Should you Feed Wild Birds in the Winter

Article by: Phil Winter

The "conventional wisdom" has always been that you should feed wild birds , So You've Decided to Finish Your Basement! in winter , A list of power tools that women should have in their toolbox for general home repair and emergencie because their normal source of food , SLIDING GLASS DOOR REPLACEMENT - small seed , A list of power tools that women should have in their toolbox for general home repair and emergencie s and insects - has dramatically diminished. But is the conventional wisdom correct? By attracting birds , Buying Home Appliances The Smart Way to our feeders, are we making them too dependent on a free source of food, , A list of power tools that women should have in their toolbox for general home repair and emergencie and weakening their ability to find food , Preventing Septic Tank System problems. on their own? Do we actually put birds , How to Create a Backyard Oasis at greater risk because of cats and flying into windows? These are not easy questions to answer because there has been little research into the subject. However a three-year study of chickadees by the University of Wisconsin found that winter , Rock Gardens survival rates were highest among chickadee populations that were fed - but only during the harshest winters. , Planning For a New Deck During more moderate winters , Japanese Gardens: The Practical Use of Stones and Boulders (and lower latitudes) there were no significant differences in survival rates and spring , Sky Pencil Hollies Are Used in Lahaska Pa. hatching rates between chickadees that were fed and those that foraged for themselves. What if the feeders are removed? Can chickadees "remember" how to find food , Decorating, Where There's a Will There's a Way on their own? In a similar study, feeders were suddenly removed after conditioning the birds , Remodeling Tips Should You Do The Remodeling Yourself? to feeders for many years. The birds , Preventing Septic Tank System problems. immediately resumed feeding on their own. Again, survival rates were the same as for chickadees that were not used to feeders. While more research needs to be done, these studies indicate that feeding chickadees - and, presumably, other wild birds , Easy Steps to Composting -does not result in feeder dependency. Some argue that feeders put birds , Pictures Of Landscaping - Using Other Peoples Ideas To Design Your Landscape. at risk because of the presumed greater risk of predation. However, birds , Organic Gardening: 10 Practical Steps that eat from feeders eat more in less time than if they forage in the wild, giving them more time to watch for predators. You can minimize the risk to birds , A Look at Retractable Awnings at your feeder by placing feeders where they are inaccessible by cats, and by adding tape or decals to your window , What's in Store for National Home Gardening Club Members? s so birds , Reel Lawn Mowers won't fly into them. The conclusions we can draw are that feeding wild birds , Where Can I Find Information About Planting Bulbs and Perennials in winter , Cold Weather and Frozen Pipes - or not - does no harm to their survival and spring , Home Is Where The Heart Is hatching rates. So with winter , How to Create a Backyard Oasis coming soon, get your feeders in shape, and enjoy your birds! , A Look at Retractable Awnings

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