Helping wildlife in winter
Don't forget that birds and other little creatures still need food, water, and cover in our cold Central New York winter.
Water
Probably the most important thing you can do is to provide water. How? With a heated birdbath! Otherwise, the birds use a lot of energy melting snow to get water. Before we built our pond, I used a heater coil designed for birdbaths. It just rests in the plastic bath and is thermostatically controlled. I plugged it into a GFI outlet for added safety.
Cover
Another important thing is to provide cover. You can leave your nest boxes up over the winter and they may be used as a place to keep warm. I also installed a tall, narrow bird house called a roost box. This is specifically designed for roosting during the cold winter nights. It has its entry hole at the bottom rather than the center and has three staggered perches inside. It's designed so that many birds can roost together, sharing body heat. Trees and bushes also provide cover, especially evergreens.
In addition, a brush pile can be an important place for little creatures to escape from the winter cold and snow.
Food
Food is the third requirement. I've planted a number of bushes that have berries throughout the winter that the birds can eat. I resist the temptation to deadhead my flowers, and I've leave them standing. I love to see the goldfinches landing on them and getting a meal. Finally, I have a few birdfeeders: a standard one filled with songbird mix, one filled with black oil sunflower, one with safflower seeds, a thistle feeder for the finches, and suet holders. I also make some of the Miracle Mix recipe I found in the John Terres book, Songbirds in Your Garden.
If you don't cut down all the dead stalks, many plants have a different kind of beauty after the flowers themselves have died. Some plants' seeds are food for wildlife. Here are some pictures.
