By Darial Weisman

What else can I say? I am sick and tired of my husband whining about no open water and when the dock and hoist will get in the water this year. I have to admit, though, that I have been whining, too. I want warm soil and to be able to start my spring gardening. Oh well, it will come, and when it does, spring will be here full tilt.

Even with my whining, I’ve still been enjoying the birds coming to our feeders. Of course, the first one that always seems to arrive is the robin. There will be snow on the ground, and here they come. They get caught in ice storms, late winter heavy snows, and they survive. You would think they would figure it out, but then when you are the harbinger of spring you have to be the first!

It was so comical when we had that late March rain that turned to sleet and then snow, giving us a five inch blanket of the wet stuff. No, not the weather. Rather, the two robins at our feeders made for the humor. We have a platform feeder and a roofed feeder with a mix that all birds seem to like: Audubon Brand Attraction Wild Bird Feed. The mix includes oil rich seeds like sunflower hearts, safflower seed, soybean meal, ground corn, wheat, etc.

I always have to remind my husband that he needs to get the feeders filled even if there is going to be a storm. It is amazing that even during a snow event, the feeders are busy with birds flitting in and out.

Well, during the storm, these two robins took turns controlling those two feeders. They simply plopped their big frames right in the middle of the feeder platforms and sat and ate and ate and ate. The one decided that the roof over its head was a much better idea than sitting in an open shrub or tree branch or under the deck. It was there at dawn and except for a few times was still there at dusk.

As a matter of fact, our resident pair of cardinals tried and tried to get to those two feeders-their favorites. However, they had no chance. So, they sat on the perches of the cylinder feeder and chowed down on NutraSaff seed. Even during the storm, my husband and I had our own little nature display right out our sunroom window.

Take care of the feeding station

With spring around the corner, now is a good time to take a good look at your feeding station. Check out the feeders and see if there is any caked feed that needs to be cleaned out. The moisture during the winter season and the thawing and freezing will often leave the feeders full of moldy seed. So, we take ours down, shake them out, open the lids and make sure everything is clean. Sometimes, it even requires washing them down with water to get them clean.

Then we look at the ground beneath the feeders. It usually has several inches of spent shells, seed and leftovers that build up on the ground. So, we will take a rake and a shovel to this in order to get that all cleaned up. This allows the grass to come, so we don’t have to worry about bare ground that can get pretty mucky and sloppy during rains. We personally don’t like putting pea rock or small river rock underneath the feeders, because that is not easy to keep clean.

Finally, check out the bird waterers. After a winter of filling and freezing and drying out, they really need to be cleaned. Birds and squirrels have been in the waterers and there is usually a mess to clean out. Cleaning these out will help minimize the possibility of disease.

So, yes, the day is coming and spring will truly be here. Have those feeders and waterers ready. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Photos by Darial Weisman