Bird Frenzy

The weather changed two days ago from warm and sunny to quite cool and windy. I'm sure this contributed to the influx of so many different birds into our backyard all at once, suddenly too many to count.  At 12:55PM yesterday, it seemed that bird activity ceased.  Were they all overfull???  No -- cat out.  I got her back in, and the activity resumed within 5 minutes. Today, we woke to an inch of snow covering the greening grass. While the sky continued to spit snowflakes, the birds were going mad at the feeders. This week, we have replaced seed, suet, and nectar in 10 feeders three times each, and put two new ones up.

In our Birdwatcher's Heaven, we've seen

• four Western Tanager pairs

• two pairs of adult Bullock's Orioles with one teenage male

• seven pairs of Black-headed Grosbeaks

• four pairs of Lazuli Buntings with their teenagers

• at least two pairs of White-crowned Sparrows (gambelii species, I think: puffy crown!)

• at least one pair of Cassin's Finches, along with some House Finches

• at least one Rosy-breasted Nuthatch

• two or more House Wrens (birdhouse lodgers again?)

• two or more Downy Woodpeckers

• two or more Hairy Woodpeckers

• several Robins

• some Pine Siskins

• five noisy Clark's Nutcrackers, at least one of which seems downy like a new fledgling

• two Northern Flickers visit our suet blocks

• since hummingbirds started to arrive two weeks ago, we've now seen several Calliope and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, a few Black-chinned Hummingbirds, and ONE Rufous hummer (at the feeders, we've counted as many as 11 at once)

• a large flock of Dark-eyed Juncos was here about a month ago, but now only a few continue to visit the ground beneath the feeders

• many Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees (they've been here throughout the winter, but aren't so numerous at the feeders now)

• many Red-winged Blackbirds, a few Brewer's Blackbirds, and a huge flock (>12) of Brown-headed Cowbirds

This amounts to more than 100 birds in our yard at one time. Two major factors bring them here: first, we feed them; second, we live on the border of a national forest at the base of a mountain. We had lots of birds in the yard at our home in rural upstate New York, but nothing like the numbers and variety that we enjoy here. The question that plagues birdwatchers, though, is a real dilemma for us: should we be feeding these birds, or should they be left to survive without human assistance?

There are some groups that believe Nature should be left alone. Most, however, see the benefits of some level of guarded intervention. The Audubon Society has published widely on this issue. A 2018 news article written by Melissa Groo and published online (https://www.audubon.org/news/when-its-okay-or-not-feed-birds) suggests that those thinking of feeding birds should consider first if they may be feeding species at risk, in which case only researchers should be involved in providing food sources. A second suggestion is that people using backyard bird feeders ensure that food is appropriate and provided safely, considering not only types of foods, but also taking into account predators and cleanliness of feeders. Finally, Groo encourages birdwatchers to consider how feeding might change normal bird behavior, such as fostering associations among birds with a particular place or cause them to "aggressively seek handouts from people."

A publication in 2019 by the British Ecological Society in the journal People and Nature describes the influences of feeding birds on the emotions and actions of people that feed them, as well as on the decision-making and nesting behaviors, reproductive activity, and survival rates of the birds themselves. (https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pan3.17)

By and large, the authors of this article suggest that thoughtful feeding of birds at backyard feeders can have a positive effect on some bird behaviors, especially reproduction and related nestling survival.

In the Winter 2017 issue of Living Bird magazine, published by The Cornell Lab/All About Birds, Emma Grieg wrote an essay about a 2016 study comparing feeder birds that visited feeding sites regularly against those that fed only sporadically. The study predicted that "if feeding birds is harmful, the the species that use feeders the most should be doing the worst, all else being equal." In fact, the study found that of 98 species of birds using feeders, those that used them most often were doing as well or better that those using feeders less often. (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/analysis-do-bird-feeders-help-or-hurt-birds/) Ultimately, the study concluded that more information is needed about how bird feeders affect predation patterns and migratory birds, and whether they actually promote or hinder conservation efforts. (https://feederwatch.org/learn/feeding-birds/)

A discussion on npr.org (https://www.npr.org/2019/09/19/762090471/north-america-has-lost-3-billion-birds-scientists-say) references the seriously concerning decrease in bird populations in North America since 1970. https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6461/120 Many believe that human bird-feeding practices can help raise awareness to such declines and positively impact conservation efforts by the public, in addition to the research community. An excellent summary of both the positive and negative effects of backyard bird feeding is available at (https://owlcation.com/stem/Bird-Feeders-Good-or-Bad-for-Wild-Birds-and-the-Environment).

The bird populations in our backyard seem to be increasing every year. The rise in numbers of beautiful Western Tanagers, Lazuli Buntings, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Bullock's Orioles, various hummingbirds, and other birds is astounding. We carefully follow the recommended feeding guidelines and watch for predators (including our own cats!). We derive a tremendous amount of pleasure from the annual arrival of our tiny friends, and are happy to keep them well-fed.