You might not initially think about it, but if you enjoy watching birds at your feeders throughout the fall and winter season, early fall is actually a great time to start stocking bird feed. Granted, you won’t actually get high levels of aviary traffic – most birds will be feeding in the woods on plump berries and insects – but the birds that do visit you will be scouting for food and remember your yard as a hotspot once severe weather hits.

This, of course, can be problematic for our furry friends, squirrels, who are trying to stock up for the wild North Carolina winters. Below, you’ll find tips on how to effectively feed birds in the fall and winter months, and you’ll also find tips on how to avoid accidentally feeding the squirrels instead.

For the Birds

• Foods to Offer: Seeds: black oil sunflower, white millet, safflower, cracked corn, broken nuts. Try putting suet in hanging baskets to attract woodpeckers. You can also serve up some chopped up fruits.
• Water Works: One of the best ways to get birds to visit your yard is by providing them with unfrozen water, replenished daily. In the winter, water is often harder to come by than food.
  • As consistent freezing temperatures approach, you can get a heating element that stays in the bird bath and activates whenever the water begins to freeze, or you can purchase a bird bath with a warmer built in.
• Feed in Multiple Locations: Try hanging some feeders on your porch, tossing seed out into the lawn, and a few feeders on trees throughout the yard. The key is to attract as many birds as possible so you get lots of lovely traffic over the winter months.

(Not) For the Squirrels

There are four major species of squirrels in North Carolina, all of which would love to dine on the birdseed you’ll be putting out. The common grey squirrel, the red squirrel, the Southeastern fox squirrel and the flying squirrel all can be found within different parts of the Old North State.

Since grey squirrels aren’t scared of humans, meaning they aren’t afraid of raiding your bird feeders, red squirrels can be known to chew up and damage property and flying squirrels aren’t opposed to taking up residence in your attic, it can be helpful to know how to deter squirrels from taking over your yard (and chasing off the birds you hope to attract)

• More Than Pumpkin Spice This Season: Mixing red pepper flakes into your birdseed is a dynamite way to chase off squirrels – the spice doesn’t affect the birds and the squirrels will be hightailing out of there.
  • Mixing hot sauce and water together in a spritz bottle and then spritzing the base of trees or your foundation will also naturally and safely repel squirrels.
• What a Mesh: Polyethylene mesh netting around trees, flower beds or other areas you don’t want squirrels to invade is a simple and affordable deterrent.

If you’re hoping to bring in the birds this winter and are concerned about squirrels affecting them or your own property, feel free to contact the experts at Critter Control at 919-328-3976 or visit our online contact portal. We remove squirrels in Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham and Apex around Wake County and more.