| Should
I Feed Wild Birds Year Round?
By Larry Jordan
According
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approximately
54 million residents of the United States
feed wild birds at backyard feeders. This
is important due to the fact that our environment
has changed drastically over the last fifty
years. Not only do wild birds have to deal
with loss of habitat, they must also compete
with birds like starlings and house sparrows
that are not native to North America.
Feeders
provide a supplement to natural food supplies
for wild birds. Rarely do they comprise
the bulk of their diet. In general, wild
birds depend on foods they find away from
bird feeders and they find them with incredible
efficiency. If all supplemental feeding
stopped overnight, there would probably
not even be a noticeable decline in bird
populations and the joy of introducing children
and adults to bird watching is reason enough
to attract wild birds to backyard feeders.
There are several good reasons to feed wild
birds year round.
Early
spring is an important season to feed wild
birds because most of their preferred natural
foods have been consumed during the winter.
Backyard food supplies along with fresh
water are especially attractive to migrating
birds because of the incredible amount of
energy needed for their migration. Your
supplemental feeding station will provide
useful refueling stations for these birds.
If other requirements exist in your backyard,
the availability of a constant supply of
food and water may entice nesting birds
to breed on your property. An ample food
supply is necessary for birds to attain
breeding condition.
Summer
is the season of greatest natural food supply
for wild birds but it is also the time of
their greatest need. With a nest of rapidly
growing young, the parent birds must feed
themselves and their offspring. During this
rapid growth phase of young birds they need
high protein diets. This is why most birds
feed their young a diet of mostly insects.
A suet feeder containing a mixture of one
part peanut butter, four parts corn meal,
one part flour and one part vegetable shortening
will help supply parent the parent birds
and their young the protein they need. Mealworms
are also an excellent source of protein
during this time.
Summer
feeding can also attract fruit eating birds
as well as seed and insect eating species.
Overripe fruits and bananas are favorites.
You can cut fruit open showing the inside
and put them on trays or feeding spikes.
This is also the season for feeding nectar
eating birds. According to the Audubon Society,
at least 53 bird species in North America
are known to visit sugar water feeders.
They consume the same sugar solution as
the hummingbirds do.
Even
though natural foods such as fruits and
insects are abundant in the fall, this is
also a season of great food demand. Bird
populations are at high levels due to their
new crop of fledglings. A protein rich diet
of insects is important as most birds replace
all of their feathers before migrating.
These migratory birds must also put on ample
fat to power their long migrations. Sunflower
seed and Nyjer seed are both oil-rich seeds
that will help birds increase their body
fat. Also by feeding birds in early fall
you may have a better chance of seeing fall
migrants.
Winter
is the most difficult season for birds living
in the north. The cold weather and short
days mean they need more food and have less
time to forage for it. At the same time
natural food sources are scarce. During
this time of year supplemental feeding is
most useful to wild bird populations. Both
seed and suet should be provided during
the winter months along with fresh water.
Larry Jordan has been bird watching for many years and building birdhouses for over
26 years.
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