There wasn’t much difference than the great snow of 2016, but like rain in Southern California, snowfall in Atlanta is disastrous. The main difference is grocery stores sell out like it’s the blizzard of the century! A panic ensues when the mention of white fluffy stuff is forecast, folks get crazed while grocery store shelves become barren.

Now if you happen to be a crazy bird-lady (or man), the concern becomes stockpiling bird food! Seed, suet, meal worms, peanuts and the ingredients for bluebird banquet- which many other birds will partake. Yellow cornmeal, whole wheat flour, peanut butter and lard… find the easy recipe on our website under birding resources.

Wild birds are pretty resourceful, after all, they’ve been getting by for far longer than we’ve been feeding them. But in the dead of winter when natural food sources are scarce and what little remaining ones are covered by snow or ice, it really does help to offer up some good chow!

The heated baths see lots of activity simply because birds require water all the time and eating snow sucks. It burns too many calories trying to convert snow to liquid. Not fair when they spend all day at the feeders getting calories for energy just to sustain overnight.

Shelter becomes most critical as well, and decorative bird houses just might serve as the perfect nightly accommodations! Whether solo like the downy woodpecker who claims the Gilbertson nest box each night, or the family of  Eastern bluebirds who huddle together for warmth, leaving your bird houses out through winter definitely helps feathered friends thrive.

So offer up some good food, (not the cheap stuff loaded with fillers) at least one consistent fresh water source and shelter (yes, even decorative bird houses serve as refuge when it’s freezing) to help your birds through rough winter weather.

And this great image (seems credit was lost along the way?) floating around on Pinterest captions “nesting bluebirds” but these guys are most definitely roosting, huddled close for body heat in what appears to be a natural cavity or hollowed out log. It’s clear by the age and sheer number of birds. Keep warm little guys!