By Meg Peters
Review Staff Writer
Just like humans who more than often crave warm and filling foods in the colder months, so too do their winged predecessors: the birds.
Especially now during the wintertime, local birds may rely solely on area residents? continued supply of birdfeed and fresh water for survival.
In many cases, such with Orion Township birder Rick Forrest, residents are more than happy to attract the birds to their neck of the woods for a nice meal.
Forrest, who lives in The Preserve subdivision just west of Baldwin Rd., has seen all the typical resident birds so far this winter, including cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, mourning doves, various woodpeckers, gold finches and house finches.
His usual winter friends, the white-breasted nuthatch and the red-breasted nuthatch, so far have not yet made their appearance. ‘Sometimes we get migrants from further north down here in the winter time, things like common redpolls and pine siskins, but I haven’t seen any yet this year,? he said. He has even sighted a snowy owl, although not directly at his bird feeders.
The last pine siskin he saw in his backyard was about two years ago, and the last common redpoll flew in around four years ago. Red polls are typically found in northern coniferous forests, but what drives them south are food shortages, Forrest said.
Area residents can be ready for them, and other types of birds, just in case, with their desired supply of birdseed and fresh, unfrozen water. ‘There’s a big difference in the quality of mixed feed. If people buy the cheapest quality of mixed feed then they are not going to get a lot of quality birds because they put a lot of filler seed in,? Forrest said.
He prefers to buy his mixed feed from Costco in Auburn Hills or Wild Birds Unlimited in the Village of Rochester Hills.
Forrest puts out one feeder of mixed feed, one feeder of black thistle feed’which is good for the finches’and suet. He also sets out suet cakes, composed of mixed feeds and other higher-fat content items such as peanuts, seeds and peanut butter, for a heavier, winter treat.
‘Those are really good for attracting nuthatches and woodpeckers,? he added.
Apart from feed, a bird’s gotta drink. So, Forrest also offers a heated birdbath next to his feeders, changing the water about every other day. ‘When it’s really cold, that’s the only water they can find.?
There’s a couple of other species to look out for too, including juncos, cedar waxwings and snow buntings along the road, which are easy to overlook because they are similar to sparrows and fly in flocks, according to Forrest.
What many people may not know, he added, is that a small percentage of migratory birds, such as robins and bluebirds, stay behind in the winter instead of heading south, and he has seen plenty so far.
Like many local birders, Forrest views the birds in his backyard, along the Paint Creek Trail, and in Orion Township’s numerous parks, including the Orion Oaks Dog Park. Outside of Orion he goes to Stoney Creek Metropark in Shelby Township, and Belle Isle in Detroit.
When he’s not watching the birds, he’s capturing their souls. For a good photo Forrest mounts his camera through a spotting scope. The results are on this page, so take a look around.