How Birds Survive Winter – And How We Can Help
Falling temperatures, less food, severe storms and hungry predators all make winter a harsh season for birds, but our feathered friends have many tricks to...
Birds and squirrels don’t have to be enemies in the same yard, even when a bird may chase a squirrel or a squirrel may raid a bird feeder. If you have both birds and squirrels in your yard, you can easily keep everyone safe, happy, and friendly.
Both birds and squirrels are great wildlife that can be entertaining to watch in your yard, and they can get along better than many people realize. Birds and squirrels may alert one another to different food sources, and often use the same types of nesting material – even raiding one another’s nests for extra material occasionally. Birds and squirrels listen to each other for warnings and predator alarms, keeping every creature in the yard safe. If you have both types of animals in your yard, you are fortunate to have healthy, supportive habitat that will encourage better wildlife diversity.
It is a common misconception that birds and squirrels can’t get along, and that having one in your yard is better or worse than having another. You only need to meet the needs of both birds and squirrels to encourage each one to visit your yard, and it’s easy to do so in ways so the animals peacefully coexist rather than compete with one another.
Even as you take steps to encourage both birds and squirrels in your yard, it is important not to be too welcoming. Too much food, for example, may spoil and rot, or could attract other, less welcome wildlife such as skunks, rats, or bears. Instead, put out just enough food that will be eaten in a day or two before bird feeders need to be refilled and squirrel feeding areas restocked.
Similarly, take steps to keep both birds and squirrels out of inappropriate shelter and nesting sites. Woodpeckers, starlings, sparrows, and other cavity-nesting birds may try to get into an attic or nest under eaves, in drainpipes, or in similar spaces, while some birds may nest on light fixtures or in lawn equipment. Squirrels, on the other hand, may nestle into soffit or squeeze into attics and their nests can be messy and destructive. Block such access points firmly to keep unwanted guests out of the house and in the yard where they belong.
Birds and squirrels can be very engaging, entertaining guests in the yard, and with simple steps, you can be sure each one has good resources for a safe, happy visit. The more you welcome them in your yard, the more you will enjoy all the energy and vitality both birds and squirrels can bring to your own patch of habitat.
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Falling temperatures, less food, severe storms and hungry predators all make winter a harsh season for birds, but our feathered friends have many tricks to...
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