Nature Wars III - I'm Guilty Too!

My empty bird feeder

I am really captivated by Jim Sterba's Nature Wars, as you can tell since this is the third post I've generated based on this one book. I never thought that feeding the birds wasn't really the best thing to so, even after we were visited by a bear (one of the other animals discussed in the book) you would have thought I might have changed my behavior.

Many of us love to hang up a feeder and watch the various species that come to feed at or under the feeder. I've had chickadees, nuthatches, finches, titmice, cardinals, woodpeckers, mourning doves, and the list goes on. I've also had both red and gray squirrels. Sterba's right when he writes that these creatures can find plenty to eat on their own. In fact the many perennials that are planted in my garden provide plenty of seeds for the birds, and the fact that I leave the seed heads on long after the blooms have faded helps them to find a delicious meal.

Now granted the seed does attract other animals, as well as, the birds. I mentioned squirrels, which are really something when it comes to getting at the birdseed. I've had squirrels eat through the plastic tubes of feeders to get a meal. This summer one of them got into the garage where we stored the seed in a plastic covered container. The squirrel chewed through the cover to get at the seed. We placed the container in a garbage can with a cover on top and the darn thing chewed through that as well!

At one time I used to purchase those feed filled suet squares which were very popular with the birds in the winter. Well, they are popular with bears in the early spring. I never saw the bear but I found the damage that he or she left behind. The shepherd's crook from which the suet feeder hung was bent over (and couldn't be straightened) and the feeder itself gone. My neighbors informed me that they saw the bear in action. That put an immediate halt to feeding the birds. I read up about bear behavior and learned that they will remember where they have found food in the past and will revisit those sites. I also read about hibernation times and figured I'd put out food only during those times.

Sterba points out that feeders become a feeding site for predators of small birds. I've noticed a few cats over the years come stalking through my yard but never really thought that they might be after easy pickings from the feeder. I just hoped they'd take care of my chipmunk population. But it's the hawks who have really benefited from the smorgasbord that I''ve created. I've witnessed the hawk come swooping in for the kill. Sometimes the big bird is successful and other times I've seen a small bird take cover in a bush where the hawk could not fit.

I guess what finally got me was Sterba's statistics - 50 million Americans spending close to $3.5 billion (yes that's right billion) on bird food. On food that these birds don't need because they can fend perfectly well for themselves. Here I am donating food items and money to the local food pantry and feeding the birds. I've decided that's got to stop. I'll let nature take care of her own, and I'll use the money that I save to help support those of my own species who are struggling to feed themselves.