When I went outside in the bitter cold the other day to refill the birdfeeders and put out more suet, I was surprised that there were no birds around. I wondered if a hawk had passed by to bully them. I refilled the feeders anyway, and hung more suet in the wire cage along with the half finished suet block. As I worked I heard one bird tell another, “She’s bringing fresh food,” and another bird answering, “I know, I know. I see!”
It reminded me of standing in a Chinese smorgasbord line-up, looking at the dregs of a pan of … something … and then seeing the waitress bring over a new steaming hot pan of fresh chow mein.
As soon as I left the birdfeeder area, a flock of tiny birds (bushtits, I think) came to the suet and covered the whole block with their hungry little bodies. When I looked back I couldn’t even see the suet block, only a swarm of feathers. I think now, that maybe the suet had frozen and was hard to pick at. It was that cold. The fresh block was not frozen and everyone ate well that night. My photo shows only six of the birds, but I’m sure there were more than ten or twelve on the suet in those first moments after I left.
Harshest winter, freezing cold,
Tests survival of the bold.
Icy winds pierce feathers fine
As the tiny creatures dine.
They know they’ll die if they can’t eat
So at the feeder they all meet.
New suet hangs there in the wire
Perhaps their fate is not so dire,
Internal furnaces will warm
The bodies of the little swarm.
They’ll live to see another day
And soon the spring will come to stay.
When I had a bird feeder in Michigan, I noted that when the feed was gone, so were the birds. No suprise they were hanging silently nearby. I just love these little birds! So amazing that something so tiny can survive such deep, bitter cold. ❤️
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Yes, I can understand that about the empty feeders, but both the seed containers and the suet cages were about half full. I thought it was odd and then they came back in droves when I added more food. It really is amazing that these birds survive. I saw a hummingbird on my deck a few days ago, checking out the bright colours on the Christmas lights I had just taken down and had left on the patio table.
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Looks like they appreciate the warm and not the defrosted food. 🙂 Lovely photos, they are such cute creatures.
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Thanks, Dina. These bushtits travel in tight flocks so I was thrilled to see the whole bunch of them at the suet block.
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Who doesn’t appreciate a warm meal on a cold winter’s day! They know who takes care of them. 🙂
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I’m so glad they came to eat in such numbers. Made me feel good to see them “filling their boots.”
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I was thinking the same … 🙂
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I was really happy to see so many come out right after I put the food there.
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Lovely!
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Thanks, Darlene.
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I have a Beavis & Butthead comment, Bushtits. Hahaha.
Love the poem.
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I know!! I almost was going to skip the name of the birds. I remember coming across the word “tits” in the “Old Mother West Wind” kids’ stories and when I read to my class I wouldn’t dare use that word. I substituted “birds.” Same as in the old days when we had to do the Bible reading in school, I would never say Jesus rode an “ass.” He rode a “donkey!” Kids are so quick to come up with the giggles when they don’t understand.
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Haha, and that’s me, thinking like a kid. LOL
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That can often be a good thing. 😉
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These lines blessed your poem:
“Internal furnaces will warm
The bodies of the little swarm.”
The sweet birds still cheer me up, dear friend!
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Thanks for that, Robin. I appreciate your attention to detail.
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Great photo and wonderful poem! I love watching the birds come to the feeder. Dwight
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So glad to hear that, Dwight. The world needs more bird lovers to help these little guys through tough times.
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I have many gorgeous birds coming to my feeder every day!
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Wonderful.
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Love the poem! I’ve been keeping my feeder full too while it’s so cold.
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Thank you Terry. So glad to hear that you’re helping feed the birds. They’re having a tough winter in most places this year.
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I didn’t think about the suet turning hard for the birds in the freezing cold, Anneli. This is something I will share with a few people I know. The birds are so cute and have cheered me up this evening! ❤
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I’m not 100% sure that’s what the problem was, but it was bitter cold and everything seemed to be frozen hard all around, so I assumed that maybe that was the problem. Anyway, they sure zoomed in from everywhere when I put the fresh stuff out.
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Oops! My new comment mentions my favorite two lines from your sweet poem, Anneli. 🙂
Sleepy eyes had me comment “out of order!”
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That’s okay. I see the comment higher up on the page. No problem.
