Is It Bad to Feed Wild Birds?
Some bird populations may not migrate to areas of higher food availability if there is a reliable source near their summer habitats. In your short-term (1-4 days) absence from home, a good practice is to completely stock your feeder and also place some on the earth and around vegetation in the general area of your feeding stations. But, they also demonstrated a significant correlation between an individual bird's ability to survive the winter and the use of bird feeders.
It was found that birds that use feeders had a month to month survival rate of 95% compared to 87% of wild birds that did not use wild bird feeders. For really great public information about bird feeding, go to http://www.americanbirding.org/
Also, if you plan to go on vacation or holiday, plan for your absence. Mike is a wild bird enthusiast and owner/operator of the online wild bird supplies superstore The Bird Warehouse. But, the bottom line is that birds will adapt. Some think that once birds rely on your feed, they will not be capable of gaining their own food, especially during hard times such as winter.
Some feel that birds will rely on the food provided by you and that they will lose their ability to find their own food. You will also notice that in the spring, when food abounds, the birds are not as active at the feeders as they are in the winter when food is harder to find.
We can only suspect that different birds, like people, have different levels of dependence. Curiously, even though our food supply will decrease the winter death rate, our avian friends will not completely rely on us. If you are going to be gone for an extended time, ask your friends, neighbors, or relatives to check and fill your feeders on a consistent basis.
As for winter feeding, it is more serious.
Is there evidence that feeding birds in your backyard will lead to bird death? If one fails to continue a consistent feeding program, the birds will adapt and search for food.
I recommend that if you start a bird feeding program, stay consistent. In simple terms, it means that without our help, a higher number of birds fail to survive the winter. It is best if you fill the feeders at the same time every day or whatever interval you need and ensure that the feeders do not stay empty for extended periods. Other experts think that our feathered friends are much more resilient and will discover new sources of food if the feeder repeatedly is empty and they can't support themselves or their young.
As reported in Bird Watcher's Digest, researchers Margaret Brittingham and Stanley Temple found that black-capped chickadees take, on average, only 20-25% of their winter food requirements from feeders. If your bird feeders are consistently empty, these amazing animals will almost always take flight to find another source of food on their own. Thus, if you feed birds on a consistent basis over the spring and summer, it is important that you are extremely consistent in the winter, when some species may rely on your food to survive.
To make a long story short, it is better for survival rates if you feed wild birds in your yard. But if you decide to feed them, it is ideal if you are consistent in your feeding.
------
Mike Kershaw has a graduate degree in biological sciences and is an expert in attracting and retaining wild birds to your backyard. If we help, more birds will survive. For winter (as opposed to month-to-month), 69% of the feeder using birds survived the winter where only 37% of wild non-feeder using birds survived the winter.
If more wild birds survive the winter when we feed them, what are the implications?
bookreviews
It was found that birds that use feeders had a month to month survival rate of 95% compared to 87% of wild birds that did not use wild bird feeders. For really great public information about bird feeding, go to http://www.americanbirding.org/
Also, if you plan to go on vacation or holiday, plan for your absence. Mike is a wild bird enthusiast and owner/operator of the online wild bird supplies superstore The Bird Warehouse. But, the bottom line is that birds will adapt. Some think that once birds rely on your feed, they will not be capable of gaining their own food, especially during hard times such as winter.
Some feel that birds will rely on the food provided by you and that they will lose their ability to find their own food. You will also notice that in the spring, when food abounds, the birds are not as active at the feeders as they are in the winter when food is harder to find.
We can only suspect that different birds, like people, have different levels of dependence. Curiously, even though our food supply will decrease the winter death rate, our avian friends will not completely rely on us. If you are going to be gone for an extended time, ask your friends, neighbors, or relatives to check and fill your feeders on a consistent basis.
As for winter feeding, it is more serious.
Is there evidence that feeding birds in your backyard will lead to bird death? If one fails to continue a consistent feeding program, the birds will adapt and search for food.
I recommend that if you start a bird feeding program, stay consistent. In simple terms, it means that without our help, a higher number of birds fail to survive the winter. It is best if you fill the feeders at the same time every day or whatever interval you need and ensure that the feeders do not stay empty for extended periods. Other experts think that our feathered friends are much more resilient and will discover new sources of food if the feeder repeatedly is empty and they can't support themselves or their young.
As reported in Bird Watcher's Digest, researchers Margaret Brittingham and Stanley Temple found that black-capped chickadees take, on average, only 20-25% of their winter food requirements from feeders. If your bird feeders are consistently empty, these amazing animals will almost always take flight to find another source of food on their own. Thus, if you feed birds on a consistent basis over the spring and summer, it is important that you are extremely consistent in the winter, when some species may rely on your food to survive.
To make a long story short, it is better for survival rates if you feed wild birds in your yard. But if you decide to feed them, it is ideal if you are consistent in your feeding.
------
Mike Kershaw has a graduate degree in biological sciences and is an expert in attracting and retaining wild birds to your backyard. If we help, more birds will survive. For winter (as opposed to month-to-month), 69% of the feeder using birds survived the winter where only 37% of wild non-feeder using birds survived the winter.
If more wild birds survive the winter when we feed them, what are the implications?
bookreviews
posted by lazar @ 4:53 PM
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