How to feed birds in snow

When it snows any bird food left out for your feathered friends can quickly cover up in a thin blanket of snow or under a feet of snow over night, of which birds will go without.

How to feed birds in snow within the dead of winter is to utilize bird feeders under the cover of an extended roof. With that you can hang bird feeders under a squirrel baffle or hide bird food within trees or bushes. Replace bird food daily to keep birds happy while wiping off access snow on feeders.

You know what seeing as you can freely feed birds in a bird feeder in wet weather, who's to say you can't carry on as normal... even in the most severe of snowfall.

How to make the most of feeding birds in often a thick blanket of snow is by using bird feeders, and as snow piles up on top of feeders it really isn't really an issue - as snow is only seen to brush off bird feeders to landing on the ground below.

Snow can manage to block port wells or indeed bury bird food within bird feeders still, but its certainly a good start.

To snow proof bird feeders they must be made to be hung, so you can hang them under a squirrel baffle; now this extra wide disc shape cone will protect any size bird feeder - even if its made for hummingbird feeders - positioned deep below the baffle.

Bird feeders are for feeder capable birds of course thus the next priority is making sure ground feeding birds don't go without.

Do throw bird food over the ground as you normally would while allowing any fresh downfall of snow to bury bird feed without worrying about it. All you need to do then is throw extra bird food on the ground later, and every few hours when snow covers food.

Assistance can come in the form of natural coverage in your backyard via the ground below a tree or in and among bushes.

Position bird feeders under shelter if you can while throwing bird food on covered porches, the overhang of your house roof or any area on the ground that get less snow coverage.

What to feed birds in feeders or on the ground is similar to what wild birds eat in the winter, which for you will be made up of seeds, peanuts, dried mealworms and fruits.

Utilize wide roof bird feeders

How you'd feed birds in winter is similar to how you feed birds in wet weather, by utilizing covered bird feeders to keep rain off bird feeder food, or in this case a blanket of snow.

Many types of bird feeders - or if not all bird feeders - will make use of cover as matter of keeping bird feed sealed in its plastic or wire mesh feeding device.

Snow can still be an issue with bird feeders because snow will tend to build up on the roof - which isn't really an issue - but more so a thick layer of snow can and probably will pile up on port wells or areas where birds feed out of.

Result of that is bird food will be hidden in a thick layer of snow often kept out of reach by birds.

Clever birds will of course attempt to dig deep into the snow to reach any available bird food - but because they must also find the small, restricted port hole or gap of the feeder to eat - often these same birds will miss out as the area to feed isn't found.

Go one better than by not only utilizing bird feeders with a roof [refer to featured image], but a roof that overhangs any perches or trays mounted to the bird feeder base below.

How to keep bird seed dry in a bird feeder is making use of wide roofs, along with discreet bird seed trays to keep the bird food contained within - so its open to the elements to get wet - or indeed can now get covered in snow.

Feeder under up Squirrel Baffle

To remind you a squirrel baffle is a disc or cone shaped flexible plastic sheet that is mounted high up on a bird feeder pole to prevent squirrels climbing up pass the baffle in order to reach the bird feeder food.

However the squirrel baffle I will be referring to in order to keep bird feed free of snow, is with use a squirrel baffle hanging above corresponding hanging bird feeders.

Great if you already utilize a squirrel baffle to use it for its main suppose, only this time we are going to use it to keep snow off hanging bird feeders.

What to do then is hang the made to hang squirrel baffle off a bird feeder pole bracket or branch - or wherever you intend to hang bird feeders within your yard. You'd then allow plenty of room below it to hang a bird feeder safely off the ground.

If you can, shorten the chain or hanger as to reduce the length to keep the bird feeder high off the ground - all while lifting up the bird feeder higher up and therefore deep within the squirrel baffle cover.

What is going to happen now is snow can continue to store up on top of the squirrel baffle, meanwhile your bird feeder remains snow-free.

To utilize this technique, bear in mind its one bird feeder per squirrel baffle, thus additional baffles will have to be bought for every bird feeder you intend to keep snow off.

Hide feed under tree or in hedges

Is it possible at all you can perhaps make use of any natural shelter you have in your yard for hanging or positioning your bird feeders in the yard.

