Why Do You Feed Birds?

RECENTLY I read a short article in “Birds and Blooms” magazine that explored the reasons why people feed birds. Of course, there was some variation from one person to another, but the general consensus seemed to be twofold: both to assist the birds through the winter and to attract them to the yard.

I suppose that my purpose in putting out food probably falls into those general categories, but the real truth is that I just love seeing the birds. Since I offer seed year around, I can’t truly say that I’m only trying to “help them through the winter.” In addition, although I really enjoy having the birds close to my home, that certainly isn’t my only opportunity to see them since I’m perfectly willing to venture pretty far afield to track down some particular species.

I think that I enjoy watching birds because they are so beautiful and so full of life. Probably some portion of my admiration is rooted in envy. How wonderful it must be to stretch your wings and fly up in the sky, to become free of the earth in a single moment. What is it like to have so much energy squeezed into a tiny body that you could withstand the coldest nights? How can a tiny ball of fluff, like a chickadee, be so intensely alive?

Thelma Dalmas
Lynchburg, VA

Comments

[Jack Lewnes]

Interesting, Thelma. Feeding birds is, of course, for us...not the birds. Were the birds here before us? The birds have been here for millenia. They have done wonderfully well without our daily handout of sunflower seeds. We do not "help" the birds make it through the Winter.

I'm sure that you have noticed that birds ...if they lack food..head to where there IS food..perhaps Peru, Argentina or Brazil. They have learned to do this for thousands of seasons.

The bird seed is for us. The birds are attracted to the seed and then we can see them more closely.

This is a very interesting topic and I hope others will join this discussion....