I learned something new this week when a flock of unexpected birds showed up in my garden.
The weather was fridged and the birds ascended into the garden, landing and fluffing all out to protect from the cold. At first I thought they were eastern blue birds but didn’t take long to see that they were actually robins!
Since I was little, I loved seeing the first robin appearing when bare ground did, doing their little hop and scratch to find the bugs and worms. You could be sure that warm weather was soon approaching. I always assumed they left during the cold months. After a little research, it seems that some don’t take off for warmer states, as long as they can find enough food, the cold doesn’t bother them. The males are likely to stay more than females, to get a head start on declaring their territory for the spring. While they are happy to group up during the winter to find food, when spring approaches they break up to defend their area fiercely.
I enjoyed watching this group of robins dive and sometimes squabble over the holly bushes and even go after the winterberry that I had cut branches for winter pot decorations. I had opened my window carefully to get the shots, it was so cold that my hands froze just taking the pictures. They seemed to take breaks in the trees, getting so round and fluffy, and then went back to berry picking.
Many birds that stay here in zone 5 don’t benefit from feeders and need the natural berries and fruits to last them until spring. We can plant purposefully and help them along until spring.
Here are my top 5 favorite shrubs to the gardens that feed the birds.
- Winterberry (ilex verticillata)
- Holly (ilex meserveae)
- Service berry (A. alnifolia)
- American cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus var. americanum
- Smooth rose (Rosa blanda
You’ll be watching bird antics some cold winter day and feel good knowing you’ve done something good for the wildlife. If you need any help or want to talk about creating a more wildlife friendly yard, connect with us!