written by Bob |  

Mom just came home from shopping. I saw the bag from the pet store and thought it was a treat for me. No such luck. All she bought was a bunch of bird seed ! BIRD SEED !? I don’t eat bird seed . I was a little upset – alright I was a lot upset. But then Mom reminded me how much I enjoy chasing birds. And she told me that even in the spring, birds can have a hard time finding food. She told me that it can be so hard for them that people all over are joining together to remind others that they need to feed the birds. After listening to her, I felt bad that I had been mad. I the birds. I can chase them. And when I’m tired and I’m just sitting in the sun, I can listen to them sing. It helps me sleep. I would not a world without birds. So I’ve decided to do my part by sharing some information Mom got from the Wild Bird Center .

Consider that: – A typical backyard bird doesn’t weigh as much as two nickels. – Birds spend most of their waking hours searching for food — without the help of “hands” and “fingers”. – They may consume 15% of their body weight overnight just keeping warm enough to survive. – mail carriers, they’re outside in sleet, snow, wind and cold.

One-third of the adult population feeds wild birds in their backyards. Providing food, water and shelter helps birds survive, benefits the environment and supplements wild birds’ natural diet of weed seeds and harmful insects.

Backyard bird feeding is an entertaining, educational and inexpensive pastime that can be enjoyed by children and adults. It provides a needed break from today’s frantic lifestyles that helps keep families together. Young children are drawn naturally to the activities involved in feeding wild birds. Chickadees , for example, fly back and forth between a feeder and a nearby tree. On each trip, they take a single seed and fly to a perch. While holding the seed with their feet, they peck it open and eat the kernel. This can capture a youngster’s imagination.

Adults enjoy the relaxation and peacefulness afforded by watching birds. Nature serves to relieve the stress and can get one’s day going on a tranquil note. For example, the Northern cardinal is a common visitor to many feeding stations. A beautiful bird, the bright red male and his more camouflaged mate often will be the first at the feeder in the morning and last to leave at night. Mated for life, they can be observed sharing morsels of sunflower and safflower seeds during the nesting season.

Feeding wild birds in the backyard is an easy hobby to start, and it need not overtax the family budget. It can be as simple as mounting a single feeder outside a window and filling it with good-quality birdseed or oil sunflower seeds. This feeder can be a hopper, platform or tubular variety or one that sticks to the window.

Parents can challenge an inquisitive childR...