American Backyard Feeders May Do Harm to Wild Birds

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Friday, December 27, 2002 | JAMES P. STERBA

[TroutStalker]

Last year, Americans spent $2.6 billion on birdseed. That's more than twice as much as they spent on prepared baby food, and two and a half times as much as they spent on food for needy nations. They shelled out a further $733 million on feeders, houses and baths for birds.

[Denver Ditdat]

Anyone else notice that NIGER seed is now spelled NYJER? Did Trent Lott have anything to do with this?

I'm old enough to remember when Brazil nuts were known by a slang name that would be fine if spoken by Robert Byrd, but be sure poison for any conservative uttering the term today.

I wonder what Trent calls them?

[tomswiftjr]

My wife has a bird feeder. It makes a perfect stalking station for sniping blackbirds during the summer.

[texasbluebell]

Gosh, I just keep out enough feed for the squirrels also. We usually buy shelled corn, deer corn in this part of the country, and keep it out for the squirrels. I like them also.

I feed the squirrels too, and have always loved them. The ones around here are the result of about 20 years of good food, and are plump and beautifully-furred. I have a really weird neighbor who last year starting trapping the squirrels, unbeknownst to me, in hav-a-heart traps, and moving them to a park a couple of miles away.

I wondered where some of the fat ones were, and was missing the one black squirrel that I had finally managed to attract here. When he told me what he did, I was happy to tell him that he was wasting his time, because they apparently will eventually move back to their old stomping grounds, at least so I'm told.

I can never figure out why people don't want to feed the little guys, they're so entertaining to watch.

[FreeReign]

"...With their handouts of food, they helped create huge populations of so-called welfare wildlife. ..."

The article is fairly true ---welfare isn't really ever a good thing, it just creates dependency and increased populations of the dependent types.

This -- the bird feeder and the bird feed -- is not a paradigm of handouts, welfare and dependency.

Read up and down this thread. Notice that the people who feed birds are doing it voluntarily. Notice how the feeders of birds enjoy the show that the Chickadee, the Blue Jay, the Cardinal, Red-breasted Nuthatch and the Tufted Titmouse put on as they eat their seeds. Even the predatory Red-tailed Hawk puts on an entertaining show as he claws a plumpend chickadee.

Also notice how these birds gain from their showy activity. They get rewarded with bird seed.

The people who feed birds pay for the seeds. The birds who eat the seeds perform an entertaining show. The pattern is capitalistic -- the form is freedom....and it is the statists of the world who hate this and must stop this by writing this nonsense article. They don't want to see their beloved birds of nature become more like us -- free to better themselves.

It doesn't get better than this so feed the birds -- feed them good!

[texasbluebell]

Great comment! And so apt!

[FreeReign]

I feed the squirrels too, and have always loved them. The ones around here are the result of about 20 years of good food, and are plump and beautifully-furred.

I forgot to mention squirrels.

Feed the squirrels -- feed them good!

[fire_eye]

These scumbags can have my birdfeeder when they pry my wife's cold, dead fingers...

Anybody know how I can feed an owl? I have one who comes when I call him, but he looks disappointed when there's no reward, and makes me feel really guilty...

[texasbluebell]

Anybody know how I can feed an owl?

Not really sure, but, ummm, isn't there something about live mice or small birds that would appeal to an owl? Not really into that scene, though...

[cubreporter]

Exactly. Sometimes I think these "studies" and "stories" are insulting.

The birds appreciate all we do for them as well as other critters I am sure. God created all these creatures and it's arrogant of man to think that without us these creatures would perish. However, we feed them because we love and appreciate their beauty, antics and the joy they give to all of us.

Like you...we keep our feeders filled and we harvest our sunflower heads in the fall and always save several LARGE ones to put out special for our feathered friends on Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Jays love them and they are such fun to watch. It's our gift to them. We have three regular feeders off our deck and about three others in the yard and two finch feeders as well. We even have an OWL box. :) St. Francis is happy we help feed the wildlife. :) Have fun and enjoy these beautiful birds.

[cubreporter]

Ahh, aren't you lucky to have an owl that comes to you when you call him. You should contact a birding store like "Wild Birds Unlimited" or someplace like that to find out what kind of food (other than other creatures) would appeal to the owl. We have an owl box but he doesn't use it...the other birds use it as a nesting place. :) It's OK though...everyone is welcome in this yard.

God, how we laughed at the comment about prying loose from your wife's hands. Ha,ha. Good one, fire_eye! :)

[cubreporter]

Yes, feed them good. Feed them ALL good. Also provide lots of water for them in the winter as well as the summer. Buy those heating elements to keep the water from freezing. Do everything you can for the birds and wildlife. It's my money and I will buy as much seed as I want as many heating elements as I want and as many feeders as I want. It's my money or did I already say that? :) So, buy, buy, buy! :)

[cubreporter]

Yes, feed them good. Feed them ALL good. Also provide lots of water for them in the winter as well as the summer. Buy those heating elements to keep the water from freezing. Do everything you can for the birds and wildlife. It's my money and I will buy as much seed as I want as many heating elements as I want and as many feeders as I want. It's my money or did I already say that? :) So, buy, buy, buy! :) These busy bodies need to go get a life and find something creative and useful to do "Like Feeding Birds and Wildlife." Ha,ha. :)

[nanny]

This is $2.6 billion bucks that Uncle sam wants in taxes.

"By, George, I think you've got it." (Just a quote, not aimed at the President.)

[nanny]

I feed the squirrels too, and have always loved them.

I will say one of the first things I did when we bought this old home was stop up the holes so they could not get into the attic and crawl space. They kept us up at night rolling the pecans around they had stored up there.

Our squirrels get more of our pecans that we do, but in a dry year, we make a point of being sure they are enough pecans left for them.

I have never understood the dislike of squirrels.

May all your squirrels return!

[B4Ranch]

Live mice is good owl food. just toss it out on the lawn when the owl is close and watch how quick they are.

[FITZ]

That's true ---because it's voluntary and the government isn't doing it ---but still the birds become dependent on the handouts and forget how to work.

[Publius6961]

I know!

Let's pass laws making it a jail-time offense.

Better yet, let's pass a law that every person who holds a government or grant-funded job be required to have a real (private sector) job first, for at least 5 years.

A constitutional amendment would work!

[Mamzelle]

re:My in-laws gave us a bird feeder with a unique twist. It has a large metal ring orbiting the bottom. When something as heavy as a squirrel gets on it, it vibrates violently. The squirrel does a triple gainer with couple of twists and hits the ground. )))

They sell these in the "Bird Watchers" type stores with accompanying videos. Watching the frustrated squirrels is as much entertainment as feeding Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal.

[fire_eye]

Better yet, let's pass a law that every person who holds a government or grant-funded job be required to have a real (private sector) job first, for at least 5 years.

But the reason they're working at a government job is because nobody in the private sector would hire them in the first place!!

[fire_eye]

I feed the squirrels too, and have always loved them.

I keep a bag of peanuts for the ones at work, who are tame enough to come in the office and sit on the couch. (I've got one of them trained to dig in my shirt pocket.)

But they have to do tricks to get food - I'm no Demoncrat and by God I'm not handing out free peanuts and creating a new class of welfare-dependent squirrels who won't work for a living.