Do you feed wild birds?

[pjlla]

I only feed the birds in the winter (Mid to late November through March). Otherwise I would risk attracting bears and I really want to avoid that!! I don't even put up my hummingbird feeders anymore for fear of a bear finding it. I really do miss that. We have lots of hummers in the area. But they seem to find our flowers just fine.

But we get lots of nice birds in the winter, including a large grouse that was sitting in my empty window boxes last winter. Talk about startling. They are as large as chickens! I discovered he like the bird seed that had dried berries in it , so I put some in the window boxes for him... he came back several times and I got great pictures.

Take heart, though, about feeding the birds.... the birds that are here in the winter are MEANT to be here.... they didn't just stay because they found food. Birds that are meant to migrate will do so, no matter what kind of food is around. Birds that stay in the winter do so because they are supposed to. Just tune out that guy at work!.......................P

 

[Jenn Lynn]

Yes, we do.

 

[phamton]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Well, this guy at my work who was screaming at me for it is a bit of a nutcase so take this with a grain of salt - he said that I should not feed birds because it was unnatural and they would not fly south for the winter because they'd grow to dependent on people and end up dying and it would be all my fault or something. I don't know. I tuned him out after the first few sentences.

Tell your friend that he has fallen for an urban legend. Bird watching has its own set of myths. For the top 10 bird watching myths see: http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/myths.html

This one is number 2 on the list.

2. You should take down your bird feeders in the fall because they keep birds from migrating and these birds will freeze to death.

This one will not go away. I have seen it raised on the same discussion group as many as five times in two months in the fall. It makes a little more sense than most other myths because most of us who feed birds have seen a lingering individual at one time or another. From that we leap to "If the feeder weren't here, the bird wouldn't be either."

The problem is that the leap jumps over the facts about bird migration. Virtually all long-distance migrants, at least all the ones that cannot survive the winter in North America, move in response to genetic and environmental forces. Warblers and vireos and flycatchers pack up and head for the tropics every year not because they are running out of food, but because winter is coming. Their migration happens at a time when there is a wealth of natural food available, enough to fatten them up for the rigors of the journey.

The ones that stay do not do so because there is food to be had; they stay because there is a glitch in their genetic makeup. If, having failed to follow the rest of their tribe, they don't go, they may end up at a feeder because there is no other food to be had. The hard truth is that the vast majority of the birds that fail to migrate die. But it is not because of feeders. Feeders probably extend, briefly, the life of a few of them.

This is also true of hummingbirds, a favorite group among proponents of the "take down the feeder" philosophy. Look at it logically. If feeders were so powerful a magnet that they could undo uncounted years of evolution, there would be tens of thousands of ruby-throated hummingbirds trying to winter in the eastern half of the continent because there are that many feeders.

So keep those feeders up if you enjoy watching the birds. You are not "seducing" any bird to linger beyond its time.

 

[Crankyshank]

I have 2 bird feeders and a bird house. I can't wait to get my landscaping under control so I can put in a bird bath I get all sorts of birds and squirrels.
My dogs love to chase the squirrels

 

[Disney Doll]

Asthe weather gets cooler and through the winter I will feed them witht he bird feeders, but I tend not to in the summer, as there is enough food around for them.

 

[marydmjj]

I love feeding the birds. We have nuthatches, chickadees, stellar jays, juncos, and my current favorite, hummingbirds.

<IMG width= "300" SRC="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid138/pda29f4da687774f10ce05268208839a3/f718d582.jpg">
I was finally successful this year after trying to attract hummingbirds for 3 years!

<IMG width= "300" SRC="http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid138/p82a27756db7e39b41d316224f1bb9962/f718d57e.jpg">
These are baby Junco's that hatched in my neighbor's fushia basket.

My next challenge is Goldfinches. They are common here but I can't seem to attract them.

 

[Virgo10]

Originally posted by marydmjj

My next challenge is Goldfinches. They are common here but I can't seem to attract them.

Put out Thistle seed. They will come! Some Wal-Marts sell the seed in a fishnet material type bag. Our gold finches here love it and you can refill them when they empty.

Love the hummingbird picture. Do you know which species that is?

