Every spring we get the warning to stop feeding the birds because the bird seed attracts bears that are hungry, post hibernation. We follow this practice, but have friends who do not. Some of our friends that feed birds in the summer have trouble with racoons destroying their bird feeders. By not putting out bird seed in the summer we don’t see as many birds. In the winter we can have as many as 5 male cardinals around the bird feeder at the same time. During the summer we only see them occasionally, but we see more insect eating bird. To me it seems like harmful enablement to feed birds when their natural food is plentiful.
Feeding the birds is fun, but in the summer we are content with the birds that we can attract with habitat improvements. The chairman of the board planted poppies around the house. Each year in July goldfinches discover this food source. We put up 3 bird houses. It is fun to watch the bluebirds that have chosen one, but they do not allow another pair to use the house on the other side of the yard. The territorial bluebirds also evict Tree swallows that want to put the empty bird house to use. After the young bluebirds leave the nest, we only see the family occasionally.
We don’t enjoy the plague of big green June bugs flying around in July. One year we put out grub killer to stop them. Many grubs came to the surface and died, but I am sure that it is harmful to the birds that picked up the dying grubs. We stopped using grub killer and put up with a rising mole population. A friend told me about using grub killer to remove the food supply of the 5 skunks that were hanging around his yard each night.
A Carolina wren was able to claim the 3rd birdhouse which is obscured by some oak branches. Our patio is underneath it so I had a front row seat to family disfunction. I suppose all was fine when I was not there, but mother wren was disturbed when I was sitting on the patio. At first she flitted around nervously, but then fulfilled her family obligations. After building up her resolve she flew into the bird house to give the caterpillar in her beak to her family. The male on the other hand was a loud-mouthed slacker. He routinely arrived with a caterpillar, hopped from branch to branch, decided that it was much too dangerous to go into the birdhouse, ate the caterpillar himself and then chattered his warning to me.
The rabbits and birds like our yard because it is cat and dog free. I think that we will do more to create better summer habitat for birds.
Adventures in Suburbia 