This winter more than ever, Northeast Ohioans are noticing, appreciating, and engaging with the charming wildlife that flourishes right outside their windows – birds! The phenomenon that has developed around backyard birding has more people researching this vintage hobby than ever before and learning how to get involved. The result? The resurgence of a meaningful pastime – one that’s easy, inexpensive, and able to bring you closer to nature in calming and relaxing ways.
Winter Birding in Northeast Ohio
what birds can i attract during winter?
Some birds are winter visitors and others are year-round residents. You may be surprised to know how many colorful birds you can attract to brighten grey winter days. Scroll to meet six bird species you can attract this winter in Northeast Ohio. Note the specific foods and feeders they prefer!
Year-round resident
#1 BLUE JAY
Favorite Food: Peanuts in the shell
Preferred Feeder: Wreath peanut feeder
Familiar to many with its perky crest, bold call, and spectacular plumage, this species is known for its intelligence and complex social system with tight family bonds. It is truly an omnivore, happy to consume all food types including seed, suet, fruit, and mealworms. We find the Blue Jay most entertaining to watch when it is fed whole peanuts in the shell from a wreath peanut feeder.
Winter visitor
#2 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH
Favorite Food: Black Oil Sunflower Seed
Preferred Feeder: Tube
A tiny, active, bundle of energy at the feeder, and different from the White-breasted Nuthatch that is present here year-round, this red-breasted species migrates from the uppermost forests of North America south to Northeast Ohio for the fall and winter. Draw these birds by offering black oil sunflower seed in a tube-shaped seed feeder.
Winter visitor
#3 COMMON REDPOLL & PINE SISKIN
Favorite Food: Nyjer (thistle)
Preferred Feeder: Tube
Energetic foragers that travel in busy flocks, these small finch species from the arctic tundra and boreal forest migrate south every few years, reaching Northeast Ohio by winter in search of food. Both have unique throat pouches that allow for temporarily storing seeds, which supports survival during stretches of subzero temperatures. Attract the with Nyjer (thistle) displayed in a funnel flip top Nyjer mesh tube feeder.
Year-round resident
#4 RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
Favorite Food: Suet
Preferred Feeder: Suet Cage
A medium-sized species of woodpecker with a striking, barred back and gleaming red cap, this bird can stick its barbed tongue out nearly two inches past the end of its beak. As is the case with most woodpeckers, serving up fresh suet cakes in any kind of suet cage feeder is a great way to attract this species.
Winter visitor
#5 DARK-EYED JUNCO
Favorite Food: Petitti Wild Bird Mix
Preferred Feeder: Platform
A species of sparrow that flits about the forest floor of Canada before flocking to the U.S. for winter, this bird is easily recognized by its dark slate top color contrasted against its bright white underbelly and tail feathers that habitually flash while in flight. Draw these with Petitti Wild Bird Mix scattered across the ground or on a platform feeder.
Year-round resident
#6 NORTHERN CARDINAL
Favorite Food: Black Oil Sunflower Seed
Preferred Feeder: Hopper
Ohio’s state bird and highly recognizable, the male of this species sports a year-round shade of red you can’t take your eyes off while the brow female bears warm red accents. Both birds sing, though the female tends to issue a longer, slightly more complex song than the male. Make an offer they’ll gladly accept with Petitti Cardinal Mix in a hopper feeder.
winter birding in a nutshell
If you’re just getting started with backyard birding during the winter, remember it’s as simple as providing a consistent supply of food, water, and shelter. For any new feeder or food you introduce, be patient and know that it may take days or weeks for the birds to find and grow comfortable with visiting regularly – but visit they will! And, if you’re looking to attract specific species, learning their preferences for food and feeders always helps. Our favorite site to learn about various species is All About Birds created by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
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