Roberta

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

The picture look like it was taken in the dark, so it's hard to tell what his true colors are. But..he might be a:

Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri - About 3.75 inches in length. Found usually in in the western U.S. and far southwest Canada. Sometimes winters in the southeastern U.S. Male birds have greenish brown upperparts and head, straight black bill, black throat, white collar, whitish underparts and a notched green tail with black outer feathers. Female birds have greenish brown upperparts, off-white throat and underparts, dusky sides and a rounded green tail with white corners

TOV

 

[bobbiwoz]

Yes, I feed the birds! In Cape May we have a birdhouse that's right by a window and for years now sparrows have used it. They appreciate the suet cakes that I keep out for them when they are feeding those babies. A few times one of my family members has seen the babies leave home. That's priceless.

We get lots of ruby-throated hummingbirds in Ohio, but so far, I haven't been able to attract them to Cape May, but I see them in the wild there, so they must be happier with the plants and food in the state parks.

We get lots of goldfinches in both places.

I think birding is a great hobby!

Bobbi

PS. I have a small pond and another classic sight is watching baby robins take baths or try to drink water out of the fountain.

 

[jx3smom]

I just bought a bird feeder on Sunday. I love to feed the birds but my cat was quite a hunter so I stopped doing it while he was alive. My DS and I were really excited to see the birds eating from the feeder last night and we got a squirrel on the ground eating the left overs. I had to put the feeder in the back yard because DH doesn't want the birds pooping on the car.

 

[yasuern]

Yes I do - I like to call my yard a bird sanctuary. I have 4 hanging feeders 4 platform feeders 3 birdbaths 2 thistle seed sock feeders plus I put some food along the ground in 3 areas. We also feed the squirrels.


in the course of a year we have cat birds hummingbirds orioles blue jays cardinals, chicodees, nuthatches, downy and hairy woodpeckers( we also have 2 suet feeders), northern flickers. assorted wrens and sparrows, pigeons, morning doves, grackles, starlings red wing black birds, crows, tufted titmice, dark eyed juncos, cow birds, gold finches and every spring for about 3 days cedar waxwings. Also grey and red squirrels and bunnies,which usaully eat my lettuce plants and I think some of my hosta plants.


I feed them year round!

Sue

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Yes we feed the wild birds. My DD (5) painted a bird feeder and a bird house and we keep the feeder full.

Although the squirels seem to enjoy the food as much if not more than the birds.

 

[bjgrazi]

Right now I don't (not allowed ) But when I move Oct 1st. I will be feeding the birds. It's a favorite thing for me to do.

 

[marydmjj]

The hummingbird is a Rufous hummer. He hung around for quite a while this summer. There was one other hummer that would try to drink but the first one would always chase it off.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Originally posted by marydmjj
The hummingbird is a Rufous hummer. He hung around for quite a while this summer. There was one other hummer that would try to drink but the first one would always chase it off.

We have one little sparrow who is not quite so little. He is actually a very plump little sparrow and he always tries to chase off the other birds. He sits in the middle of one of our feeders and makes a fuss when other birds try to eat from it.

He's quite the character.

 

[ThAnswr]

Originally posted by EsmeraldaX
Just wondering.

I know there are some people who love to feed wild birds, and others who are very much against it.

*(A guy at my job really gave me a hard time about the fact that I feed wild birds from my porch and yard with a few birdfeeders...so I'm hoping this thread won't turn into a nasty debate)*

I love birds, I love watching them, and I love hearing their songs. They make me happy.

Do you feed wild birds? If so, what types of birds do you tend to attract?

I mostly get bluejays and little brown birds, sparrows I think. Sometimes we get the occasional robin.

We get lots of different birds here. On any given day, we can see blue jays, scrub jays, peregrine falcons, ospreys, woodpeckers (both pleated and red-headed), sandhill cranes, storks, egrets, blue heron cranes, owls, crows, mockingbirds, thrushes, hawks, and the occasional bald eagle. It's a birdwatcher's paradise.

I love watching birds. They are just so fascinating.

We don't feed them anything fancy, just bread and only once a day in the morning. That way, the birds stay used to fending for themselves and there's no leftover food to attract night time creatures.

 

[Laura]

I can't now, because I'm in an apartment. But I will when we get a house. It'll entertain the cat (she's an indoor cat, so there will be no birdy massacre...she's a terrible huntress anyway). And I love the birds. They're cute.