When cool weather arrives we usually assume that the animals will be leaving, but in reality most of those outdoor friends are still around and in need of food and water. Birds and deer are common animals that you can continue to feed through the Fall and Winter!
Hummingbirds are one of the most popular animals to feed from our homes. The feeders are easy to maintain, the food is inexpensive, and the birds are enjoyable to watch. Most of us may associate these birds with spring time as we think of them enjoying the natural bloom, but the Anna’s Hummingbird that now populates our area stays year round. Consider maintaining your hummingbird feeder to provide accessible feed for these birds!
Some myths revolve around increasing the concentration of the hummingbird mixture in the colder months to help provide energy and increased calories. This is unnecessary and can in fact be damaging to the bird. Hummingbirds are very delicate birds and that goes for their digestive system and organs as well. More sugar makes the mixture too thick for the little grooves in their beak preventing them from drinking at all. It can also cause liver and kidney damage from the excess nutrients. It’s recommended to stick with the 1 part sugar/4 part water mixture. You can find both the Hummingbird mix and feeders at either of our stores!
Tips for your hummingbird feeder:
1) Put the feeder up in the Fall not the Spring
2) Clean it weekly
3) To prevent the feeder from freezing a common practice is to wrap a string of holiday lights around it. This is cost efficient and will provide just enough warmth and coverage to prevent mild freezes but of course, other light types and heat sources are available for this as well!
Other bird wildlife we find around us can easily be fed with wildbird mixes. These offer mixtures of peanuts, sunflower, milo, nyjer seed, and many other healthy seeds that are full of nutrients and healthy fats.
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds in 4, 20 & 40 pound bags:
Wild Bird Seed Mix in 25 & 50 pound bags:
Snohomish Patio Mix “No Waste” in 20 pound bags:
Deluxe 3-Way in 20 & 50 pound bags:
Premium 4-Way in 20 & 50 pound bags:
And other choices available as well!
Another great option that is increasing in popularity is the suet cakes. These are available in many flavors and tend to be less of a mess than traditional seed mixtures. In our stores we carry large varieties and many sizes of Wldbird Mixtures and a great selection of Suet. You can also find feeders in both the Monroe and Snohomish stores!
Try the Berry Treat Suet:
The Peanut Suet:
And the High Energy Suet:
Feeding deer is always enjoyable. While the most common feed that people provide is corn which is full of highly fermentable carbohydrates and sugar, it is fairly low in other essential nutrients and adequate levels of protein. Using a feed like a deer block or the backyard bistro blend will be much more beneficial to these delightful guests.
Squirrels are also a common friend for us wildlife feeders. Similarly, the common feed of peanuts and sunflower seeds lack some essential nutrients that can be difficult for them to replace in winter. You can find options in our stores that include more of a Trail Mix type of ingredient list!
We have whole peanuts in 10 & 25 pound bags:
Snohomish Squirrel Trail Mix:
Snohomish Squirrel & Wildlife:
And Purina Wildlife Block!
Head into either of our stores and ask out staff about the options we have!
We’ll see you at the Co-op!
