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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/span>Why feed winter birds in Massachusetts?<\/span><\/h2>\nWinter is the best time to get close looks at your backyard birds. Because winters are cold in Massachusetts, many birds come quickly and easily to bird feeders. They soon become quite fearless.<\/p>\n
In summer these birds may flee as soon as you open your door. But now, in winter, they may only move to a nearby bush to watch as you refill the feeder. Some may remain just out of reach, waiting for you to finish.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the leaves are off the deciduous trees and bushes. If there is snow on the ground, they have fewer places to hide. They are obvious and easy to see. If you carefully place your bird feeder to be visible from inside your house, you’ll have a great view!<\/p>\n
The antics and activity at bird feeders can provide hours of enjoyment. Watching how wild birds behave is entertaining and enlightening. You’ll soon note a pecking order between and among species. You may note a particular time when you can expect a certain species, or even an individual bird.<\/p>\n
Watching birds at feeders can bring you closer to nature. That’s something we all need–especially children. If you can share your birds with young people, what a great benefit. And it can bring the family together in a shared activity.<\/p>\n
Feeding birds in winter is a perfect home schooling project. Or, it can provide an activity during the winter school break. That’s how I got started… 48 years ago!<\/p>\n
Most birds that come to our feeders in winter don’t actually need us to survive. But our feeder foods sure make it easier! <\/p>\n
There are generally more individual birds in towns. Towns create warmer microclimates, and the landscaping may provide additional roosting places for birds over the open countryside. That’s for the kind of birds that come to feeders. Towns may be scorned by other types of local birds.<\/p>\n
Thus, there may be more birds in towns than the residential habitat can feed naturally. So bird feeders may increase the number of backyard birds that the habitat would be able to support without us feeding them.<\/p>\n
<\/span>What birds come to feeders in winter in Massachusetts?<\/span><\/h2>\nMost people offer bird seeds at their bird feeders. Thus, it should come as no surprise that most of the birds that come to feeders in winter in Massachusetts are seed eating birds! These are the easiest to attract.<\/p>\n
Seed eating birds are most frequent in winter. There are few or no insects or fruits by late winter. Thus, birds that eat these things migrate southward in the fall migration. However, if you have some fruit, many seed-eating and omnivorous birds will eat those.<\/p>\n
The northern latitudes and harsher winter weather causes an interesting phenomenon. These two things combine to make it so that most birds at feeders in winter in Massachusetts are year-round residents! <\/p>\n
That’s right. The less-hardy birds migrate south for the winter. And some birds that breed north in Canada, migrate south, past Massachusetts. There are some northern birds that come south to Massachusetts in winter, but these aren’t as numerous, and generally aren’t backyard bird feeder birds.<\/p>\n
If you learn the winter feeder birds below, you’ll have a good start on some many of the common summer birds in Massachusetts, as well! Of course, these don’t include the summer birds that feed primarily on insects or fruits and berries. <\/p>\n
If you want to learn more about the birds that live in your backyard all through the year, not just the winter, then you should read my article Common backyard birds in Massachusetts<\/a>. I’ll link to this again at the end of this article so you can read it.<\/p>\nHow many of the following species have you identified at your bird feeders? Have you seen others? Many are possible.<\/p>\n
Most people offer bird seeds at their bird feeders. Thus, it should come as no surprise that most of the birds that come to feeders in winter in Massachusetts are seed eating birds! These are the easiest to attract.<\/p>\n
Seed eating birds are most frequent in winter. There are few or no insects or fruits by late winter. Thus, birds that eat these things migrate southward in the fall migration. However, if you have some fruit, many seed-eating and omnivorous birds will eat those.<\/p>\n
The northern latitudes and harsher winter weather causes an interesting phenomenon. These two things combine to make it so that most birds at feeders in winter in Massachusetts are year-round residents! <\/p>\n
That’s right. The less-hardy birds migrate south for the winter. And some birds that breed north in Canada, migrate south, past Massachusetts. There are some northern birds that come south to Massachusetts in winter, but these aren’t as numerous, and generally aren’t backyard bird feeder birds.<\/p>\n
If you learn the winter feeder birds below, you’ll have a good start on some many of the common summer birds in Massachusetts, as well! Of course, these don’t include the summer birds that feed primarily on insects or fruits and berries. <\/p>\n
If you want to learn more about the birds that live in your backyard all through the year, not just the winter, then you should read my article Common backyard birds in Massachusetts<\/a>. I’ll link to this again at the end of this article so you can read it.<\/p>\n How many of the following species have you identified at your bird feeders? Have you seen others? Many are possible.<\/p>\n