Want to see nature’s colorful attractions flit by your window all hours of the day?<!—->.

Monday, December 10, 2001

Want to see nature’s colorful attractions flit by your window all hours of the day?

Then, try backyard birdfeeding – not only will the varieties of birds entertain you, but also your feeding will keep them healthy throughout the bleak winter months ahead.

"There’s a lot of fun, and good deeds, to be had with feeding," said Kathy Flagel, an expert at the Wayne National Forest’s Ironton ranger station.

Some general tips on birdfeeding in the winter time: Pick seed wisely to attract the most kinds of birds, keep feeders clean and dry, put feeders near branches or provide perches to keep birds happy, and don’t stop feeding once you start.

"You get the best variety of birds at your feeder with a heavy mix of sunflower seeds," Ms. Flagel said.

You can use the regular seed from the store, but her birds take a long time getting through the millet, she said.

"People in town won’t get the variety of birds as those in the country, but you can help by boosting the sunflower seeds."

Corn will attract doves, pigeons and bluejays, for example, Ms. Flagel said. For the colorful goldfinches, try thistle seeds, which can be placed in simple thistle seed feeders that are relatively inexpensive.

Also, you can always get fancy and put out suet – a lard-type food that can attract woodpeckers and other different birds.

The fun that comes from birdfeeding lies in watching what happens outside your window, especially for children.

Take a pine cone and smear peanut butter on it, roll it in seeds and put it out, Ms. Flagel suggests.

"You can try just about anything then see what you get," she said.

That means stringing popcorn and hanging in trees or even putting out extra cranberries or raisins.

Also, squirrel feeders, usually wooden platforms with a nail to hold a corn cob, are an option for feeding wildlife.

Ms. Flagel likes to pick Chinese chestnuts and put them out for the squirrels, which love them, she said.

Wintertime feeding can be fun for the whole family, including this area’s family of wildlife.