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How to help them to survive the winter?

green_go (Canada, Ontario, z 5a)

10 years ago

I spotted several birds in my back and front yard that do not typically overwinter in our climate.
I have a flock of bluebirds (around 8?) and a flock of robins (maybe, like 4?) which feast on my crabapple. Although robins seem to come sporadically (or maybe I just don't see them when they come to snack), bluebirds are here all the time. The problem is: they practically finished all fruits on my small crabapple, ate all berries from a young mountain ash and cleaned all winterberries - and it is not even January yet. They completely ignore the suet feeder, apple halves and grapes I put around the crabapple tree. What can I do for them to help them survive when the supply of berries and crabapples ends?
There used to be quite a lot of crabapples just a few weeks ago:

Little guy is having a snack of frozen crabapples:

Now fruits are almost gone already:

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Comments (3)

corunum z6 CT
10 years ago
Hi green go, I don't think you need to do anything. They're in charge of themselves and if they didn't want to be there, they wouldn't be. I believe that as long as food is available, they'll be there. When the food is gone, they will be too. I'm in Central Connecticut and have bluebirds and robins year round. Even people in northern New England have robins year round as long as there is food.

There were bluebirds this morning checking out a bluebird house in the back of my property. Below is a little fellow last week in fresh snow. Plant more berries if you want - like chokeberries - but IMO, they are there because you already helped them by planting crabapples. Nice photos.

Kindly,
Jane
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
10 years ago
Nice pics of the fruit harvest, green_go.

We don't have bluebirds in my neighborhood (southeast MA) but the robins come and go all year round. Right now they're working on winterberries but I think there are also wild rose hips and dried blackberries and wild crabapples and such in the neighborhood that they can eat. If there's wooded or swampy areas near you there are probably natural sources of food for them. They may be more interested in the fruit you put down (raisins?, dried cranberries?) when the good stuff is finished off.

Mostly I see the robins in the winter at the birdbaths, heated and otherwise. The water really seems to draw them in.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Wed, Dec 25, 13 at 15:56
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surya55_gw
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Your shots are great! Maybe they'll take the offerings once all the berries are gone from the trees. I've noticed robins will not eat mulberries fallen on the ground; they'll pick them fresh off the tree. Just be sure you continue to put them on the ground while the berries are still on the trees since they'll hopefully see the offerings and continue to linger in your yard.

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