Question of the Day: Sunday, October 30

[gilmargl]

Good morning!
I thought I'd woken up nice and early today, but I'd forgotten that the clocks had been turned back and I'd had an extra hour in bed.
So now I'm starting to panic. Yesterday it was already dark at 6 pm so today it will be dark at 5! Since I don't (can't) drive in the dark, I'll have to feed the ferals early and try to fit all my outdoor activities into the dwindling number of daylight hours. So I shouldn't be wasting time on TCS, but fixing a new washing line outside and dealing with the garden pond and container plants before it's too late.

At least I've already fed the birds who'll also be expecting their evening meal before the sun goes down.

I'm not sure if it was a good idea to feed birds this summer. A virus is killing off many birds but sparrows, pigeons, buzzards and magpies seem to be thriving - at least around my garden. Bluetits, coaltits, greenfinches, blackbirds, robins, woodpeckers are absent. I seem to be encouraging sparrows at the expense of other varieties. But, these are also living creatures and I can't not feed them.

I only have a small garden but at least 50 sparrows hide in the bushes and come to the feeder. A pair of pigeons nested in a tree, had one offspring and ate the seeds which fell to the ground, but I haven't noticed them recently. Magpies make a lot of noise but the main feeder is too close to the house for them to dare trying to hang from it to get to the seeds.

Have you been feeding birds this summer? Have they been affected by the virus?

 

[Mia6]

mine haven't been. I had as many as normal. sooo many hummingbirds

 

[verna davies]

I have been feeding them and not noticed a decline in number, if anything there seem to be more. Maybe word has got around that there's always food available.

 

[misty8723]

I have not been been feeding them because I have heard it's not good to get them used to coming to you for their food source.

 

[di and bob]

I have been feeding them, mostly sparrows, but a lot of doves and red breasted finches too. Lately I have finally got some Blue Jays coming in, I know they are bold and mean to the other birds, but I absolutely love their calls. They only show up for a few hours in the morning anyway. Out here, trees are scarce, so if they come to my feeder it is from a distance! If they keep coming I will get some unsalted in the shell peanuts which they love. Still no nuthatches or anything that eats the suet I have hung out!

 

[denice]

I live in an apartment complex so I don't feed the birds. Here in the U.S. bird flu has mainly been found in migratory waterfowl on the East Coast. The threat is getting into domestic flocks which is why cutting exposure to wild birds down to a minimum is important. Feeding wild birds would increase exposure. Bird flu in its original form is not easily transmitted to humans but the flu virus like other viruses of that type mutates easily and could mutate into a form that is easily transmitted to humans. I think it would be a good idea to avoid feeding wild birds while the bird flu is around.

 

[Winchester]

We don't put seed out, but we put suet out during the colder months. Mr. BlueJay was around the suet yesterday. We also saw Mr. Pileated Woodpecker in the late morning. Cardinals all the time. I do have pictures of the avian kids, but they're not the greatest because of the screen in the bathroom window.

Mr. BlueJay

Starlings. We shoo them away because they're really nasty and aggressive with the other birds.

 

[game misconduct]

no i only have a small patio area and i wont hang a humming bird feeder. that will attract ants with the humming birds they are great fun. to watch during their aerial battles for control over the feeders

 

[Jem]

I don't feed the birds but I know they have plenty to eat in my yard. I get such a variety of birds year round, plus a few squirrels and chipmunks and they're always pecking, picking and burying things. I live in an older established neighborhood so trees, shrubs and various plants are big and produce a lot of food. We don't treat anything with pesticides or weed killer so we have a healthy abundance of bugs and worms as well and most of the bugs we see a lot of are "good" bugs, so our little ecosystem must be healthy. We also get bears, racoons and other wildlife in my neighborhood, so the less I attract them the better.

 

[NY cat man]

We only put out feeders for the hummingbirds, although many of our flowers attract them as well. Too, I noticed that some birds, notably goldfinches, were picking at the seedheads of the various coneflowers and black-eyed Susans
So far, I have seen no unexplainably dead birds, although the resident hawks have accounted for more than a few.

 

[neely]

I used to fill our bird feeders but the raccoons, squirrels and opossum were too aggressive so I stopped. Last year I put suets out instead and the darn critters not only knocked them down but forced them open too. However, I do have birdhouses which they seem to enjoy using.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I didn't start feeding them again until July-ish but I haven't been keeping up on filling the feeders. I cleaned my garage on Friday and saw that some mice had eaten almost all of the bird seed cakes I had in there.

 

[strider rose]

my neighbor across from me does but i dont have anywhere to put up a feeder since i have the rose bush

 

[susanm9006]

I followed local advisories which said not to leave feeders out from the beginning of summer until mid July. While song birds and small birds haven’t been killed by the virus, they are still thought to be carriers so they could pass it on to birds of prey that wall.

After they said it was safe I put my feeders back up - a peanut feeder that all the birds but especially the larger ones love and a sunflower feeder for the smaller birds. I also usually have a golden safflower feeder but due to drought that seed wasn’t available this year. I haven’t noticed a big change in numbers but I know I haven’t to seen as many woodpeckers at the peanut feeder as usual.

This fall bird flu has taken a upswing in our area but no suggestions to take down feeders yet.

 

[aliceneko]

We haven't had any who have had bird flu yet that I'm aware of, though friends in other areas are saying that their neighbourhood birds are falling sick.

 

[Tobermory]

I’ve been feeding only the hummingbirds since we have rat problems here. Rats got in our walls and chewed through our plumbing year before last so no bird feeding for us other than the hummers.

 

[lizzie]

We feed our birds (and squirrels and rabbits and....) year round.They get suet of different flavors,nut and berry birdseed and cracked corn.They also have several watering stations throughout the yard.I have everything who comes to eat from gold finches to the pileateds,and they all have appeared to be doing quite well.To my knowledge there wasn't an issue in my area with the virus.

 

[Mighty Orange]

I feed birds constantly. I clean the feeders with antiseptic counter wipes to kill off bird flu.

 

[iPappy]

I didn't for awhile, but I started up again recently. I enjoy the birds and like attracting them so I can watch them, but I don't feed them every single day.
A few times over the past few years, a 20-25 sparrows would line up on my gutters and stand in a line, and just tap their little feet. I'd hear that noise and think it was water draining or something, but one morning I was outside, heard it, and looked up to see these birds having their own little party up there. It was like they just loved making that noise, it was so cute.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I normally feed the birds but I’ve been letting it get empty more often because of the starlings and other piggy birds clearing the feeder out. I’ve not noticed any decline in any population though. I’m also having work done on my house soon; so its probably better they don’t expect normal feeding here right now.