Other Feeding

Bird feeding is the activity of feeding wild birds. more...

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While birdwatchers seek out birds by species, bird feeders attempt to attract birds to suburban and domestic locations. This requires setting up a feeding station and supplying bird food. The food might include seeds, peanuts, bought food mixes, fat and suet. Additionally, a birdbath and grit (sand) that birds store in their crops to help grind food as an aid to digestion, can be provided.

Certain foods tend to attract certain birds. Finches love niger thistle seed. Jays love corn. Hummingbirds love nectar. Mixed seed attracts many birds. Black oil sunflower seed is favored by many seed-eating species.

Feeding stations should be located near natural cover. Birds prefer not to be exposed. Therefore, putting a bird feeding station by a window will attract only especially gregarious birds (such as sparrows and starlings). While the viewer will want to have a clear line of sight to the feeding station, it is important for the station to be near shrubbery or a tree. If the station is too close to a tree or shrub, pests such as squirrels may find access to the station easy. Locating feeders near low cover gives predators such as cats a hiding place from which to launch an ambush. Birds are messy eaters. If the feeding station is over dirt or a lawn, whole cereals and unshelled sunflower seeds will germinate beneath the station, while shelled nuts and degermed cereals will not.

After the station is established, it can take some weeks for birds to discover and start using it. This is particularly true if the feeding station is the first one in an area or (in cold-winter areas) if the station is being established in spring when natural sources of food are plentiful. Therefore, beginners should not completely fill a feeder at first. The food will get old and spoil if it is left uneaten for too long. This is particularly true of unshelled foods, such as thistle seed and suet. Once the birds begin taking food, the feeder should be kept full. Additionally, people feeding birds should be sure that there is a source of water nearby. A bird bath can attract as many birds as a feeding station.

Generally, bird feeding is environmentally neutral or helpful. However, birds can become dependent on artificial food supplies, and feeding can upset the natural balance between different species. This is especially true of invasive species, such as, in the US, European starlings and Eurasian tree sparrows, which can increase in numbers due to feeding and displace native populations. Some bird feeders therefore attempt to select foods and feeding stations that can discriminate between desired and invasive species. Some species are considered "trash" birds because they are sighted so often. If there is concern about fostering invasive species, it is best to feed during winter, when birds most need food, to taper feeding activity in spring, and to increase again in fall, when fledging will have taken place and local populations will be higher.

Read more at Wikipedia.org