Birdfeeders Help to Color Your World
Aug 13th, 2010 by Kathy
Another thing that sometimes makes people hesitate to feed the birds – at any time of the year – is that they are afraid that the birds will become dependent, and lose their ability to find food for themselves. This is a myth, as birds never rely on any single source of food; and, as we all know, they have survived for millions of years on their own. Actually, even when they have easy access to birdfeeders, they get most of their daily sustenance elsewhere.
In fact, they eat tons of insects, as a matter of necessity. This makes it a good idea to attract them to your yard, because, along with the food that you give them, they will devour many garden pests. So, go ahead and include birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths as part of your outdoor décor. To draw the widest variety of birds, offer several kinds of food, in hanging, tube, platform, hopper, and post-mounted birdfeeders; and always provide ample amounts of water.
Just remember, it’s important to put them where they will afford the best viewing, and, at the same time, be the most beneficial to the birds. For example, you should locate birdfeeders within ten feet of your house, because, for one thing, you’ll be able to see them clearly when you’re indoors. Moreover, this helps the birds get used to being near the windows, which will decrease the chances that they will fly into them. Then, even if they do, they will probably not have built up enough momentum to do themselves much harm.
Every once in a great while, a bird will ping off my window, ever so slightly; but I’ve never even seen one fazed when this has happened. Usually, they just tweet a few little curses, and go on their way. They’re probably more embarrassed than anything. However, you can further help to prevent such mishaps, by having curtains, blinds, sun-catchers, or decals, visible in the windows.
Birdfeeders should also be positioned near a source of shelter, from the wind, as well as from predators. Ideally, this will be a few feet from shrubs, vines, or even a brush pile, where they can quickly take cover; but make sure that it’s not a good place for prowlers to hide, for sneak attacks.
Naturally, you’ll want to watch the birds when you’re relaxing on your outdoor furniture. Now, if you’re sitting quietly on a garden bench, or lying in a hammock, they may ignore you and go about their business, even if you are fairly close to the birdfeeder. On the other hand, if there are lots of people around, talking and laughing, the birds will be intimidated. Therefore, you should situate your patio chairs, lounge chairs, and porch gliders, far enough away, so as not to frighten them.
The same goes for picnic tables, outdoor dining tables, and grills. After all, even if you wish to enjoy the birds’ antics while you’re cooking out, you surely aren’t planning to share the same eating space with them.
Obviously, there are also a few other reasons why you won’t want the birds hanging out too close to your outdoor chairs and tables; but I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say that you should keep your patio furniture at a safe distance, and when you’re not going to be using it for awhile, protect it with some outdoor furniture covers. Of course, this is a smart thing to do, even if you don’t have any birdfeeders, because birds are everywhere.
And that’s a wonderful thing, because they bring color, song, and joy to the world!
Yours Outdoors,
Kathy
