Invite Delaware's Wintering Birds to your Backyard

Getting kids interested in the natural world can be tough this time of year. It's cold and dreary outside, while inside the house, new gifts of toys and electronic gadgets beckon.

But you don't need to go far – as a matter of fact, you don't even need to go outside – to get better acquainted with Delaware wildlife. For less than the cost of one video game, you can buy a backyard bird feeder and turn your kids on to the world outside their window. And you don't need a big, wooded yard or lots of feeders to attract a diverse population of birds. Chris Williams, University of Delaware assistant professor of wildlife ecology, says he regularly sees 18 of the 25 most common Delaware winter birds in his ¼ acre yard in Newark .

Some of these varieties brighten up the landscape with their showy plumage. The red-bellied woodpecker looks like it's wearing prison stripes, with its distinctive black-and-white striped back. (Despite its name, it's pretty tough to spot the faint pink-tinged wash on its belly.)

Other Delaware winter birds may be drab in color but delight the ear. Williams enjoys the sound of the gray-brown mourning dove, with its plaintive “coo,” “coo” call. It's also fun to look for personality traits that are common to certain varieties. Get your kids to pay attention to the blue jay, for example, which is known for its aggressive and territorial behavior. It frequently tries to drive other birds away from feeders.

To attract the greatest diversity of birds, stock your feeder with both seed and suet, says Williams. Just as human taste buds differ, so, too, do the birds'. The song sparrow, a common Delaware winter bird, likes to dine on cracked corn; the northern cardinal, another winter visitor, much prefers sunflower seed. Suet attracts insect-eating birds, including woodpeckers and chickadees, which have a tough time finding insects this time of year.

If you never got around to pruning shrubs and cutting back perennials this fall, give yourself a pat on the back. “Vegetation provides escape cover for birds and also supplies food in the way of berries and seeds,” explains Williams. “A natural looking yard is much more bird friendly than one that has been highly maintained.” If you don't have a lot of existing vegetation, consider making good use of your Christmas tree by propping it up by the feeder for added shelter.

To keep your kids from wandering back to the TV or Xbox, Williams suggests introducing one or more of these activities:

• Get a field guide and identify the birds.
• Take photos or make sketches of the birds that visit your feeder.
• Maintain a list of all the different varieties you see over the course of the winter. Will you be able to attract all 25 common Delaware winter birds?
• Keep “phenology records” of winter birds, noting the highest count for each species each week and the last day they are seen in spring.

If your kids are ready to venture out and explore the birds beyond their own backyard, check out family programs at Delaware state parks. Upcoming events include a feeder-making class at Killens Pond Jan.14 and a bird hike and breakfast at Brandywine Creek on Jan. 28.