Email lists are a valuable tool for any birder. The 1999 Christmas Counts and Annual Waterbird Counts are now online. Plus check out the new stuff in the mailbag. Caring for birds during winter weather I can think of few things more restful or rewarding than watching birds flock to a feeder in the snow. Since winter weather is upon us, here are a few helpful tips for ensuring an enjoyable snowbound experience for you and the birds that share your backyard.
Shelter is good .
If you can find a snow-free patch of ground beneath a porch, dense evergreen, or other environment, scatter seed there. Bare earth is essential to ground-feeding species like robins. Once I enjoyed a close-up view of a quail that had decided to seek shelter beneath my deck and could not be moved. I thought something was wrong with the bird, went outside to check on it, and realized it was fine when it disappeared stealthily behind the only cover available, a large stump I had set out to be split for firewood. When the snow left, so did the quail.