By now, birds are finding their own food and have less need for that sunflower seed we have been providing during the cold days of winter. So what can we do to help our birds as they go into the season of having young? Growing native trees and shrubs on our property can be a huge help to our bird friends. Let me explain. It is not enough to put out birdhouses; we need to help birds find food for their chicks. The diet of baby birds is about 90% caterpillars. Caterpillars — the larvae of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) — are high in fat and protein that developing birds need to grow and be healthy. One clutch of chickadees can consume 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars in the 16 days from hatching to fledging, according to entomologist Doug Tallamy, a researcher from the University of Delaware. And most parent birds continue to feed their chicks even after they have fledged.