1. Place feeders near cover such as dense evergreens to provide birds cover from storms and escape from predators.

2. Feed black oil sunflower, or mixes that contain a high proportion of black oil sunflower. Black oil sunflower is an energy rich food that has a high fat and protein content. Birds need more energy to keep warm in cold weather.

3. Proivde an all-you-can-eat buffet by keeping feeders full. Birds especially need to chow down at the end of the day to stock up on calories for the night, and in the early morning to refuel after a cold night.

4. Provide suet cakes in addition to seed. Suet is a high calorie food that will attract woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and many more.

5. Be consistent. Do not stop feeding in the middle of winter because birds become accustomed to using your feeders as a food source, especially in very severe weather when your feeders may aid their survival. If you go away, ask a neighbor or friend to keep your feeders going.

6. Provide feeders that have a good size capacity, or use multiple feeders so you can have an ample supply of food available for the birds, especially during snow storms.

7. Shovel snow off feeders and from around the ground below your feeders after storms so birds can access the seed. Mourning Doves, Juncos and White-throated Sparrows are ground feeders and need to access the seed that falls to the ground.