The Common Fall Yard Waste That'll Make Birds Flock To Your Feeder

It's raining acorns on your lawn, and what ugliness your beautiful oak tree is causing. If you don't like a mess in your yard, but you like to feed birds over the winter, your opinion of these tiny bombs from above might change. It's no surprise that acorns are an invaluable food source for wildlife, but there's a sizable list of birds that go nuts for fresh acorns, either whole or crushed. Instead of bagging and binning your oak's bounty, save the best of them for your avian friends.

The fallen acorns in your yard, garden, and walkways are a nutritional powerhouse for birds like jays, nuthatches, titmice, and woodpeckers. The fallen fruits are packed with birdy benefits, like protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and necessary fats. Depending on where you live, you may see bluebirds, chickadees, sparrows, grosbeaks, and more.

To provide the best meals for birds, it does take a bit of sorting; winnow out the acorns that don't show obvious damage or decay. If you have a surplus, compost the bad acorns and save the others for later use by wiping away debris, letting them dry, and storing them in a mesh bag in a cool, dry spot. Also, it's worth checking whether a wildlife center in your area wants your overflow to help feed their patrons!

Acorns please a large number of birds, but among them, they have different eating preferences and needs. Some will snack happily from a feeder while others forage on the ground. Nut-eating birds are well-equipped to crack acorns on their own, but others need a hand in order to get the nutritious meat. Prepping the acorns for easy eating is a thoughtful gesture for many small-beaked birds. Gather up some freshly fallen acorns, remove their caps, and place them in a wide, durable container or inside an old sock. Then, tap away at them with a hammer to crack the shells.

It's not a bad idea to make both whole and shell-less acorns available for your varied guests. While it's easier to get nourishment from easy-access acorn meat, others don't mind eating them whole. Ducks will down acorns without cracking the shells — as will wild turkeys, who hold onto them in their crops to digest later. Others will whisk whole acorns away to hoard for leaner times.

While lots of birds are happy nibbling from hanging feeders, there are a few acorn fans that eat from the ground. Birds like turkeys and pigeons don't want to miss the buffet, so scattering both whole and cracked acorns in spots on your yard will accommodate them. Pull from your own store of acorns until spring to keep the feathered friends in your yard happy all winter.