How to Create a Winter Sanctuary for Wildlife

Winter can feel like a boring time for pond owners and enthusiasts with most of the water features shut down to bear the cold and freezing temperatures. But attracting wildlife can breathe life into your pond and provide interaction and education for the whole family. Here are a few easy ways to draw wildlife to your water garden in the winter: 

Choose the Right Spot to Make Wildlife Shelters  

To help the creatures that live around your pond survive the cold weather, it’s helpful to have a variety of wildlife-friendly areas in your garden that provide shelter in the water and on land. When creating shelters, consider their location. Choose spots that receive some sunlight throughout the day to help prevent freezing temperatures inside. 

  • Areas of longer grass, overgrown corners, or piles of wood or stones, can also serve as shelter around ponds and may already be a part of your pond design. These can range from a patch of loose earth to a more substantial structure, often called a hibernaculum.  

  • Make sure to leave nooks, crannies, and tunnels to provide shelter, as well as access and escape routes. This can also provide a hiding place and warmth for ground-dwelling birds, frogs and toads, and small rodents such as chipmunks.  

  • Having a compost heap, or log pile in your garden can provide a perfect winter refuge for amphibians. Wood that is damp, or decomposing with higher moisture levels is recommended rather than drier wood.  

  • You can put up birdhouses to give birds a place to escape the wind and perch at night.   

Plant Shrubbery & Decorate with Care 

Planting shrubs around the pond can give the environment a beautiful aesthetic but it also attracts wildlife by providing food and shelter. Wildlife often prefers white spruce and balsam fir for shelter. Evergreen shrubs also provide excellent shelter as well as decoration. American holly’s red berries can provide food, and the plant offers a protective shelter for birds. Hardy rose bushes provide juicy, red rosehips, which are berries, in cold weather that attract deer as well as birds. 

Provide Access to Drinking Water 

Pond owners know that during winter it’s important to keep water from freezing solid so that its inhabitants have an exchange of gases to keep water quality and oxygen levels high.  However, another reason is to provide drinking water for wildlife. Many wildlife species need water during winter, which can be in short supply during periods of freezing weather. Try to keep part of the pond unfrozen by using an aerator, a small floating pond heater, or a deicer to prevent freezing. This will attract and benefit waterfowl, upland game birds, deer, and small mammals, as they’ll learn to use the open water source you’ve provided. 

Have Food Available 

During winter in harsh climates with lots of snow, sources of food can be scarce to find for wildlife. You can provide food for wildlife by hanging a traditional bird feeder by your pond or setting out a shallow dish of food. Depending on the approach to feeding, you can draw chipmunks, squirrels, deer, and birds to your pond. It’s good to keep in mind that high-fat foods are extremely useful in winter, and incorporate fatty seeds and grains like sunflower seeds, peanuts, and corn. You can also mix dried fruits, grains and nuts with leftover kitchen fats like bacon, sausage, or chicken fat cooled until solid.  You can smear it on your rock pile or food plate. 

By following these simple steps, you can transform your pond into a winter sanctuary for wildlife. Not only will you be helping to support local ecosystems, but you'll also gain the immense satisfaction of observing these creatures thrive in your own backyard. Remember to prioritize the safety and well-being of the wildlife you attract and enjoy the unique beauty of your winter wonderland! 

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