The Beauty of Bluebirds
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 1/6/2026
In this past weekend’s New Hampshire’s Audubon Winter Backyard Bird Survey, Eastern Bluebirds were spotted at sites around the Lakes Region. It’s always a delight to see these beautiful birds, but they haven’t always been found here during the winter.
While Eastern Bluebirds migrate south in the fall, they are now considered to be “partial migrants”. Some will migrate south for the winter, others choose to stay near their breeding territories. A key to their survival is safe places to rest and adequate food supplies.
In the past, Eastern Bluebirds migrated to the Southeast and Mexico. But now with our current warmer winter temperatures, their range has increased north.
Since the 1990’s, Eastern Bluebirds are one of the species that has made a comeback due to positive human intervention. While their habitats were negatively impacted by agriculture, human efforts of providing nest boxes, bird friendly habitats and food in winter has allowed them to flourish.
In addition to nesting boxes, we can support these beautiful birds by providing food: suet, peanut butter and sunflower seed mixes, raisins soaked in water and mealworms.
To discover more:
Is it normal for Eastern Bluebirds to overwinter in New Hampshire?
Festivities for the Birds
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 12/23/2025
A family tradition of ours began 9 years ago, inspired by Eve Bunting’s children’s book, The Night Tree. In this poignant story, each Christmas Eve, a young family would head out into the woods and decorate a tree with “gifts” for the wild animals. The gifts would include strung popcorn, fruit, nuts, etc.
In our family, the tradition is to spend part of Christmas Eve day making bird-friendly ornaments and then decorate a small tree on our deck. The ornament making is definitely messy, but fun. What’s even more rewarding is when we see how the birds respond. The granddaughters are teenagers now, but still treasure this family tradition.
In the book, the family heads into the woods. In our family, we purchase a small tree from a local business, and after decorating it, leave it on the deck for most of the winter. The tree also creates a place of shelter from predators and the wind. Before we purchased an artificial tree which we now use, we used to bring the real tree out on the deck after Christmas and leave it there until the snow was gone. It definitely got a lot of use that continued long after the holiday was over.
- Tried and true favorites: pinecones filled with non-salted peanut butter (You don’t want salted peanut butter).
- Bird seed ornaments made in festive shapes with cookie cutters.
- Fruit/popcorn strung on string.
- Apple slices with peanut butter
Note: If you can, provide a water source for the birds. Heated bird baths are a wonderful draw for the birds.
To discover more:
DIY: Outdoor Holiday Decorations That Double as Delectable Treats for Birds
How NH Turtles Survive Our Bitterly Cold Winters
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 12/16/2025
While humans bundle up in warm clothes and turn on the heat, cold blooded animals like amphibians, insects and reptiles have different ways to survive our bitter cold winters.
The body temperature of cold blooded animals matches the air they are in. Colder weather will cause the metabolism of these animals to slow way down, requiring less demands on their energy and oxygen. But this dormancy (inactivity), also known as brumation, still requires oxygen.
Aquatic turtles, who are submerged in the mud, have adapted to absorb the oxygen, through their skin, from the water. Their skin has lots of blood vessels, especially in the areas of their mouth, legs, and cloaca (one opening that meets all the requirements for excretion and reproduction). This is known as cloacal respiration.
As the winter draws on, the oxygen levels in the ponds are reduced. Both Painted Turtles and Snapping Turtles can go into a state of “no-oxygen” metabolism. They begin to metabolize glycogen which doesn’t need oxygen to release energy. This solution however has some dangers. This state, if it goes on too long, can cause lactic acid to be created, causing cramping and possible death to the animals. As an antidote to this, the turtles release calcium carbonate from their bones and shells to essentially neutralize the lactic acid.
To discover more:
Feeding the Birds
by Wendy Oellers-Fulmer, 12/9/2025
When asked how we attract so many different types of birds at our feeders, my reply has been that we offer a choice of seeds, mealworms, suet and a water source. What is fascinating is watching how the birds differ in their approach to consuming the seeds.
Cardinals, Finches and Sparrows have beaks designed to shell seeds. After using their tongues to put the seed in place on a groove on their upper beak, they use the sharper edge to crack the shell. They then use their tongues once again to extract the kernel and then eject the shell.
Chickadees and Tufted Titmice don’t have beaks that slice. Instead they secure the seeds to a perch with their feet and hammer the husk open to retrieve the kernel.
Birds like Mourning Doves do not have the ability to shell seeds. They rely instead on their gizzards, with the help of small stones, to grind the seeds into edible parts.
Offering different types of food is like offering a buffet for the birds, which helps them survive in the winter when food is scarce.
To discover more: