Attracting tropical birds with seed (1 Viewer)

From my experience, many of the lodges I’ve stayed have fruit feeders with various tropical offerings. They do attract a nice variety of birds, great for birding and photography while drinking morning coffee, afternoon tea or while wet weather makes other birding less appealing. Hummingbird feeders also seem to fill this niche.

Watching the birds this morning feeding frantically in the falling snow and chilly temperatures, I wondered about using seeds for attracting a different variety of birds, sparrows, finches, etc., something that is common here in the US. Besides not knowing if that method would work, I didn’t want to bring something like a handful of proso millet or sunflowers from the States and give some invasive species a jump start.

I am speculating that it might take a little time for the birds to find this new supply of food. Also, reading Jynx’s report and his luck with forest doves, I wondered about sprinkling seed on a forest trail or gravel road to try for less human habituated species.
Then again, would this method only draw rodents?

Does anyone have experience with using seed to attract birds in Costa Rica?

Steve

Hamhed said:

From my experience, many of the lodges I’ve stayed have fruit feeders with various tropical offerings. They do attract a nice variety of birds, great for birding and photography while drinking morning coffee, afternoon tea or while wet weather makes other birding less appealing. Hummingbird feeders also seem to fill this niche.

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While reading from Carrol Henderson's Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide I encountered a well-reasoned rejection of the fallacy that such feeding does more harm than good, but some people (and institutions) persist in the belief that it promotes a dependence that interrupts natural life cycles. I know that when I suggested the possibility of using hummingbird feeders at Tirimbina Rainforest Center I was told that such a practice would jeopardize their status as a recognized wildlife refuge. Henderson's observations can be found through Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=TxpqRO8dB8AC&pg=PA374#v=onepage&q&f=false. I note that he mentions hummingbird feeders and fruit platforms, but says nothing about seed.

gdhunter said:

While reading from Carrol Henderson's Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide I encountered a well-reasoned rejection of the fallacy that such feeding does more harm than good, but some people (and institutions) persist in the belief that it promotes a dependence that interrupts natural life cycles. I know that when I suggested the possibility of using hummingbird feeders at Tirimbina Rainforest Center I was told that such a practice would jeopardize their status as a recognized wildlife refuge.

That's a subject that I have found to be polarizing and not the direction I hope this thread goes. I think it's obvious where I stand on the subject. |:d|


Henderson's observations can be found through Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=TxpqRO8dB8AC&pg=PA374#v=onepage&q&f=false. I note that he mentions hummingbird feeders and fruit platforms, but says nothing about seed.

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Thanks for that link. I emailed Carroll for his opinion, if he has one. In trying to find information on the subject, I came up with a blog post by Patrick O'Donnell here:
http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2009/05/11/costa-rica-feeder-birds/

The Rufous-collared Sparrow is feeding from a seed feeder that looks to me like a human ear, pierced lobes and all!

Steve

I clumsily answered gdhunter's message, misquoting in the process. This statement was mine, NOT his:

That's a subject that I have found to be polarizing and not the direction I hope this thread goes. I think it's obvious where I stand on the subject.


Sorry about that ||

Steve

If I were to take any seeds to a place like that, I would use sunflower hearts because they should leave little behind once someone starts eating of it, and they should not be able to germinate.

Niels

njlarsen said:

If I were to take any seeds to a place like that, I would use sunflower hearts because they should leave little behind once someone starts eating of it, and they should not be able to germinate.

Niels

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Excellent choice, Niels. If the seed idea doesn't work, we'll be able to eat the balance. :t:

Steve

Hamhed said:

I came up with a blog post by Patrick O'Donnell here:
http://birdingcraft.com/wordpress/2009/05/11/costa-rica-feeder-birds/
The Rufous-collared Sparrow is feeding from a seed feeder that looks to me like a human ear, pierced lobes and all!

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It is interesting that Patrick mentions having seen seed feeders at one location in Costa Rica.

Yes, I have seen seed feeders at the Nochebuena Restaurant up on Irazu. I only saw Rufous-collared Sparrows and Mourning Doves at them but I wouldn't be surprised to see Lesser Goldfinches show up too (pretty uncommon in Costa Rica but occurs in that area).

A birder who lives in Liberia also told me about seed feeders in their yard that are a bit more exciting. They get Stripe-headed Sparrows and he has been saying that Indigo and Painted Buntings haven't come to the feeders yet but have certainly been eyeing them.

Haven't seen them anywhere else in country. Seeds spread on the ground though, might work better. At Bosque de Paz, they have gotten some majorly good birds in this fashion- Slaty Finch, Maroon-chested Ground-Dove, and Chestnut-capped Brush Finch. I wonder if scattering seed near bamboo on a regular basis could be the way to see such birds (especially the first two!). By the way, I should mention that I haven't been to Bosque de la Paz because they charge a high entrance fee. That's alright though because I am looking for other, free places to see the same birds and will post about it on my blog.

Too bad about not having feeders at Tirimbina although I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was true that feeders could take away official wildlife refuge status in Costa Rica.

As it might take a while (or not) for birds to get habituated to new food resources, I think that birders on a short trip to Costa Rica are better spending their time utilizing what is already available as opposed to putting out food and waiting. In addition to feeders, "what is available" in this case also means rubbish tips, food refuse dumps, and drainages behind restaurants.

These things can be a goldmine not only for birds but also for snakes and nocturnal mammals. Some of the bird species that show up to pick at the rice and other bits of food when the dump is located in forest are:
ground-sparrows, quail-doves, rails (mostly wood-rails but I wouldnt be surprised to see others show up), sometimes tinamous, owls at night, and probably others.

Streetlights are another "natural feeder" for birds that feed on moths (and bats). Black and white Owls are regular at street lights in several places on Costa Rica (they feed on insects and bats) while thrushes, antbirds, ovenbirds, and ground sparrows can show up at dawn.

Birdingcraft said:

As it might take a while (or not) for birds to get habituated to new food resources, I think that birders on a short trip to Costa Rica are better spending their time utilizing what is already available as opposed to putting out food and waiting. In addition to feeders, "what is available" in this case also means rubbish tips, food refuse dumps, and drainages behind restaurants.

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I'd echo that thought. I was trying to evaluate in my mind whether the trade-off of time vs result would be worth it. I think I'd need to be in one place for a pretty long time before I'd consider seeding a good option for the hobby of birding. Generally, we visit feeders that have been stationary. We don't create feeding stations and then wait for birds to find the station. That just doesn't seem like the best use of time.