The little chickadees, titmice, goldfinches and other birds that flocked to my feeders during last weekend's bone-numbing cold seemed hungrier than usual for the black sunflower seeds and other morsels that I was serving up.

It was a reminder that wintertime is when the birds really need the food from our feeders. It provides them with the additional energy that they need to stay warm during harsh winter nights. Indeed, researchers have found that Carolina chickadees will eat twice as much food on cold days as they do on warm days.

AJC file photo (ENLARGE)

A tufted titmouse refuels at a feeder. Some birds eat twice as much on cold days as they eat on warm ones.

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After having burned most of their stored fat to survive the chill of a winter night, most songbirds immediately must start searching for food again at dawn or risk starvation. Conveniently located backyard feeders, then, make it easier for them to get their vital nourishment.

What's the best food for them? In most locations, including Georgia, the best all-around food is black-oil sunflower seed, says the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. This seed has a high meat-to-shell ratio, and it's high in fat. Its small size and thin shell also make it easy for small birds to handle and crack. (Striped sunflower seeds are larger and have thicker seed coats.) More information: www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/BirdFoods.htm.

And remember, even though the weather is cold, keep the feeders clean. Wash them at least monthly in a light bleach water solution. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

One more thing: A water source also is very important for birds during winter. So, keep your birdbaths clean and full.

And don't forget the hummingbirds. If you leave up a feeder filled with nectar during the cold months, chances are good that you will attract a winter hummingbird. So far this winter, five species of hummingbirds have been seen at feeders in Georgia. While most folks would be happy to have just one of those species, Rick and Sandy Krause of Lilburn have had two this season — a rufous hummingbird and a calliope hummingbird.

"At times the calliope will be on the feeder and the rufous buzzes her off and away," the Krauses write. "No surprise behavior there. At times, however, they do seem to peacefully coexist as the calliope will come to the feeder without interruption and the rufous will come right after she leaves."

You're not alone

There are more than 1.8 million of us now. That's the number of Georgia residents 16 and older who have taken part in wildlife watching activities, according to a new report from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. That's up from 1.3 million in 2001 and the most since 1991, when survey methods changed.

People also spent an eye-popping $1.6 billion in 2006 to photograph, feed or simply watch wildlife in Georgia, according to a trends-tracking U.S. Fish and Wildlife survey. The estimate tops the state's previous high in that category among comparable surveys: $994 million spent in 1996 on what is commonly called wildlife watching.

New publication

The above tidbit comes from the inaugural issue of a new online newsletter from the DNR's Wildlife Resources Division. The free, bimonthly newsletter will cover a wide range of the state's nongame wildlife and their habitats, says Jim Ozier, head of the agency's nongame office.

The newsletter's January/February issue has an update of a state survey for small raptors known as American kestrels, also called "sparrow hawks." The survey has found that nesting pairs of American kestrels have become "quite uncommon" in Georgia because of loss of grassland habitat and other factors. "Yet, some kestrels have adapted to nesting in hollow, high-voltage transmission towers and foraging along power-line rights of way in southern Georgia," says the report. "Recent research by Georgia Southern University professor John Parrish and his students has revealed how important these rights of way are and how they can be managed for kestrels."

Also in the newsletter is another update of a survey for rare, forest-dwelling Rafinesque's big-eared bats in Georgia. The survey information, says the update, can help conserve the bats, a high-priority species in the state's Wildlife Action Plan, and protect its habitats, which include older trees with cavities.

To subscribe to the newsletter, go to the Wildlife Resources Division Web site at www.georgiawildlife.com. Click on "Nongame Animals & Plants;" then click on "WRD nongame e-news: Sign up here."

In the sky

The moon will be in last quarter phase on Wednesday night. Mercury is low in the west just after dark but will become difficult to see by the end of the week. Venus rises out of the east about two hours before sunrise. Mars is low in the east at about sunset and will be high in the south at sunset by the end of the week. Saturn rises out of the east at about 9 p.m. but will rise at sunset by the end of the week. Jupiter also shines brightly in the predawn sky, rising out of the east about two hours before sunrise. Venus and Jupiter will appear only about 1 degree apart low in the southeast in Thursday's predawn skies.