The Education Master 1994 (4th Edition)/EDUCATIONS_MASTER_4TH_EDITION.bin/files/educmisc/birds/ch.3

Text File | 1993-03-21 | 11.7 KB | 252 lines

         FEEDER SELECTION


           When the ground is covered with  snow and ice, it's hard to
         resist just tossing seed out the door. But it's healthier for
         the birds to  get their "handouts" at a  feeding station, off
         the ground.

           Regardless of the season, food  that sits on the ground for
         even a  short time is  exposed to potential  contamination by
         dampness, mold,  bacteria, animal droppings,  lawn fertilizer
         and  pesticides. It's  best, for   the birds  sake, to  use a
         feeder.

           You can start simply with a piece of scrap wood, elevated a
         few inches above the ground. Add a few holes for drainage and
         you've built a  platform feeder. It won't be  long before the
         birds find it.

           Whether you  buy one or  build one, eventually  you'll find
         yourself looking at  commercially manufactured feeders. There
         are  literally hundreds  to choose  from. How do you make the
         "right" choice? What makes a feeder "good?"

         WHERE TO LOCATE THE FEEDER

           First consider  placement. Where do you  want to watch your
         birds? From a kitchen window...  a sliding glass door opening
         on to a deck... a second story window?

           Pick a location  that has year round easy  access. When the
         weather's  bad  and  birds  are  most  vulnerable, you may be
         reluctant to  fill a feeder  that isn't in  a convenient spot
         near a door or accessible window.

           Also  consider the  "mess"  factor.  Pick a  location where
         discarded seed  shells and bird droppings  won't be a cleanup
         problem.

           Put your feeder where the squirrels can't reach. Those cute
         little rodents seem to like  sunflower and peanuts as much or
         more than  acorns. Squirrels become a  problem when they take
         over a bird feeder, scaring  the birds away, and tossing seed
         all over.

           Whats  worse,  frustrated  squirrels  have  been  known  to
         entertain  themselves by  chewing right  through plastic  and
         wooden feeders.

           If you've seen squirrels in your neighborhood, it's safe to
         assume  they  will  visit  your  feeder.  Think long and hard
         before  you hang  anything from  a tree  limb. Squirrels  are
         incredibly agile, and any feeder hanging from a tree, with or
         without  a squirrel  guard or  baffle, is  likely to become a
         squirrel feeder.

           In the long run, a squirrel proof feeder or any feeder on a
         pole  with a  baffle is  the least  aggravating solution. The
         most  effective  squirrel-proof  feeder  is  the pole mounted
         metal "house"  type.

           If  you must  hang a  feeder, select  a tube protected with
         metal  mesh. Most  plastic "squirrel  proof" feeders, despite
         manufacturers claims, may eventually succumb to rodent teeth.

           If you have the "right" situation in your yard, a pole with
         a baffle should  suffice. Any wood  or plastic feeder  can be
         effective  when mounted  on a  pole with  a plastic  or metal
         baffle, if the pole is at least  ten feet or more from a tree
         limb or trunk.

           Once you've determined where your going to put your feeder,
         you're ready to go shopping. In addition to good looks, think
         about
         ... how durable is it?
         ... will it keep the seeds dry?
         ... how easy is it to clean?
         ... how much seed will it hold?
         ... how many birds will it feed at one time?
         ... which species will use it?

         DURABILITY

           There seems  to be no end  to the materials used  in making
         bird feeders.  You can buy "disposable"  plastic bag feeders;
         feeders made of cloth, nylon, vinyl and metal netting; clear,
         lexan, colored and clear PVC plastic tubes; ceramic and terra
         cotta; redwood, western cedar, birch, pine and plywood; sheet
         metal and aluminized steel; glass tubes and bottles.

           How long a feeder lasts depends  on how much effort you put
         into  maintaining it,  the  effects  of weather,  and whether
         squirrels can get to it.

         DRY SEEDS

           Water can get into any feeder regardless of how careful you
         are to protect it. Seed will  spoil when it gets damp or wet.
         Cloth,   vinyl,   nylon   and   metal   netting  feeders  are
         inexpensive,  but  they  do  not  protect  your seed. You can
         improve them by adding a plastic dome.

           Most wood,  plastic, ceramic and  solid  metal feeders will
         keep seed  dry, but water  can get into  the feeding portals.
         Look for  feeders with drainage  holes in the  bottom of both
         the feeder hopper and the seed tray.

           Even bowl  type feeders and trays  with drainage holes will
         clog  with seed  and bird  droppings. Add  rain water and you
         have  an unhealthy  broth. Look  for shallow  plate-like seed
         trays. The purpose of a tray  is to catch dropped seeds while
         allowing spent seed shells to blow away.

         CLEANING

           Any zookeeper and  cage bird owner will tell  you, when you
         feed  birds  in  a  confined  area,  you  have to expect bird
         droppings,  feathers,   an  occasional  insect   or  two  and
         left-over food mess. While you  don't have to wash the feeder
         daily, you should clean it regularly.

