Keep Calm and Bird On: February 2026
“If you don’t look, you don’t see. You have to go and look.”
-Edith Andrews
An Evening Grosbeak is a rare bonus at a feeding station. Photo by Burton “Spruce” Balkind.
It looks like February— at least for the first week— will be just as cold and yucky as the end of January was. Ponds frozen, ice in the harbors. What's a birder— or for that matter a bird— to do?
This is when bird feeders really becomes more than a source of entertainment, but of survival. Then, the right foods are sometimes a true lifeline for birds. Seed eaters like American Goldfinches, House Finches, Northern Cardinals, and Blue Jays are common feeder birds. Lucky purveyors of sunflower seeds may be rewarded by an evening Grosbeak; thistle seed may attract a Common Redpoll.
Suet or suet and nut mixtures are beloved of Downy, Hairy, or Red-bellied Woodpeckers, as well as Black-capped Chickadees. Often Yellow-rumped Warblers will pick up the crumbs beneath the feeder.
A little seed on the ground is enjoyed by Song, Swamp, and White-throated— or maybe even a Fox – Sparrow. Mourning Doves also come to the feast in droves.
If a few end up as prey for Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawks, it is not something to mourn. As Edith Andrews would say, “Enjoy the Hawk.” It's a bird too, filling a useful niche in keeping the flock strong.
And without exception all need to find fresh open water to survive. So a birdbath heater that keeps water unfrozen is a big help too.
Beyond the feeder, a bird-friendly yard can help tremendously year round. Include some shrub cover, a little tangle, a bit of meadow with diverse local weeds, wildflowers, and grasses. Leave fallen leaves for an area insects will like; birds will find them too. Bayberries, once fruit begins to develop, are an excellent winter food for the aforementioned warblers and any others that drop in.
And you never know what — or who— will show up.
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