Backyard Bird Series (BBS) Intro..

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Okay, here we go. I have a bit of info for y'all that might be interested in feeding and attracting birds to your garden areas.



The time of year has come....winter. Arrrgh. About the only bright spot, for me, is Christmas....and my birds. The little songbirds that migrate way up into Canada have returned to give me something to photograph and watch through the cold, wintry days we are about to experience (if we haven't already). Anytime is a great time to start, but late fall/early winter is perhaps the best time of year to start.

Feeding birds helps them individually by providing easy food sources during severe winters and harsh migration periods. It also helps birds collectively by fostering our understanding of and affection for them, and by providing opportunities for citizen scientists to collect a large, widespread body of data that is helpful for conservation purposes....like Project Feederwatch.

Bird feeding does bring a few problems with it, but I feel the positives far outweigh any negatives. Feeding stations should be maintained properly (the effort is pretty minimal); otherwise, disease organisms can kill individual birds, sometimes in large numbers. Inappropriate food items can be unhealthy and possibly fatal. When birds fly off from feeders, they can crash into our windows — and half of all birds that hit windows die from their injuries. When bird feeding subsidizes some invasive exotic species, these birds can wreak greater havoc on native populations. However, bird feeding may maintain populations of some opportunistic birds at higher levels than is healthy for the environment and other, more vulnerable bird populations.

In this series, I'll give you some advice about what kinds of feeders and seed are best for the birds you want to attract, and give you some suggestions about how to keep your feeding areas clean, healthy, and safe. I hope the articles will help generate interest in those of you that have always wanted to learn more about feeding wild birds but have never had my grandmother to show you the basics.

[madnicmom]

Will you be discussing Hummingbirds? I saw my first Hummingbirds 2 yrs ago and love them.

[BackyardBirdGardner]

Sure. They'll be covered in some of the feeder types and food types sections. They are super neat to watch once you get them....such acrobats!