This story originally ran in January 2003

Help birds find winter food. Many are sick and weak

A kids' table ready to make birdfeeders

Wild birds always welcome help from kids in finding food during wintertime. But, this winter, the West Nile Virus is adding a special urgency.

Bites by mosquitoes that carry the virus killed a lot of birds in our area last summer and fall. Many birds that survived are weakened and won't have strength to search for food.

That's where you can help. Sometimes, during the winter, natural food and water get hidden under snow and ice. Sometimes, it's just scarce and hard to find.

Young Saint Louis.com asked bird store owner Judy Rowe for advice on making simple bird-feeders that kids could hang in their backyards this winter.

Ms. Rowe is the co-owner of the Wild Bird Center in Creve Coeur. Last month, she held a Saturday workshop for kids to teach how to make simple bird feeders. She likes feeders that are 100% edible.

A seed coated bagel and a feeder tray

For instance, she starts with bagels or unglazed cake donuts. She ties a string through the bagels or donuts so they can be hung from trees or bushes.

But, before hanging them, she smears the outsides with peanut butter. Then, she rolls them into plates full of bird seed. The bird seed sticks into the peanut butter. The birds can eat the seeds, peanut butter, bagels or donuts and all.

Ms. Rowe said it doesn't make any difference if the bagels are a little stale. Birds will like them anyway. Also, she said unglazed cake donuts are the best. "The birds don't need the sugar from glazed donuts," she said.

You also can hang pine cones smeared with peanut butter and coated with bird seed. Of course, the pine cones aren't edible.

Another edible bird feeder involves stringing different types of food into a "food garland." Kids can string cranberries, peanuts, raisins or chunks of fruit to make the "garlands."

She added, "And don't forget about water. That's almost as important as food. The birds need to drink and also need to bathe."

She said birds need to keep clean in order to stay warm. "If birds' feathers get dirty and matted down, they don't keep the birds as warm as if they were clean and fluffed up."

When you put out water, be sure you check each day to make sure it hasn't frozen.

The bird feeders should be hung close to bushes. "That way, small birds can take a little food and then retreat to shelter to avoid predators such as cats, hawks and owls," she said.

Ms. Rowe with the start of a food string

Ms. Rowe's store is part of a national network of Wild Bird Centers. "We've heard about the West Nile Virus disease from our stores in the east for the last 2 1/2 years," she said.

But, it wasn't until last summer and fall that local calls came in. "We had a ton of calls to the store about the increase in number of dead birds," she said.

A local report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported deaths from West Nile Virus in 138 different types of birds.

Ms. Rowe said bluejays, crows and house finches were especially hard hit.

The World Bird Sanctuary in west St. Louis County has published a special booklet about using bird feeders to help wild birds recover from the West Nile Virus.

The center maintains three feeding stations near the Meramec River. Director Walter Crawford said the personnel have noticed a "tremendous decrease in birds there."

The Missouri Conservationist is another source of information about bird feeding. The November, 2002, issue contained an article, "The Wreath for Birds." It has directions for making food wreaths, made with pieces of oranges, apples, ear corn and other foods.

The Conservationist is a great source of information about the Missouri outdoors. Often, it includes a special section especially for kids. Subscriptions are free. To subscribe, you can write to: Circulation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.

There is one good thing about the birds that recover from the West Nile illness. Those birds develop immunity. So, your help for sick birds this winter is especially important.

If you'd like more information about the Wild Bird Centers, there are two websites. For national information, go to www.wildbirdcenter.com.