Fueling Birds for the Journey Ahead

How your backyard feeders can help migrating and wintering birds this autumn

As fall migration gets underway, backyard birders sometimes wonder: Should I take down my feeders? Could all that easy food convince birds not to migrate?

Migration burns an amazing amount of energy. Birds traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles need to put on fat before leaving and replenish those reserves whenever they get the opportunity. Migration is driven mainly by ingrained natural cues—changing daylight, weather, food availability, and, above all, instinct. Some species actually begin their southbound journeys while summer is still in full swing.

Fall Is Refueling Season

For a bird that may weigh only a few ounces, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles is an astonishing physical feat. Rather than interfering with migration, your backyard can become a handy rest stop where birds grab some calories before continuing on.

Hummingbirds are a great example. Before migration, these tiny birds can dramatically increase their body weight by storing fat—the fuel they need for an extraordinary southbound journey. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrating from eastern North America may eventually cross hundreds of miles of open water over the Gulf of Mexico.

Your feeder certainly isn't the only place they'll find food, but a reliable source of nectar or seed can be a welcome addition to the flowers, insects, berries, and seeds they find naturally.

And that's part of what makes fall feeding so much fun: you never quite know who might show up.

Why Keep the Feeders Full?

Your feeders can serve several different groups of birds as summer gives way to fall:

• Migrating birds can grab some quick calories before continuing south.

• Year-round residents can begin building fat reserves for colder weather.

• Winter visitors arriving from farther north may discover your backyard for the first time.

• Birds facing dwindling natural food supplies have another place to find high-energy food.

Birds generally don't rely on one feeder—or even one backyard—for survival. They're constantly moving around and sampling many different natural and supplemental food sources throughout the day.

“Fall is one of my favorite times to watch a feeder,” says Peter Alden. “You have your regular chickadees and woodpeckers, but then suddenly a bird you've hardly seen all summer drops in. That's the fun of migration—you never know what's coming through.”

What's on the Fall Menu?

Fall is the time to think about calories. High-fat, high-energy foods are particularly useful, and offering several kinds of food can attract a wider variety of birds.

Some good choices include:

• Black oil sunflower seed

• Suet

• Nuts and peanuts

• Nyjer seed

• Cracked corn

• Nectar for hummingbirds

If you're only going to offer one type of seed, black oil sunflower is hard to beat. Chickadees, nuthatches, finches, cardinals, and many other familiar feeder birds enjoy it.

As temperatures begin to fall, suet is another excellent option. Its concentrated calories are particularly attractive to woodpeckers, nuthatches, and other birds that normally get much of their food from insects.

Don't Rush to Take Down the Hummingbird Feeder

One of the most persistent fall birding myths is that leaving a hummingbird feeder up will prevent hummingbirds from migrating.

It won't. Their urge to migrate is much stronger than the appeal of your sugar water. In fact, leaving the feeder up after your regular hummingbirds disappear may help birds migrating through your area from farther north. Continue using the familiar recipe of one part plain white sugar to four parts water. There's no reason to make the solution stronger in the fall, and avoid honey, artificial sweeteners, or red dye. And don't forget the cleaning. Warm September days can still cause nectar to spoil surprisingly quickly.

Think Beyond the Bird Feeder

You can also make your entire yard more useful to migrating and wintering birds.

One of the easiest things to do is simply not clean everything up.

Leave some flower seed heads standing. Let a layer of leaves remain beneath shrubs and trees. Native plants can provide berries, seeds, insects, and hiding places long after summer flowers disappear. A few more simple ideas:

• Keep feeders clean and discard wet or moldy seed.

• Keep a birdbath filled with fresh water.

• Leave some fallen leaves where birds can scratch around for insects and seeds.

• Plant or maintain dense shrubs and evergreens for shelter.

• Check older feeders for cracks or sharp edges after a busy summer.

A slightly less manicured yard can actually be a much more interesting yard for birds.

Enjoy Fall's Changing Cast of Characters

Perhaps the best part of fall bird feeding is watching the transition happen right outside your window. Summer birds gradually disappear. Migrants stop in for a day or two and move on. Chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, and woodpeckers become more noticeable again.

Before long, winter visitors begin arriving from the north. Keeping your feeders stocked won't convince migrating birds to stay behind. Instead, think of your backyard as one of thousands of little rest stops scattered along their route—a place to find food, water, and shelter before continuing one of nature's most remarkable journeys.