[Birdtalk] Backyard Birding

[Dave Slager]

Hey Brenda,

I think you bring up a good point.  I wonder how many ornithologists,
conservationists, and informed voters were at some point in their life
inspired by watching birds coming to feeders.  It's certainly true of
me...I'm pursuing a career in bird conservation and I first got
interested in nature through my mom's bird feeder when I was about 10.
 So aside from any biological pros and cons that are legitimate, I
agree that bird feeding can have excellent educational value.

Dave Slager

On 6/18/07, Brenda Kidman <bkidman at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Birdtalk mailing list
> Birdtalk at utahbirds.org
> http://utahbirds.org/mailman/listinfo/birdtalk
>


-- 
David L. Slager
University of Utah
Department of Biology
257 South 1400 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
(801)-585-9742
slager at biology.utah.edu
dave.slager at utah.edu
dave.slager at gmail.com (all forwarded to same address)