Are you one of the 59 million people who feed birds in the United States? If yes, you are involved in the second-most popular hobby after gardening. Feeding wild birds has been an American tradition for more than 100 years. Americans are estimated to spend more than $12 billion annually on wild bird food, feeders, and bird-watching equipment.
So, why do we do that? The thrill of seeing a unique bird right outside our windows is one draw. In addition, seeing them up close, and noting unique features, colors, and behaviors is rewarding. Binoculars are fun in these situations. You can notice things you may never be aware of. Seeing a bird you have never seen is also a draw. It introduces people to nature in their backyard. I have seen more than 30 species of birds at my feeders and have photographed males and females of all those species. It is a great photographic opportunity.
Some people keep track of all their observations and may also participate in Project FeederWatch. This project takes advantage of feeding birds in a November-April survey of birds in virtually every locale in North America. An $18 fee supports The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada, both nonprofit organizations.
The website says the fee covers website and database maintenance, data analysis, participant support, printing and shipping project materials, and dissemination of information learned from FeederWatch data. They provide a lot of resources to make bird feeding a unique activity.
Why get involved with that? The data they gather shows which bird species are observed at thousands of feeders across the continent. That data can be used to measure locale changes and bird species' numbers over time. The data gathered about a species and used in research projects can show where and why a species may be changing behavior or declining, and to make recommendations for its recovery before it is too late.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, bird feeding soared. With many people stuck at home, bird seed, feeders, and bird books became hot commodities. Many people who had never paid much attention to birds began to feed them and became engaged in the activity.
Does bird feeding square with the popular practice and conservation ethics? Are there ethical questions raised about bird feeding? When I worked as a park ranger naturalist in a national park, virtually everyone in the housing areas had bird feeders. Putting out any other kind of food was strictly prohibited. Park visitors also fed birds and chipmunks at many of the overlooks. During my years in the park that began to change.
Biologists began to realize that feeding wild animals can have negative impacts. Wild animals begin to associate humans with handouts and that can lead to problems. Feeding nonnative foods can cause digestive problems for some animals and alter natural behaviors. They may be well fed, but not with the nutrients they need to survive the winters.
Animals that can be dangerous to humans can be attracted to areas where it is easy to get food. Luring birds to the same place makes them more vulnerable to predators, like house cats and hawks.
One bizarre predatory behavior I witnessed at my home involved a couple of magpies. They would gather near my feeder in a nearby tree. When many birds were on the feeder the magpies swooped in and scattered the birds. Some of those birds collided with the house and windows and stunned them. The magpies would grab the stunned birds and fly off. Moving the feeders farther from the house solved that problem.
Attracting birds to feeders makes it easy for them to spread diseases. Diseases like avian flu, avian conjunctivitis, bird mites, avian tuberculosis, and many others. Cleaning feeders regularly can help to reduce this problem. Feeding can also change bird behavior. The range of some birds has extended farther north, partly due to feeders. Some hawks that were normally migratory now tend to stay in an area because birds at feeders provide enough prey.
The other side of that ethics coin is that feeders can aid survival during migration, storms, and harsh winters. Some bird lovers say feeding birds offsets the harm we've done due to the development of land that has been a source of natural food for birds.
There are all kinds of feeders: hopper, tube, platform, suet, nyjer, window, ground, peanut, and many others. Start with something and see what happens. Most feeders that you can purchase have information about what seed works best in that feeder and what birds it will attract. Some are easier to fill and clean. They have different capacities.
Remember that bags of seed in your garage should be put into containers so that they do not attract rodents. You can usually save a significant amount of money by buying seeds in large bags. Some websites have DIY bird feeder projects that use materials you have around the house, like cartons, jars, plastic bottles, and wood. You can get your kids involved in this activity.
Bird feeders can be dangerous for bears and can lead to bear-human conflicts. Birdseed has lots of calories and are very attractive to bears. During the winter, feeders are generally not a problem with bears.
To keep bears away from bird feeders, you can bring feeders inside at night or before sundown. Avoid using bird feeders from April into November, when bears are most active, and birds can find natural food sources. Hang feeders at least 10 feet off the ground and 10 feet away from anything bears can climb. You can use a wire suspended between two trees to hang the feeder. Bears are intelligent creatures and often find ways to get to bird food. Don't assume you are smarter than a bear.
I lived in a national park for 15 summers. There were bears, but there was never a problem with them in our housing area. When I moved to Eagle County more than 20 years ago, I was a little naive about the problem with bears. I learned quickly that bears were an issue.
I solved the problem with a large Husky brand toolbox bolted to my deck. It has two latches I lock with carabiners. I store seed in the toolbox and put all my feeders in it each night. Over the years there are a few claw scratches and tooth marks on that toolbox, but no bears have gotten into it.
One thing of concern to me is that over the last few years, the amount of seed that I put out and the number of birds visiting the feeders has diminished. Is that long-lasting or just a short-term issue? According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the "Cumulative loss of nearly three billion birds since 1970, across most North American biomes, signals a pervasive and ongoing avifaunal crisis."
Several human-caused sources of bird mortality may be causing a decline in bird populations. If the neighbor's cats visit your yard, rethink having a feeder or where it is located. Cats kill more than 2.5 billion birds a year in the United States and Canada -- one of the largest human activity-related causes of bird death.
The commercial development of millions of acres every year has caused a huge loss of bird habitat. Millions of birds are killed by collisions with man-made structures such as windows, communication towers, power lines, and cars. Habitat loss, electrocutions from power lines, poisons, oil spills, and climate change are all having an impact on bird migrations and populations.
My feeders are at locations where I can easily observe them. I frequently mount a camera with a remote shutter in areas to get good photos of these avian visitors. I have enjoyed watching and photographing the birds that visit my feeders for many years. Hopefully, science can determine ways to turn the decline of birds around.
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