Birds need food, water, shelter, and safe places to raise their young throughout the year, but the ways they use these resources change with the seasons.

Spring brings migration and nesting. Summer means growing nestlings, fledglings, heat, and rapidly spoiling food. Fall is a time of migration and preparation, while winter places greater demands on birds’ energy and ability to find open water and shelter.

A few seasonal changes in your yard or feeding station can help Colorado Springs birds find what they need all year long.

From spring migration and summer nesting to fall preparation and winter survival, birds’ needs change throughout the year. A little seasonal support can help them thrive in every season.

 

Spring: Migration, Nesting, and New Life

Spring is one of the busiest times in the bird world. Migrants are arriving or passing through, resident birds are establishing territories, and many species are preparing to nest.

Offer Energy for Migration

Traveling birds need reliable sources of energy. Sunflower, peanuts, suet, mealworms, Bark Butter, and high-quality seed blends can help supplement the natural foods available in your yard.

Hummingbirds may arrive before many flowers are blooming, so clean hummingbird feeders filled with fresh nectar can provide an important early-season resource. Use a simple mixture of one part white granulated sugar to four parts water with no red dye. Expect Hummingbirds in Colorado Springs around Tax Day, the middle of April.

Support Egg Production and Growing Young

Female birds require additional calcium as they produce eggs. Birds find calcium in natural foods such as insects and snail shells, but you can also offer Nesting SuperBlend or any of our Plus blends.

Protein becomes especially important when birds are feeding rapidly growing nestlings. Native plants support caterpillars and other insects that parent birds need for their young. Mealworms can also provide a convenient supplemental food for insect-eating birds.

Prepare Nesting Boxes

Clean and inspect nest boxes before nesting begins. Make sure drainage and ventilation holes are open, mounting hardware is secure, and old nesting material has been removed when you are certain the box is inactive.

Never open a box unnecessarily once birds begin building a nest or raising young.

Provide Safe Nesting Materials

The best nesting materials are often already available in a healthy yard. Leave some dry grasses, small twigs, leaves, pine needles, and other natural materials where birds can find them. You can also offer purpose-made natural nesting material.

Avoid dryer lint, string, yarn, fishing line, plastic, human hair, and pet fur that may contain flea or tick treatments. These materials can hold moisture, wrap around birds, or injure nestlings.

Turn Out Lights During Migration

Many migrating birds travel at night and can become confused by artificial light. During peak spring migration, turn off unnecessary outdoor lights, close curtains and blinds, and use downward-facing fixtures when lighting is needed.

 

Summer: Water, Healthy Food, and Fledglings

Summer is demanding for adult birds raising young, newly independent fledglings, and birds coping with hot, dry weather.

Keep Water Available

A clean bird bath can be one of the most valuable resources in a summer yard. Birds need water for both drinking and bathing, including species that rarely visit feeders.

Place bird baths where birds have visibility and nearby cover without giving predators an easy hiding place. Change the water frequently, scrub away algae and waste, and keep the water shallow enough for small birds to use safely.

Watch Food for Spoilage

Heat and moisture can cause bird food to spoil quickly. Offer amounts that birds can finish while they are still fresh, and discard food that is wet, clumped, moldy, or smells unpleasant.

Clean feeders regularly and pay particular attention to tray feeders and areas where food can collect.

Hummingbird nectar should never remain in a feeder for more than three days. When temperatures reach 90°F or higher, change it every day and clean the feeder before refilling it.

Give Fledglings Space

A young bird on the ground is not necessarily abandoned. Many fledglings leave the nest before they can fly well, and their parents continue feeding and watching them nearby.

Keep people and pets back and allow the parents to care for the youngster. If the bird is injured, in immediate danger, or appears to be a nestling rather than a fledgling, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for guidance.

Reduce Pesticide Use

Insects are essential food for many birds and nearly all terrestrial baby songbirds. Avoid broad-spectrum pesticides whenever possible and allow beneficial insects to become part of your backyard habitat.

 

Fall: Migration and Natural Food

During fall migration, birds may travel hundreds or thousands of miles. Even birds that remain in Colorado Springs are replacing feathers, adjusting to cooler weather, and preparing for winter.

Offer High-Energy Foods

Sunflower, peanuts, suet, Bark Butter, and quality seed blends provide concentrated energy for migrating and resident birds. Keep feeders clean and dependable as bird activity changes throughout the season.

Leave hummingbird feeders up as long as hummingbirds continue visiting. A feeder will not prevent a hummingbird from migrating when it needs to go, and late migrants may benefit from finding it. We recomend keeping feeders up two weeks after you see or hear your last hummingbird, gernerally mid to late October here in Colorado Springs.

Leave the Garden a Little Wild

Seed heads, fallen leaves, fruit, and standing plant stems provide natural food and shelter. Waiting until spring to cut back parts of the garden can benefit birds, overwintering insects, and other wildlife.

Native plants are especially valuable, but creating habitat does not require replacing everything you love. Adding even a few native plants or leaving one small area less manicured can make a difference.

Make Windows Safer

Migration can bring unfamiliar birds into yards and neighborhoods. Reflections of sky and vegetation may cause them to fly into windows.

Use properly spaced exterior window markers, screens, cords, Window Gems, Flock Blocker, or other effective treatments to break up reflections and help birds recognize the glass as a barrier.

Participate in Lights Out

Fall is another important season for reducing nighttime light pollution. Turn off unnecessary lights from dusk until dawn, close blinds, and encourage neighbors and workplaces to participate during peak migration.

 

Winter: Fat, Water, and Shelter

Cold weather increases the amount of energy birds must use to stay warm. Snow and ice can also cover natural foods and make liquid water difficult to find.

Serve High-Fat Foods

Foods rich in fat and calories are especially helpful in winter. Good choices include:

• Suet
• Sunflower
• Peanuts
• Bark Butter
• High-quality seed blends
• Seed cylinders and other long-lasting foods

Keep food dry and feeders accessible after snowstorms. Offering food consistently during severe weather can help birds when natural resources are temporarily harder to reach.

Provide Liquid Water

Open water can be scarce during freezing weather. A heated bird bath or outdoor-rated bird bath heater can keep water available without making it hot.

Use equipment designed for outdoor bird baths, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and connect electrical equipment to a properly protected outlet.

Create Winter Shelter

Evergreen trees, dense shrubs, native grasses, brush piles, and protected corners give birds places to escape wind, snow, and predators.

Nest boxes may also be used as winter roosting sites. Make sure they remain securely mounted and protected from excessive moisture.

Keep Feeders Clean

Cleaning still matters during cold weather. Remove wet food and accumulated waste, rotate feeders when possible, and watch visiting birds for signs of illness. If sick birds appear, temporarily remove feeders and baths and clean them thoroughly before putting them back out.

 

Help Birds in Every Season

Some of the most important ways to help birds remain the same throughout the year:

• Keep feeders and bird baths clean.
• Provide fresh food and water.
• Add native plants and preserve natural shelter.
• Reduce pesticide use.
• Treat windows to prevent collisions.
• Keep cats indoors or provide a secure outdoor enclosure.
• Turn off unnecessary lights during migration.
• Give nests, fledglings, and wildlife plenty of space.

You do not have to change your entire yard at once. A clean water source, one new native plant, a safer window, or a well-maintained feeder can all become part of a healthier habitat.

Visit Wild Birds Unlimited of Colorado Springs for seasonally appropriate bird food, feeders, bird baths, nest boxes, nesting materials, window-strike solutions, and advice tailored to the birds visiting your yard!