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Bet Zimmerman's article
featured in "Our Town"
Our own newsletter subscriber Bet Zimmerman, recently wrote an article
which appeared in "Our Town", the Woodstock, Connecticut hometown newspaper. She asked
if we could contribute a photo of a typical feeder bird to go along with
the article. We chose this photo of a House Finch thieving some suet mix
from the Bluebird feeder. In return, Bet has kindly agreed to allow us to reprint
her entire article here.
Bet is an Wildlife conservationist and
avid Bluebird enthusiast who manages a small Bluebird trail, She is
also the creator of Sialis.org, an
informational website about Bluebirds.
Pluses and Minuses of Feeding Wild Birds – by Bet Zimmerman, Woodstock
Conservation Commission
Winter is approaching, and backyard bird feeders are busy. But some of
the 50 million North Americans who feed wild birds worry about whether
it is really in the birds’ best interest. Here are some answers to
common concerns, based on a three year study conducted by Dr. Margaret
C. Brittingham.
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Do I need to feed
birds continuously once I start?
It does not hurt to keep feeders filled, but it is not necessary.
Birds search for food all day long at multiple locations. |
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Will birds
become overly dependent on feeder food?
Researchers found that birds depend primarily on natural food
supplies. For example, chickadees, common bird feeder visitors,
get less than 25% of their energy requirements from feeders.
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Will feeding
birds keep them from migrating?
It is doubtful. Most birds base their migration patterns on changing
day length. |
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Does bird
feeding give introduced species an advantage?
Problem birds like house sparrows may overwhelm a bird feeder.
Do not offer seed that contains white proso
millet or cracked corn. Do not feed bread. Try black oil sunflower
seeds, nuts, and thistle instead. |
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Are cats a
problem? Cats learn to hide in bushes, and can readily jump four feet high, so
keep feeders away from bushes, and put feeders more than four feet off
the ground. |
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How can I keep
squirrels out of my feeders?
Keep the feeder at least six feet away from things squirrels can leap
off of, such as overhanging branches and eaves, on isolated poles at
least five feet off the ground. Use a baffle on the pole (e.g.,a PVC
pipe or stovepipe that's 6 inches in diameter and 18 inches long, a
special squirrel-deterring dish with a 15-inch diameter, or an
inverted cone with at least a 13-inch diameter.) Protect feeders
suspended from a horizontal wire by threading old records, compact
discs, or plastic soda bottles on the wire on each side. |
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Is disease a
big problem at bird feeders?
Salmonellosis (an intestinal bacterial) and house finch conjunctivitis
(an eye infection) can be promoted by accumulated feces, contact with
other birds, or wet/moldy seed. If you feed on the ground or on a
platform, keep food dry, offer only what can be consumed in one day,
and clean up debris. If you use tube feeders, which are the best for
avoiding disease, clean out any moldy seed/wet residue regularly. |
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How can I keep
birds from flying into my windows?
Try window clings, or
fruit-tree netting stretched taut several
inches in front of the glass. |
Overall, feeding
birds is entertaining and educational, and encourages people to become
more familiar with and interested in wildlife. It also probably
improves the birds’ physical condition, especially during extremely cold
or inclement weather.
See Birdfeeding.org or
Woodstock Conservation
web pages on Birding and Enhancing Your Backyard for Wildlife for more
information.
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SAVE! |
| Money Saving Coupon
and shipping deals at the Bluebird Gift Shop. |
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OFFER EXPIRED Use
the coupon code CPFESTIVE from
now through December 20 to get $10 off your order of $50 or more. In
addition, for those last-minute purchases, there are free upgrades
on shipping. From 12/16 - 12/20, get two-day shipping for the price
of standard shipping! |
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NEWS |
Winner of
Newsletter Signup Drawing
Our November newsletter signup campaign was very successful and
increased our readership by 500%! The winner of the drawing for the
surprise package from BluebirdNut.com is also, (by sheer coincidence
- really!) the author of our featured article on bird feeding - Bet
Zimmerman. Congratulations Bet! Your surprise package will be on its
way to you shortly! Keep an eye out for more special offers and
sign-up incentives in coming issues of the Bluebird Newsletter. |
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"Help the
Hurricane-Homeless Blues" project update, and a special offer
for our subscribers.
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We're still a few calendars short of
sending those 100 nestbox kits to the hurricane-damaged Bluebird
trails in Florida. Now's the time to order your calendar to have
it in time for the beginning of the new year. |
As an added bonus to our subscribers,
we have obtained a limited number of
calendars at a bulk discount, and we are offering them to our
Newsletter subscribers on a first come - first served
basis.
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Through CP |
Direct from Bluebird Nut.com |
| Single copy price |
$18.99 |
$15.99 |
| S&H - 1st class* |
4.00 |
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| Total |
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You save $5 per
single copy!
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to the same address for added savings. Please contact us about
availability and instructions for ordering at
CalendarSales@bluebirdnut.com
*Priority shipping available for
$3.85 per single copy
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What's a
"Birding Calling Card"? |
In our November 17 newsletter, we
referred to the Audubon Society's "State of the Birds" report, which
gave some alarming statistics on the nation's declining wild bird
populations.
That same report contained a section
entitled "What You Can Do", that outlined 12 things that everyone can do
to help reverse the decline in globally threatened species. You can read
the entire list in the online version of the article
here.
The second suggestion on this list was
to share your enthusiasm for bird-watching by inviting others to join
you. It also suggested: "Wherever you go, be sure to remind the
businesses you patronize and the people you meet in the community that
you're there because they've preserved important avian habitat." The
article then suggested the use of "Birding Calling Cards" -- small cards
that can be left with businesses and others in the community to
encourage their support for local avian habitat preservation efforts.
Here is a screenshot of our own version of the
Birding
Calling Card, which is available on the BluebirdNut website as a free
downloadable pdf file:
In addition, we've added a new
Conservation
Promotion section to the Bluebird Gift Shop, which contains a few
variations on this idea, including bumper stickers, auto window
stickers, and buttons all containing the same message: We're here
because of your birds -- please help preserve them. Here are just a
couple of the items available:
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Have you seen
them? |
| Editor's Note: I have to admit, I'm
getting a bit discouraged because I haven't spotted my Bluebirds
here in Central NY State since September 8, when a couple of the
juveniles showed up in mid-molt. Last year, the whole flock stayed
the winter, taking advantage of my heated birdbath and regular
offerings of mealworms and suet mix. We'd like to know whether
you've spotted the Bluebirds in your area this month. Please
participate in our survey below. |
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Survey |
Have you seen Bluebirds in
your area during the month of December? |
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Yes |
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No |
Click and Send the email
to cast your vote! Type your state and region in the subject
line of your e-mail. We'll publish the survey results
in the next issue of the Bluebird Newsletter.
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