Keeping the birds fed not as easy as it looks
He recognized there were people more knowledgeable about proper bird feeding among the newspaper staff and contributors, but his concern was economy. Yearround bird feeding can be expensive.
You see, he lives in a woods and enjoys “his” many birds. But if he provided topend feed and everything experts tell him he should for their good health and welfare, he’d literally deplete his Social Security.
As he put out food one day he mused, “Do I feed the birds for their benefit or mine?” (I think we answer that by where we place the feeders.) “Do the birds need it? Do they benefit at all?”
A bit of internet research told him, “... alteration of the natural dynamics of food supply ... we have a remarkably limited understanding of the impacts of this widespread pastime ... we suggest areas for future research ... need for largescale experiments with a focus on the backyards of ... sometimes fickle human population.”
“Wow,” he thought, “What a load of waffle.” So if they don’t know, he decided it’s OK.
Logically it would seem to help when natural food is scarce (winter), and as birds prepare for the rigors of spring homemaking and breeding. But the Humane Society suggests, with exceptions for finches and hummingbirds, not feeding in summer as young birds learn to find natural food.
It must be beneficial: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology even has a citizen-science project called Project FeederWatch which invites input on feeder visitors from November through April (they apparently agree with the Humane Society about summer).
But his major concern was expense. He tried using cheap birdseed with beautiful pictures of cardinals on the bag. Unfortunately, no self-respecting cardinal would eat that stuff: mostly millet and cracked corn with about one sunflower seed per pound. So he adds a bit of good stuff and sunflower seed, which goes up faster than his cable bill. Now he enjoys juncos, towhees, nuthatches, cardinals, bluejays, titmice, cowbirds, sparrows, and those chattery chickadees. No passenger pigeons yet, unless they’re among the mourning doves.
Woodpeckers? Yes! Suet used to be free at grocery meat counters, but now it’s in processed block form to fit suet cages at about $1.25 each. A nocturnal raccoon always ate anything left from his day’s block, so instead of paying $400 a year he now cuts the block in sixths. He has downys and hairys and some big redheaded guy who screeches at him when he opens the back door.
He sprinkles red pepper flakes in the feed to discourage squirrels, and even provides warm water in an old baking pan on freezing mornings ... although it doesn’t stay liquid very long.
And he feels bad if he misses a day or so. Apparently even in the depth of winter they’ll be OK if there are other feeders in the area. So he tries to involve a neighbor or two so the little guys can find a restaurant open. And he definitely doesn’t worry overmuch about the “alteration of the natural dynamics of food supply.”