You know you’re dedicated to your backyard birds when you shovel around your birdfeeders, refill them and clear space for perches – all during a snowstorm. While I do wonder why these snowstorms seem to be arriving the day after I’ve already cleaned up the feeders, I’m happy to offer treats to the house finches, pine siskins, goldfinches and sparrows that are flocking to my backyard in the heaviest snow. Their perky behavior shows their gratitude, even if their ravenous appetites never seem sated.

Fortunately, feeding birds in the winter doesn’t have to be an ordeal. I’ve compiled a list of winter bird feeding tips to help you brave the cold, keep the feeders filled and enjoy the birds even during the coldest days of the year.

Do you have pictures of birds at your feeders in the winter? Email me, and they could be featured in a winter feeding gallery!

House Finch in the Snow
Photo © Melissa Mayntz

January is a time to be resourceful by saving money, making goals and practicing self improvement. There is no more resourceful bird than this week’s Bird of the Week, the common raven. These scavengers – believed to be among the most intelligent songbirds – are adept hunters, agile fliers and vocal visitors throughout much of the country.

Do you have a favorite picture of a raven to share? Email me and your picture could be featured in a common raven photo gallery!

Common Raven
Photo © Gordon Ellmers

More birders than ever will get to enjoy the Second Annual Winter Bird Festival in Galt, California on January 17. According to an article in The Sacramento Bee, last year’s festival sold out reservations for popular birding tours, so extra buses have been reserved for this year’s event. Tours visit the 46,000 acre Cosumnes River Preserve, which is home to more than 250 species of birds including Sandhill cranes, tundra swans and various duck species. January 12 is the deadline to register for this year’s tours.

Other festival activities include a student winter bird art exhibition and contest, a presentation by the California Raptor Center, guest speakers and specialty vendors. For more information, visit the City of Galt website.

This week’s featured bird is the perky downy woodpecker, the smallest of the North American woodpeckers. Common throughout most of the United States, these tiny birds (just six inches long) are easily spotted in the forest, particularly along waterways, and they will readily visit backyards for suet, bread and seeds.

Do you have a picture of a downy woodpecker or other favorite backyard bird to share? Email me and your picture could be featured in an upcoming bird profile or Bird of the Week!

Downy Woodpecker - Female
Photo © Melissa Mayntz