[Birdtalk] Backyard Birding

[Brenda Kidman]

I have been reading the comments to the article about backyard birding and
there are several things I would like to say as a backyard birder that loves
my feeders. I think there is more to the story.

I can see the necessity of keeping your feeders clean. I had avian pox (or
something like it) several years ago and contacted Cornell University at the
recommendation of this board and got some great information on what to do
and not to do.  There are some great instructions on how to keep your
feeders clean in the links at the end of this post.

I think, knowing the passion birders have for birds, it would be more
beneficial for experienced birders that have strong concerns about backyard
birders to help educate them on how to do no harm.  I can assure you that I
will not be giving up my feeders and I only hope that others that love
feeding backyard birds as much will not be put off.  I do have many birds
that I am not crazy about at my feeders.  I can't get rid of the House
Sparrows and I think everyone knows I would rather we didn't have Brown
Headed Cowbirds.  Have people done more damage to birds than those two
species or any species of bird for that matter?  Sure we have, but getting
people to change behaviors is like turning an ocean liner, it is sloooow
going, but it can be done.  Education is key and one way to get people to
change it to relate it their lives so they have a personal interest in what
they are doing.  I think birding can help do that.

There are some wonderful benefits to backyard birders.  I have a five year
old grand baby that can identify birds she has watched while at my home.  I
don't use poisons in my yard to eradicate pests.  My cats have always been
inside cats, except for the screened room they can go in and out of at will,
but since becoming a birder I am much more vocal about the various reasons
it is not safe for your cats or the environment to allow animals to roam
free. My son-in-law no longer uses poisons in his yard and has started
watching for birds and getting excited when he spots something new.  I spend
a lot more time a home with my family.  Since becoming a birder I pay
attention to my yard.  I have dead trees that we have left up just for the
birds, I have brush piles and I have started finding out what is beneficial
for birds before purchasing new plants.

I am not one that will post after I get back from vacation about the birds
we saw but I do pay attention now.  I got to see the Chestnut Backed
Chickadee when I was in Portland.  It was really neat but I would not have
even noticed it a few years ago.

Backyard birders have an obligation to the birds to make sure they do no
harm.  I think "do no harm" is a great mantra in any arena of life.  Here
are some links with some great information on how to do no harm when keeping
feeders.  They also show how birding can help us branch out and make us
better people.


http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/fact_sheets/coping_with_diseases_at_birdfeeders.jsp

Which includes this information:
The Complete Story
Birds do get sick. Disease is one of many natural processes affecting wild
species. Sick birds do show up at feeders, and other birds can get sick as a
consequence.

Just because bird feeding is not problem-free does not mean that it is bad
or should be stopped. It does mean you have an ethical obligation not to
jeopardize wild birds. What is called for is intelligent bird feeding.
Follow the precautions listed above, and you can continue to enjoy feeding
healthy wild birds.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A20411-2002Feb28&notFound=true

Which includes this information I found to be very close to how birding has
affected me:
Many groups promote bird feeding primarily because they hope it will inspire
people to become more concerned about protecting the environment. They want
them to stop using outdoor pesticides, plant shrubs with seeds that birds
eat, and support stronger environmental laws. Kress, of the Audubon Society,
calls it "the gateway effect."


And lastly, my favorite article, since it promotes backyard bird feeders and
includes this quote:
>From their purely aesthetic value in millions of backyards, to their
usefulness in building inquiry skills among classroom students, to their
applications in peer-reviewed, quantitative, environmental monitoring, bird
feeders present extraordinary connections between our human culture and the
natural world. To suggest that they are damaging because they are also used
by squirrels and chipmunks, or that they spread diseases that reduce bird
numbers, is to ignore a large and growing body of scientifically
demonstrated information.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/publications/birdscope/Spring2003/In_Defense.html

So, in closing, I think feeding the birds does more good than bad, if only
for the "gateway effect" and the influence it has been on me, my family and
many others.

Enjoy birding however you choose, just bird responsibly.

Brenda Kidman
South Weber
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