Dear Bird Folks,

What type of food should we put out for mockingbirds in the winter? One has taken up residence near my deck.

Mammy and Pappy

Hello Mammy and Pappy

Love those names. You guys aren’t the parents of Popeye, are you? In our area, mockingbirds aren’t big time feeder birds. They usually take care of themselves. If this bird is still hanging around your deck, it most likely has a natural food supply somewhere nearby. It is using your deck as a staging area to defend it from other mockers.

Keeping water available is a good way to keep any bird happy. In the winter they mostly eat fruit and berries. You could try putting out a tray of food. Just don’t put out too much at once. If it isn’t all eaten, it could just become a mess. I’d try some pieces of apples, raisins and other dried fruit. You also could put out some peanut butter and bits of doughnuts. Say, that all sounds pretty good. I’m not sure if you’ll get a mockingbird, but if you put out some coffee, I’ll be there.