Jan 2, 2019 | Featured in: Watching Backyard Birds, December 2018

Dear Birdsquatch: Will Our Feeder Birds Starve While We're on Vacation?

by Birdsquatch | Contributor, Watching Backyard Birds

What will backyard feeder birds do when you go on vacation? Birdsquatch has an answer.

Dear Furry Bird Genius:

My wife and I will be spending two weeks in Ecuador this February. What if there's superfrigid weather while we're gone, or an ice storm? I'm concerned that our feeder birds will starve. Should we hire a pet sitter to come fill our bird feeders while we're away, even though we don't have pets?

—Charles E., Bloomington, Indiana

Dear Chuck:

Ecuador? Wow! I've never been there, but I believe I have some distant cousins down that way, called Wawa Grande, which I believe translates into "large convenience store." As for your question, don't sweat it. Your birds will be fine because birds have wings and are really good at using them to move around to find food. When you come back, you might notice that it takes a few days for the birds to return to your backyard smorgasbord. And if this is a problem for you, then yes, by all means hire someone (or ask a friendly neighbor) to keep the feeders filled during your tropical travels. And if you do hire someone to put out food for birds and wildlife, might I suggest a person who can bake pies?

Did you know that Watching Backyard Birds is the only magazine in North America devoted entirely to backyard birds? Subscribe today and receive a heaping helping of backyard content year-round! »

About Birdsquatch

Birdsquatch is WBB's tall, hairy, and slightly stinky columnist. He is a bigfoot who has watched birds all his life. His home range is unknown.

What do you think? Tell us!

comments powered by Disqus

New On This Site

Fifteen Fun Feather Facts added on Jul 8, 2020
Are You Overlooking These Summer Birds? added on Jul 1, 2020
Natural Bird Feeding: What Do Birds Want? added on Jun 26, 2020
Blue December added in the gallery by Jessica Price on Dec 3, 2019
Squirrel buddies on my birch added in the gallery by Robin Sinner on Nov 27, 2019
Cardinal waiting for Winter added in the gallery by Deanna Mayhew on Nov 20, 2019

The Latest Comments

Re: Ask Birdsquatch: Feeder Hogs » Watching Backyard Birds.com

that is a nice fix, I have the same issue and my titmice will not return! I don't want these bullies but I want to keep woodpeckers and the ruffed titmice.

by Candoll, Sat, 13 Jun 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

That doesn't address my concern about the bird houses. I'm on a tiny piece of property (40x100) so there's not much room to plant a heck of a lot or places birds could put nests once the bird houses are gone.

by Linda DiPierro, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

Plant some native plants in your yard that will attract pollinators and produce berries and nuts. There should be a local society that has a list of recommended plants, shrubs, and trees.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

Same concerns here. See above post. For your situation I would consider planting a few native plants that will naturally produce berries and seeds that the birds in your area need to survive. Try planting some that will yield foods for all seasons.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020
Re: 8 Common Bird-feeding Myths Debunked » Watching Backyard Birds.com

I've thought about this myself. One thing I considered doing is leaving behind some bird food and a gift card to my local wild bird store with a note asking the new homeowners to please continue feeding the birds. Don't know how well that work but it's worth a try.

by Ladylanita, Mon, 25 May 2020

Watching Backyard Birds.com: Home