Rooted Ramblings: Wild bird landlord – sit, watch and listen

Written by and photography by Kara Butcher & Jill Higgins, Portage County Master Gardener Volunteers

On any random winter day, when our Portage County, Ohio, yards are frozen and barren, I pour my first cup of coffee and prepare myself for the hidden gems ready to fly down from the trees above. I am aware my yard has been awake and alive since daybreak. I’ve learned the birds’ rhythms and routines over time; my yard has become a safe space for them. They know every branch, shrub and hiding spot. The early-winter risers, cardinals and juncos, flutter in the first light, chirping with a harmonious gathering to their favorite food source. Their breakfast includes black oil sunflower seeds and crushed peanuts. Black-capped chickadees soon arrive with their quick dive for food and cheerful calls. They can store up to 80,000 seeds in a season and recall exactly where each seed was hidden. These wild birds control most pests in the warm months (grubs, aphids, caterpillars, mosquitoes, flies, beetles, ants, earwigs and whiteflies), and they just battled a freezing snowy night with only feathers as their blanket. Woodpeckers arrive to reenergize on a high-protein suet cake. A nutritious breakfast is the least I can provide.