Feeding the birds - Page 3

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@Venezia wrote:
I live in the country. I feed the birds year round. And the grey and red squirrels as well. (I don't put the birdseed out for them, but they haven't realized that yet!)

I have no intention of stopping. I've seen some amazing, beautiful birds over the years.

The hummingbirds come back every year, expecting the feeder to be out there. And it is. Every so often, they get impatient waiting while I clean and refill it. They hover over me as if to say "What took you so long?"

People love to forget the birds and other animals were here first. We took over their habitat to build houses, stores, gas stations, malls, recreational buildings and areas. Without a thought for the wildlife or how they'd survive. So no one is going to tell me not to feed the birds (or squirrels and deer that show up).

@Venezia

LOL ... our little hummingbird, named Fritz, has his own ficus on our terrace, and his feeder is about 5 feet away from where he perches. He keeps a sharp eye out for invader hummers, only allowing them to feed at sunset when he knows those last sips will get them to morning. Last sips are necessary for their survival.

I wish Fritz would share more, but he thinks he's the king of the world. lol

occasionalrain · ‎03-10-2010

I'm so pleased to find others who look after our feathered friends. To me they're a gift, why else would there be so many beautiful varieties?

PamfromCT · ‎05-22-2014

@occasionalrain

Your bears follow a different schedule than ours! How lucky you are!

We have a few experiences of not removing our feeders as it starts to warm, and we have had a HUGE midnight visitor or two. My DH manages our five feeders, always stocked with food. And expensive feeders. I will never forget the late night we heard big trouble, and one bear stood at the edge of the woods in the yard trashing around with an expensive feeder.

Like taunting my husband as he stood there staring!!! The other feeders were thrown around our yard.

occasionalrain · ‎03-10-2010

@PamfromCT

At midnight during spring, summer, and autumn my bird feeders are inside because I've taken them in at dusk and return them outside in the early morning

While bears are about during the day, so are people which bears generally avoid because they are aware that people sometimes hunt and shoot them.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

@candys mine wrote:
@bargainsgirl My thought on the matter of what did they do Before.

PEOPLE weren't there before. PEOPLE CLAIMED THE FOREST.

LOSS of habitat = LOSS of feeding grounds= LOSS of breeding health =Loss of species.
IT'S NOT about what they did before, It's about what they HAVE to do NOW.

Add to that the fact that most homeowners also don't plant native plants in their gardens and landscapes.

I'm having the same problem with other wildlife moving in that I'm not even feeding. Their territory is being razed to build giant apartment complexes and they have nowhere to go except in people's yards eating their plants. Coyotes go after the cats and dogs, and then the neighbors warn about foxes. Foxes mostly prey on rodents, so leave them alone. Also too many people think the only good snake is a dead snake. Garter snakes are hamless, and King snakes and Rat snakes eat those rodents everyone's concerned about.

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@Icegoddess - Exactly!

"" A little learning is a dangerous thing."-Alexander Pope

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@Icegoddess wrote:
@candys mine wrote:
@bargainsgirl My thought on the matter of what did they do Before.

PEOPLE weren't there before. PEOPLE CLAIMED THE FOREST.

LOSS of habitat = LOSS of feeding grounds= LOSS of breeding health =Loss of species.
IT'S NOT about what they did before, It's about what they HAVE to do NOW.

Add to that the fact that most homeowners also don't plant native plants in their gardens and landscapes.

I'm having the same problem with other wildlife moving in that I'm not even feeding. Their territory is being razed to build giant apartment complexes and they have nowhere to go except in people's yards eating their plants. Coyotes go after the cats and dogs, and then the neighbors warn about foxes. Foxes mostly prey on rodents, so leave them alone. Also too many people think the only good snake is a dead snake. Garter snakes are hamless, and King snakes and Rat snakes eat those rodents everyone's concerned about.

@Icegoddess @goldensrbest

Coyotes !!!!!!!

I post this every Spring in various places, so no one's fur baby is lost to them .....

Jan, Feb & March are COYOTE MATING SEASON. Not only are they more aggressive, they are exhibiting "courtship" behavior and instinctively consuming more calories. So keep your pets very close by and clear out any brush around your residence. Mice and squirrels hide in brush and coyotes will rather aggressively check these areas out.

Be more thoughtful for your personal safety, too. Be VERY careful right now.

UpNorthGorgy · ‎09-19-2024

I feed birds and have a Cardinal pair that have come in for years. They are relying on continual feeding. They watch out for each other as if standing guard while one eats one at a time. So pretty. The Chickadee require alot of food energy in the Winter to stay warm and survive. It is -13 and will be a bitter cold week Up North.

This year I have a Squirrel invasion which is a first time ever! They fight, ripped my screens and jump in the feeder to make it swing to dump the food. I bought a hood for it and they still get at it. We had alot of acorns in the Fall and they stayed. Last year's our Winter was mild and the population grew according to the DNR.

I did hear on WPR that wild ducks were found dead by Milwaukee and it is suspected Bird Flu? There is enough concern to close the Zoo to protect the Zoo Birds there! I would not feed Ducks and Geese. One year people were feeding them and they wouldn't go South and became a nuisance in our downtown.

We rescue cats · ‎01-25-2023

We are also in a rural location and love the creatures that share our 22 acres of untamed property.

We feed the birds daily, along with the squirrels, stray cat, raccoons, possums and fox family and the herds of deer, we share out home with them as do our neighbors. And periodically a black bear wanders through, we bring the feeders in each night but every once in awhile the bear comes around during the daylight hours and we then pull the feeders for a few days or weeks. Our local community is works closely with our local game wardens and conservation folks.

Lynn-Critter Lover!
(especially cats!)