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© WindStar Wildlife Institute
Bird Feeding 101
–
Everything You Ever Wanted
To Know About Feeding Birds
–
Close your eyes for a moment and picture this –
a white carpet of new, soft, sparkling snow... a red
cedar, hopper bird feeder loaded with black oil sunflower
seeds and mounted on a wood post with a white “top
hat"... and moving, brightly colored objects zooming in
and out of your “picture."
This work of art is bird feeding at its finest!
B
ackyard bird feeding is a
convenient way to enjoy
wildlife. According to a recent
Census Report, over 63 million
Americans, young and old, feed,
watch, or photograph wildlife.
And, they spend $29 billion
annually doing it.
What has made watching
birds the fastest growing hobby
in the country, second only to
gardening. Whatever it is,
watching birds, like watching fish
or other animals, seems to
make people feel good.
How do our feeding “hand-
outs" affect the birds. Little
research has been done on that
question. But we do know that
some birds – cardinals,
mockingbirds, and tufted
titmice – have extended their
winter range northward, perhaps
because of an increased
availability of food at feeding
stations.
There is no indication, however,
that backyard bird feeding has
had a negative affect on wild
bird populations as a whole.
Backyard bird feeding can,
however, have an adverse effect
on an individual bird. There may
be a higher incidence of disease
and birds injured by flying into
windows. But, you can take
precautions to minimize these
problems.
How to Start
No matter where you live, you
can put food outside your door,
and some creature, feathered or
furred, will show its appreciation
