Each winter The Arboretum is visited by an abundance of hungry winter birds looking for a snack. During these cold months, you can drop in for some winter bird watching in the Bird Watching Garden at the Visitors Center! This activity is included with your admission into The Arboretum and offers a nice warm place to check out nature. Here, you will see birds in the garden during this season that you might not see any other time of year. Typically, these winter visitors spend the rest of the year much further north in the boreal forest or even up in the tundra. Birds like white-crowned sparrows, white-throated sparrows, golden-crowned kinglets, and dark-eyed juncos are only here through the nonbreeding season. Which will you spot during your next visit?
While spending time watching the birds, you'll notice all the different feeding behaviors of the different species. Some species primarily feed on the ground while others prefer to stay up on the feeders. Some really enjoy the peanuts we put out and others forage for whatever they can find. You will witness some species of birds remaining on a feeder for extended periods of time while others grab one seed at a time before disappearing only to return a few minutes later.
Did you know that many birds change their diets in the winter in order to adapt to their conditions? For example, the tufted titmice and Carolina chickadees are regulars in the Bird Watching Garden. Through the warmer months they typically feed heavily on insects, especially caterpillars. In the winter, although they don’t have the best adapted beaks in order to crack seeds, a large portion of their diet is seed because that is what is available to them while the ground is frozen.
Come on out and borrow some binoculars and field guides to hone your identification skills! Join us early to participate in Project Feederwatch, a citizen science initiative that helps monitor the distribution and abundance of winter bird populations. The Wonderful Winter Birding programs are currently running every Saturday now through February 17, 2024 from 11am to 1pm!