           Diseases like  salmonella can grow in  mouldy, wet seed and
         bird droppings in  your feeder tray and on  the ground below.
         It's a good idea to move your feeder (just a foot or so) each
         season to  give the ground underneath  time to assimilate the
         seed debris and bird droppings.

           Keeping  your  feeders  clean  should  not  become  a major
         undertaking. The  degree of maintenance  required is directly
         related to the types of birds you want to attract.

           A thistle  feeder for goldfinches  should be cleaned  about
         once  a  month  depending  on  how  often  it  rains. Feeding
         hummingbirds  requires cleaning,  at the  very least, weekly,
         preferably more  often, two or three  times a week. Sunflower
         and suet feeders may need to be cleaned only once a month.

           Feeders  made of  plastic, glass  and ceramic  are easy  to
         clean. Wash  them in a  bucket of hot,  soapy water fortified
         with a capful or two of chlorine bleach, then give them a run
         through  your  dishwasher.  Use  the  same  regimen with wood
         feeders,  but substitute  another disinfectant  for bleach so
         your wood won't fade.

         FOOD CAPACITY

           The ideal  feeder capacity varies with  your situation, and
         types of birds you want to attract. If you feed hummingbirds,
         big feeders are not always better. One hummingbird will drink
         about 2  times its body  weight (less than  an ounce) a  day.
         Early in the season, hummers  are territorial and won't share
         a feeder. A  sixteen ounce feeder can  be wasteful, or indeed
         lethal, because  artificial nectar (sugar  water) can ferment
         in hot summer sun.

           If you see only one hummer in your yard, a two ounce feeder
         is more  than enough. On the  other hand, if you  live in the
         southwest, and have 34 hummers  in your yard, a sixteen ounce
         feeder may not be big enough.

           If you opt for a large  volume seed feeder, be sure to keep
         it clean and protect it from  the weather. If after months of
         use,  the birds  suddenly abandon  your feeder  full of seed,
         it's time for a cleaning.

         HOW MANY BIRDS

           If too many birds at your  feeder become a problem, you can
         control  their  numbers  by  putting  out  smaller amounts of
         seeds,  or by  using restrictive  feeders. If  you fill  your
         feeder  only when  it's empty,  the birds  will look for food
         elsewhere. They'll return as long as you continue to fill it.

           You can  virtually eliminate visits  by birds you'd  rather
         not see  by offering seeds  they won't eat.  If you use  more
         than  one type  of seed,  put them  in separate feeders. This
         will reduce  wasted seeds, as birds  will toss unwanted seeds
         out of a feeder to get to their favorites.

           Birds   that   visit   your   feeder   have  very  specific
         preferences. Most prefer sunflower, some prefer millet, a few
         prefer peanuts. None seem to  prefer the other grains used in
         mixes; corn, milo, red millet, oats, wheat and canary seed.

           If   you   want   to   feed   only   cardinals,  doves  and
         white-throated sparrows,  switch from black  oil sunflower to
         safflower. If  you want only  finches and an  occasional dove
         and white-throated  sparrow, try niger  thistle. If you  want
         only jays, titmice and white-throated sparrows, try peanuts.

           Another  way  to  discourage   unwanted  birds  is  to  use
         specialty feeders that for the most part, allow only "select"
         birds to feed.  The most non selective feeders  are the tray,
         platform or house feeders. You can encourage small birds with
         feeders that restrict access. Wood feeders with vertical bars
         and  feeders  covered  with  wire  mesh  frustrate the larger
         birds.  Tube feeders  without trays  also restrict  access to
         smaller  birds.  Remove  the   perches,  and  you've  further
         selected  only those  birds  capable  of clinging  - finches,
         chickadees, titmice and woodpeckers.  Add vertical perches to
         tube thistle feeders and you'll limit accessibility primarily
         to the goldfinches.  If starlings are a problem  at your suet
         feeder, you can  discourage them by using a  suet feeder with
         access only  at the bottom. Starlings  are reluctant to perch
         upside  down. Chickadees  and woodpeckers  don't find  that a
         problem.

         SPECIES VARIETY

           The  species you  attract  is  determined primarily  by the
         seeds  you  offer.  Black  Oil  Sunflower  is  the hands-down
         favorite  of all  the birds  that visit  tube and  house type
         feeders.  White Proso  Millet is  favored by  birds who visit
         platform feeders (doves and sparrows). Ducks, geese and quail
         will eat  corn. Many of the cereal grains  (corn, milo, oats,
         canary, wheat,  rape, flax and buckwheat) in mixed bird seeds
         are NOT favorites of birds that visit tube feeders.

           Watch a  feeder filled with a  seed mix and you'll  see the
         birds methodically drop or kick out  most of the seeds to get
         to  their  favorite  -  sunflower.  Birds  will also kick out
         artificial  "berry"  pellets,  processed  seed  flavored  and
         colored to look like "real" fruit.

           Seeds  that  wind  up  on  the  ground  are  likely  to  be
         contaminated  by dampness  and bird  droppings. If  the birds
         don't eat them, rodents will.

           The most  effective way to  attract the largest  variety of
         birds to  your yard is to  put out separate feeders  for each
         food.

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