• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Should people have bird feeders? (1 Viewer)

NewBirder123

Well-known member
Hi I'm not sure if this has already been asked. And I certainly do not want to create any controversy or arguing. I was just wondering what people's general opinion about feeding birds. I was thinking about setting up a small bird feeder with general store bought wild bird seed, but in my Urban Wildlife Ecology class my professor mentioned bird feeding and cats and so on. It got me thinking about the moral issues surrounding bird feeding. I know this is the bird feeding part of the forum so I'll probably get a lot of positivity to bird feeding, but would like some input. (And if this violates any rules I'm sorry I was just curious about opinions).
 
That linked thread is pretty deep isn't it :eek:

Whether you feed birds in your garden is up to you, we have 20+ feeders here but we are a bird food shop, so like to encourage them and show our customers the many options in practice. Overall, I'd certainly argue the positives outweigh the negatives but there are without a doubt people who disagree.
 
Proper placement of bird feeders can make feline predation less likely. My feeders are well clear of cover for cats, higher in the air than cats can reach, and has perches for birds to hang out on while they wait to feed. In the case of an aerial predator, there is cover about 10ft away that the birds can flee to.

I've never seen any bird corpses, in any case, so I must be doing something right.
 
My local Sparrowhawk flies along the roof line and swoops across the feeders fairly often. It gets the odd one now and again. It's a bird and needs feeding as much as the others. Cats of course are usually (over)fed by their owners, so I try harder to reduce their effects. But despite placing the feeders as high as possible much feed winds up on the ground and attracts ground feeders. Not a lot can be done about that in a small garden other than discourage cats when seen. That said, of course you should feed birds. I feel sure the reduction in winter starvation far outways the losses by predation.
 
I dislike published images that I see of birds on feeders

Why is that, because you find them uninteresting? I do too, I suppose, but feeders IMO still have their uses as places where budding nature photographers can learn the rudiments of the trade.
 
I have feeders for multiple reasons.
1. I enjoy watching the birds. It's peaceful and mesmerizing.
2. I enjoy listening to the birds.
3. Feeding the birds reminds me of my childhood and my father, who also had feeders. Every single day at the breakfast table I would look out the window and watch the birds as I ate the breakfast my father made for me.
4. Feeding the birds reminds me of God's love for us (Matthew 6:26) Consider the birds of the air, how they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of much greater value than they are?
5. I have a curiosity for the natural world and love learning; and watching and identifying birds certainly inspires learning, even beyond the realm of birds. For example, in addition to feeders in my yard, I have also planted around 40 Coneflower plants (which are native to Alabama) because I learned that finches love them. And they do! They eat the seeds on the flowers as soon as they arrive.

The only hing that really irks me when it comes to bird feeders is when people are not consistent with filling them up. That just seems cruel.

And just as an FYI: There are zero cats in my neighborhood.
 
Why is that, because you find them uninteresting? I do too, I suppose, but feeders IMO still have their uses as places where budding nature photographers can learn the rudiments of the trade.

I feed birds in winter, mainly on a small bird table as I find certain birds, particularly Great and Blue Tits hang there on the vertical feeders and throw more seeds, (presumably the ones that they are not keen on), out then they eat.

I just do not like to see published images of birds at a bird feeder - I find that the feeder total spoils the image and is "cheating" in an odd way. I much prefer to photograph them in their natural environment.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 10 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top