specializing in Alaska-grown perennials and shrubs. Visit online at Woolwood.blogspot.com.