Winter foods for birds

Chickadee rides a flower head while examining it for seeds

I’m fascinated with the nuthatches I’m seeing in the yard this year! Every time I fill the feeder, little nuthatches and chickadees are around to let me know they are doing their best to reach the end of my bottomless buffet of birdseed.

Goldenrod Gall

Birds are excellent food foragers. They don’t need a feeder to survive normally, but I enjoy watching them up close, so I provide them with ample seeds and suets. I also provide them with lots of trees, bushes, flowers, and vines that produce fruits, nuts and berries.

Bugs and bug larvae are also hidden but available if you know where to look. Sometimes they are buried in the fallen leaves or in the crevices of tree bark. Another tasty treat for bug eating birds is the Goldenrod Gall Fly larva. You may have noticed golf ball sized growths on dried goldenrod stems. Did you think maybe it was some weird seed pod development? It’s actually a spherical gall bed for larva to develop.

The female Goldenrod Gall Fly lays her eggs on young goldenrod stems in the spring. In about 10 days the eggs hatch and larva burrows down into the plant stem. The larva's saliva, which is thought to mimic plant hormones, results in the plant producing exaggerated plant growth or galls to provide the larva with both food and protection over the winter.

Woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches can peck into the galls to extract the tasty and energy rich larva inside. In some areas, it can be a very important food source for birds.

Related Articles:

- Birds of Michigan Field Guide http://bit.ly/pXv5ZN

- What’s the best suet for Michigan wild birds? http://bit.ly/nImz5g 

- How to have more colorful birds at your feeder http://bit.ly/qizlNh  

- How to Prepare Your Yard for Winter Birdwatching http://bit.ly/q93Men 

- What is the best bird feeder? http://bit.ly/qVr7i8