Tips from Connor Fox on what to expect from backyard bird feeding during the fall!

• Migration

  • Migrants (hummingbirds, orioles, warblers, and other neotropical birds) that are here for the summer seek warmer climates in Central and South America
  • More prolonged than spring migration, but birds are not as active
  • Keep an eye out for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at feeders as they migrate through
  • Rarer birds that do not traditionally visit feeders may be attracted to moving water features
  • Winter visitors will begin arriving
    • White-crowned Sparrows
    • White-throated Sparrows
    • Dark-eyed Juncos
    • Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers
    • Brow Creepers
    • Foraging guilds
      • Interspecies flocks comprised of Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, and Downy Woodpeckers looking for food

• Feeding

  • Good time to clean feeders
  • Decreased feeder activity due to an abundance of natural food available
    • Decrease in suet consumption due to diet requiring more proteins than fats
  • Ensure a foundational feeder that contains a seed blend is filled half full despite slower feeding
    • A foundational feeder contains a seed blend that is appealing to the majority of the local bids and should hold enough seed to only need filling about once a week
    • Consistently having food in the feeder indicates to the birds that your feeder is a reliable source of food and will be beneficial for when feeder activity picks back up
  • Some birds will start to cache seeds in anticipation for the colder months
    • Blue Jays love to cache peanuts in the shell
  • Goldfinches still frequent visitors at feeders
    • Many juveniles can be seen at feeders as well as adults that are starting to molt from their highlighter yellow plumage into their olive winter coats

• Other Considerations

  • Leaving an area of your yard dedicated to a brush pile where birds can forage and take refuge from inclement weather or predators
  • Now is a good time to clean nest boxes. Nesting is finished for the year and birds may seek shelter in boxes on cold nights
  • You may observe an increase in hawk activity at your feeders
  • Owls begin looking for nesting partners this time of year
  • Concrete and ceramic bird baths should be covered or stored in the winter. A heated bird bath or bird bath heater in a plastic dish are best for offering water when temperatures are below freezing