Blizzards can be fatal for birds. Here's how you can help our feathered friends

For some birds in Newfoundland, last week's massive blizzard resulted in food scarcity and death, says a local bird expert.

Jared Clarke, who owns a birdwatching and touring company called Bird the Rock, said now is an excellent time to fill up your bird feeders.

"There's certainly no reason not to be feeding birds right now, and they probably appreciate it a little more than usual if we do," he said.

While some birds are prepared for bad weather, said Clarke, others visiting during migrations from the south aren't. Berries and seeds can freeze or become buried under snow, and the winds can even be lethal for some birds.

"We know for certain that there were a few birds here that have made the news recently that are sort of visiting from further south and probably shouldn't be here this time of year. And we know that they had a hard time and several of them didn't make it," he said.

Clarke said the bull bird is one of them.

"It's a small bird related to the puffin that winters here off our coast, and with the strong winds during the storm the next morning people were picking them up in driveways and on roads."

When it comes to keeping birds fed, Clarke said, many finches prefer a small black seed called niger, while others eat millet. He sad buying a seed mix can help to accommodate different tastes.

Suet blocks are also a good idea, he said.

"That's a really high-energy food. It's really loved by a lot of birds, especially some of our woodpeckers. So that's a great thing to have this time of year."

Some birds know exactly what to do

Clarke said while some birds, like the bull bird, can be killed by the weather, others prepare well in advance and are perfectly safe.

"I don't think there's any doubt that they sense this storm coming, probably even before we would have," he said.

"A lot of birds like boreal chickadees and the kinglets that live in our forests will go deep into the forest and find places close to the tree trunks to be out of the wind and away from the bulk of the snow."

For crows, the suspension of garbage collection during the state of emergency is resulting in food scarcity, with a week's worth of fresh garbage not going to the dump, said Clarke.

"They're probably spreading out over the city looking for it, looking for things to eat," said Clarke.

But crows will likely make do, he said, so there's no need to leave scraps out for them.

"I think it's fairly safe to assume that most of the crows will do fine."

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