Similarly to that is simply throwing bird food on the ground or place them on an elevated area without use of bird feeders - just so its more convenient to you.

What I suggest you first try is to hide bird feeders is in any natural coverage you have in your garden, such as a tree of course or any lush winter shrubs.

OK a tree will be bare bones at this time of year although a tree filled with branches can still provide you plenty of snow protection.

Insert a platform bird feeder near to the tree trunk or pick an area that is more densely filled with branches above. With that hang bird feeders in an area of the tree that is more populated - yet to hang bird feeders under a thick branch can provide shelter of its own.

Better still what you can feed birds in winter - such as seed mixes, peanuts or dried mealworms - can simply be thrown on a snow-free area beneath the tree - with an option to pop a mix of bird food in and among the tree branches.

Downside to putting bird food out in the open or contained within bird feeders is it will be out of sight of any sunshine at all.

As you may of noticed already snow often melts first out in the open while the areas that remain in shade throughout the day continue to be in snow or ice over.

Replace snow covered feed daily

In the process of feeding birds in the snow, and you should feed wild birds in snow - just as you do in rain - is by always replacing snow covered bird food at all times.

Little more work on your part I know, but what better way to guarantee birds can eat out of feeders or on the ground by removing snow by hand; to change food that has perhaps gone past its best - or if food is now too hard to eat as its been in snow for so long.

Remember that because while some birds can chew harder bird food like seed or nut shells, other bird species struggle to bite into hard bird food.

Which of course it will be as bird food can freeze up in the process of being buried under inches of snow.

Ground feeders such as Blue Jays or Northern Cardinals must be fed on the ground thus its important to keep their seeds or nut mixes visible on top of snow.

At some point snow will bury the bird food thus its vital you are always pro-active of not so much digging old bird food out of snow - but introducing a new batch of wild bird food on top of a fresh layer of snow.

Bird food can last longer in bird feeders, but in order to attract birds to feeders in winter, they must continue to be accessible even in sever snowy conditions.

Continue to wipe off snow

While I recommend you continue to replace bird food lost beneath snow, and thereafter every time it snows - this must be prioritized more when feeding birds on the ground.

When it comes to bird feeders thankfully bird food is a little more protected, though bear in mind snow is still an issue.

Where bird food becomes trapped inside bird feeders, snow covers up all feeding ports or gaps - so its time to get out in your snow covered yard to shake off access snow.

First thing in the morning must be prioritized yet later in the day, up until the evening you'd need to continuing this routine. The idea is to shake or carefully wipe away snow which will gradually build up, so bird food remains accessible to birds.

Personally I would only remove snow piling up high on top of bird feeders if the hanging area is a little sensitive to extra weight.

Why, because snow coverage can actually protect what is buried beneath them, in much the same way as keeping warm in a snow made Igloo.

Snow can and probably will protect bird food even if there's a chance it can freeze, as the cold weather will preserve the mix of bird food for longer.

Conclusion

How to feed birds in the snow during the winter is of course picking winter bird food favorites, which are full of protein to assist birds in foraging where extra energy is used up in the cold.

You can utilize bird feeders that have a roof, and while all bird feeders are covered I am talking about a roof with a wide overhang - to protect the feeding ports or perches sitting below.

Now that isn't to say snow or indeed wet weather wouldn't build up on these areas, but its certainly a good start.

On top of a roof bird feeder, make use of a squirrel baffle designed to hang bird feeders beneath it; thus a squirrel baffle becomes a highly effective snow cover - in which can continue to be used for practical uses such as keeping rain off or deterring squirrels still.

Birds must also be fed on the ground of course or else many of your visitors will go without. With that throw bird food over the lawn that is sheltered by natural vegetation in your yard.

Shrubs or a hedgerow can be used but if you have a tree, then of course use a tree.

What you will do is throw bird food over a snow-free area on the ground or carefully place bird food up and among the tree branches with no snow coverage.

Birds must frequent this tree you intend to use already or else bird food will go to waste.

In the end you only need to replace bird food several times in a day, or once daily... by shaking or wiping off snow diligently on bird feeders to keep bird food accessible within.

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