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There’s a touch of fall in the air. The days are shorter and the nights cooler. For those living in places where the leaves put on a spectacular show of color, it’s a sure sign that winter isn’t far away. Wild birds are beginning to prepare for the harsh weather by ‘winterizing’ their bodies.

Backyard birders need to get their feeding stations in order right away to help these beautiful feathered friends find plenty of food. Now is the time when wild birds begin storing body fat that is essential to their survival. As their natural food sources disappear for the winter or become buried in snow, they rely more and more on birders to keep fresh seed in their feeders.

When going for a morning walk, there are many beautiful butterflies in the air and sunning on plants or flowers. Of course, the expectation is that these beautiful creatures will be in your yard, too. Arriving home to a butterfly-free yard can be really disappointing. What can you do to make your backyard a haven for butterflies?

First - Without a doubt, you have to stop using chemical pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides. These are deadly considering that butterflies begin their life as a caterpillar attached to a plant within a cocoon.

Here in the southeastern U.S, we’re all feeling the effects of the drought, but we can spare a little bit to make our birds happy. Here are some ideas for attracting birds without running up the water bill.

There is no better way to get birds flocking to your yard than a good source of fresh water. A bird’s need for water through every season of the year is so strong that even species you never expected will be attracted to a strategically placed water source.

Having a birdbath is an advantage to anyone who enjoys observing nature in general and bird behavior in particular.

Eons ago, Zork stood outside his cave and watched a vulture spread his wings and soar off a cliff. Zork decided to try this himself. Too late, he realized that his lift to drag ratio was about zero - no lift and lots of drag - and he had the glide ratio of a brick. Zork’s decedents gave up on aviation for 50,000 years.

Since humans first looked up at birds in flight, we have been trying to fly like them, often with painful or even fatal consequences. Even with the technology available today, we are just beginning to be able to apply some of the technology that has existed in birds for, oh, 150 million years, such as variable geometry wings, vectored thrust, and fly-by-wire.

Feeding wild birds in winter is an enjoyable past time, makes our feathered friends happy, and keeps them coming back to our feeders. So what should be on their menu to help them through the cold days of winter?

Before we answer that, let’s get something out of the way. By attracting birds to our feeders, are we making them too dependent on a free source of food, and weakening their ability to find food on their own? Do we actually put birds at greater risk because of cats and flying into windows?