When do I stop feeding the birds?

It’s mid-April in Northeast Ohio. Spring is around the corner and in the air. A spring question you might have is: when do you stop feeding the birds?

Feeding the birds in winter

I believe you help the birds immensely by feeding them in the winter, especially in frigid and deep snow/ice-covered conditions. But there is a time to stop and let them be the wild things that they are.

You have to also ask yourself if you have done everything you can to protect these winter residents from predators. Realize that predators must eat also to survive... but don’t make it easy for them.

By feeding the birds you are concentrating them and making them easier targets for predators rather than being scattered over a wide area foraging.

As the above picture depicts, I give the birds the most cover and escape routes possible. I positioned a 15-foot dead scotch pine in the middle of my garden that has a fence around the north perimeter.

The fence has a 2“ x 3“ openings, and most birds can fly through this with a predator-in-tow not having a chance. The dead pine creates a myriad of hideaways and escape routes for a pursued bird.

I just spread any decent brand birdseed within this maze and I haven’t seen a successful Cooper hawk strike since...

Second picture depicts Mr. Cooper hawk trying to be inconspicuous, waiting for dinner. Note the thick evergreens with foliage all the way to the ground (arborvitaes), also provide protective roosting and escape cover.

When to stop feeding the birds

So when do you stop feeding the birds in the spring? When the insects emerge and are here for good.

That’s usually when we consistently see 50s and 60s as highs, and above freezing for lows.

I help out the birds in the winter, and during spring, summer and fall, they reciprocate by keeping the population of insects in check.