Cardinals are one of the most beloved backyard birds because of their vibrant color, and they’re even more exciting to watch in the winter when the landscape is often gray and monotonous. Since cardinals don’t migrate, they’re still around during the winter, and if you know what they like to eat, you can find them foraging even when it’s cold outside. There are a number of ways to attract these backyard beauties, so here are a few tips to help you entice them to your yard.
How to Keep Cardinals in Your Garden During Fall and Winter
Cardinals prefer evergreen trees and shrubs for nesting because the thick foliage provides them with a safe shelter year-round. They may build their nests in thicker branches to reduce wind chill and better protect their nest from the elements. In addition to helping cardinals stay warm during the winter months, evergreen branches provide important cover from predators such as hawks, which can easily see their bright red plumage when the leaves are off the trees. A few evergreen shrubs or trees can provide cardinals with a good nesting site.
During the winter, cardinals need foods that are higher in fat and protein to keep them warm. Since they don’t have as much variety to choose from when they go foraging, it helps to provide them with seeds and other foods that are high in protein and fat to attract them to your garden and keep them healthy during the winter. Black sunflower seeds or a cardinal mix of millet, cracked corn, and peanuts, as well as sunflower seeds, will help keep cardinals healthy.
Cardinals are creatures of habit, so it is important to keep your feeders topped up in the winter to attract birds. Once cardinals recognize your feeder as a consistent source of food, they will return regularly to forage. Birds will remember the location and will likely return year after year once they get to know your feeder. You will have much more success attracting birds if your feeders are kept full. You may also want to check your feeders for excess moisture or ice when it is cold outside, as drainage holes can become clogged with ice and freeze birdseed.