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Caring for animals is what sets the good people apart from the not so good ones……….. 🙂
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I think it’s a pretty good indicator.
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Such cute little birds, I’m glad they found a good place to hang out. A bird’s lot is a tough one in winter!
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It really is and I hate to see them suffer. We do what we can and hope for the best.
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Love the photo and you reminded me to go out and grab the suet and the hummingbird feeder. Don’t forget to put out fresh water as well. 😀
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If I put fresh water, I’d have to refill it every hour because it would freeze, but I think it’s going to be warmer tomorrow.
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In our village almost everyone feeds the birds. Some are hanging up a piece of lard, looks funny. I have 3 feeders and 3 suet balls in a net and there is a steady coming and going out there. I just love to watch them. Thanks for the pretty pictures and the little poem.
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I’m happy to hear that so many people care about the birds. Good job, Ursula!
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One of winter’s great pleasures is feeding the birds. Thank you for sharing a beautiful post.
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Aw…being the bird lover that I am, I loved your poem, Anneli. I haven’t been able to keep our thistle socks full. Do you get many black-capped chickadees? I love them!
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We get the chestnut-backed chickadees. The look very similar and I bet their antics are almost the same. Very people-friendly birds.
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Oh yes, they certainly are. They’re such cute little nuggets. 🙂
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They are often seen with the red-breasted nuthatches, who are also “characters.”
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Interesting…ours hang with the tufted titmouse who are so curious of humans. They also have very big eyes….really cute.
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Well, we’ll feed them all if we can. Have a great day, Jill.
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The more the merrier. 🙂 You do the same!
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You are and I were on the ‘same page,’ so to speak, when we posted our blogs today. Fabulous poem, Anneli, and photo to match.
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Thanks, Pam. I thought I answered this comment but I don’t see it so here I am again. Always nice to see your comments here.
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P.S. What do you do when the big mean black birds come and chase away all the cute small birds from the suet? We’re dealing with that now… :-0
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Well, yesterday I saw some starlings coming in to the feeder and I waited until they had just a bite or two and then I opened the window closest to the feeder really quickly and that scared them off. The little birds came back after a few minutes and the starlings didn’t, at least not until later. It’s ongoing. When the pigeons were a problem, I put some cracked corn on the ground for them and then the feeders were available to the other birds.
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Yes, that’s what we do also. I kinda feel badly about chasing the big ugly birds away – after all, they need to eat too. But they are SO messy and just not as nice as the little ones. ;-0
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Hereabouts, with what is called “winter” in southern Texas, we wouldn’t really need to feed the birds, but we do it anyway and they’re happy about it. And we, too, when we can watch them.
Have a great weekend,
Pit
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I’d love to see the kinds of birds you get in Texas.
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I used to make suet to leave out for the birds – I should do that again. Do you think it would be safe to leave my fabric trimmings (they’re all about 1/8″ wide) for the birds to take to build nests out of, or would that potentially cause a problem for them?
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That’s an interesting question. I think if you accidentally left your fabric trimmings outside, they would be used up while you continue to wonder if it’s safe for them. I don’t think they’ll eat them. I once found a nest that had all kinds of threads and twine from a variety of sources. My dog’s fur, threads from onion bags, bits of wool (or synthetic stuff) from an old rag that was left out by the workshop, you name it, they used it.
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Thanks! Yes, I didn’t want them to ingest them but hopefully they’ll realize thread doesn’t taste as good as a worm but is good for nesting.
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I think they are pretty good at recognizing the difference.
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I put some out for them, so I’ll check back to see if they were interested in free bedding!
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Oh they’re sweet! As are all birds of the Tit family, in my opinion! I read somewhere that birds (perhaps small ones, only) need to eat their bodyweight in food each day to survive the night. Such a precarious existence!
My husband has suet balls out for our birds, too, and we’re managing to maintain a community of sparrows as well. They seem to be doing ok again here, as a species. We’ve put upside-down wire hanging baskets over the suet ball holders to keep the greedy pigeons off….
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Isn’t that always the problem with feeding the birds? The big ones are hungry too. I like to try to make sure they all get some but the bigger ones (pigeons, and starlings in our case) need to be shooed away once in a while to give the others a chance.
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