Help Birds with Molting and Migration
September is a month of transitions.
Family vacations have come and gone, baseball begins to give way to football, and school (and all its activities) becomes the focus for many of us.
Outside, the heat of summer is replaced by the cool breezes of autumn and flowers are transitioning into seeds and berries. And our trees, still green at the start of the month, will soon dazzle us with their brief, but spectacular, show of colors.
Birds are in transition, too. Parental duties are now just a memory for most. Shorter days lead to restless stirrings in anticipation of their long journey to winter destinations. For some birds, old and worn feathers are still giving way to a fresh set of new plumage. These strong new feathers are crucial for efficient flight and for enhancing a bird’s ability to stay warm and dry.
Transitions bring changes…and changes can be tough.
For molting birds, growing an entire body of new feathers is intense. During this four to eight week process, the need for protein, the main component of feathers, is through the roof! As is the need for enough energy to drive the entire process.
Migration is no less intense. Imagine having the need, in just a couple of weeks, to double your body weight. Incredibly, many birds do just that by gorging themselves to store extra body fat. The drive to pack on the fat required to fuel hours of sustained migration is all consuming.
There is little room for error when it comes to obtaining the proper nutrition for molting and migration. Failure is not an option. So, devouring foods that are high in fats and proteins are a bird’s absolute priority this time of year.
Enter your opportunity!
Your opportunity to do a favor for your birds, and for yourself, by providing them with exactly what they are looking for at your feeders. Foods that are high in fats and proteins.
A great place to start would be by offering WBU Plus Blends, peanuts, Nyjer®, sunflower chips, suet, and Bark Butter® products.
Your birds will thank you with repeated visits to your feeders, and you will be able to experience the transitions of the season as they unfold in your own backyard.
For more information, be sure to check out the WBU Nature Centered Podcast episode, “Birds Basic Feeders.” Our entertaining and informative experts, John and Brian, will share how to have even more joy by attracting the widest cast of characters to your own backyard this fall.
Nyjer® is a registered trademark of the Wild Bird Feeding Institute.