Nature News
The Benefits of Being Grounded
Being grounded means one thing to a teenager who was out past curfew.
It means something totally different for birds like sparrows. To them, it means – Time to chow down!
Now is when the ground-feeding birds' population is at its peak. These little birds have big appetites to satisfy. That's why they are always searching here and there for all the food they can find.
On extremely cold days, Song Sparrows can eat thousands of weed seeds to maintain a healthy energy balance. With that much food to be consumed, it's no surprise that these birds go after small, easy-to-open seeds, even if larger seeds may have a higher energy content.
And though most sparrows prefer to forage and dine on the ground, many will also visit feeders for a meal.
Many sparrows visit feeders either in the early morning, because they're extremely hungry from their overnight fast, or late in the day, because they're preparing for another long evening. You can help your backyard ground-feeders by offering blends with millet, a seed that most of them enjoy, and by keeping your feeders filled early and late in the day.
Looking for more ways to enjoy your ground-feeders? Stop by the store this month for more tips on how to make your yard the perfect place to be grounded. Because, unlike teenagers, your birds won't sulk around for days, and they never expect you to do their laundry