An estimated 840,000 Coloradans feed wild birds. Colorado law prohibits the feeding of big game animals such as elk and deer, but not the feeding of songbirds, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife supports and promotes birdfeeding. "Feeding birds at a feeder is a wonderful way to enjoy and learn about wildlife," says Bob Hernbrode, coordinator for DOW's Watchable Wildlife program.

Opponents to feeding claim it interferes with the birds' normal foraging for wild food, disrupts migration patterns, and makes songbirds dependent upon humans. But studies of the feeding patterns of backyard birds show that, like any wisely-run business, birds don't depend on just one source of supply and any particular feeding station provides no more than 25% of their food. If they lose a bird feeder as a food source, birds quickly search out wild foods to replace it.

It's unlikely supplemental feeding keeps birds from migrating. Studies show that shortening day length, not food availability, is the main migration trigger for birds. Birds also migrate in late summer and fall when natural foods are abundant, so it's / unlikely feeders sway the choice to stay or go.

Birds obviously benefit from feeding, but there are rewards for the creature providing the food as well. For many city-dwellers, backyard birds are their only connection to nature. Comments from people who feed birds often reveal a strong personal attachment, aesthetic reward, and sense of responsibility associated with birdfeeding: "The birds are so beautiful and full of life, I get such joy from seeing them." "I feel as if they're all my friends." "They need me. I have to be sure to keep the feeders full or the birds might starve." "If the feeder is empty the birds land on the deck railing and look in the window as if they're saying, 'Where's the food?'" "My birds know me. When I go out to fill the feeders they all show up and wait in the bushes."

Avian ecologists agree that food supply is a major factor in winter survival among songbirds. When the mercury drops, songbirds must stoke up their furnaces. Survival is a day-to-day battle. A study in the 1940s found that at 5°F, house sparrows could survive about 15 hours without eating—the length of a winter night. To make up for the night's deficit, and store up for the coming night, small birds must feed every day. Any difficulty finding food can be critical. Supplemental food from feeders may make the difference between surviving the winter or perishing. If someone chooses to stop feeding, it's best to taper off gradually instead of stopping abruptly so the birds have time to find new sources to make up for the lost feeder.

Traditional birdfeeding wisdom dictated putting feeders up in fall and taking them down again in spring. But birdfeeding expert Dr. Aelred Geis found that spring and early summer are times when seed-eating birds feed heavily at feeders. This is when they are courting, defending territories, nesting, and rearing young, yet the trees, shrubs, and flowers are just budding and blossoming. Wild foods are most abundant in late summer and fall when seed and nut crops come in. The current wisdom on feeding is to continue year-round or, if you want a few months off, don't quit before mid-summer, then resume again in late fall just as the cold weather arrives.

Situate feeders in an open area with trees or shrubs nearby to provide shelter and cover. Don't locate a feeder where it is exposed to strong winter winds or near landscaping that could provide hiding places for cats. Cat predation is a tremendous threat to songbird populations. A University of Wisconsin biologist estimated that free-ranging domestic cats (pets and feral) kill a minimum of 3.25 million birds in that state alone during the nesting season. This figure accounts for 9 percent of Wisconsin's summer bird population (on agricultural land). In 1992, Virginia researchers estimated more than a million free-ranging cats killed at least 3 million birds each year in that state. Cat predation is not a natural part of nature, as these predators are generally fed by humans, therefore not subject to the pressures faced by true wild predators. Bells around a cat's neck are ineffective in protecting birds, which don't associate the sound with danger. The only real solution is for cat-owners to keep their animals inside.

Keeping squirrels away from feeders is a constant battle, with solutions ranging from baffles to relocating feeders, but some other unwanted visitors, such as bears and deer, can present more serious problems. Since bears are mainly nocturnal around human habitation, take feeders down at night. A deer in the yard is charming the first time, but deer can devour landscaping like antlered lawnmowers. To circumvent hungry deer, hang feeders where they can't be reached. Taking feeders down for a few weeks may discourage pests; if not, you may have to quit feeding permanently.

Keeping feeding stations clean is very important. Feeders gather birds in unnaturally high concentrations. Several diseases, among them salmonellosis and avian pox, can be easily transmitted among birds at feeders so it's important to clean feeders regularly -with soap, -water and a brush, rinsing with a dilute bleach solution and then plain water. Keep the waste shells cleaned up so they aren't a breeding ground for viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Offering numerous feeders spaced several feet apart controls crowding. An occasional dead bird is probably not an issue, but if you notice several dead ones at once, or find dead birds around your feeder frequently, quit feeding for a -while to disperse the birds. Thoroughly clean your feeding station, including feeders, baths, and ground areas. Not feeding for two to four weeks will disperse the birds and dry out areas that might be harboring the disease organisms.

Birdfeeding is fun and rewarding, and it has significant economic impacts as well. In 1991, sales of commercially-prepared bird food reached $625.7 million nation-wide, and participation in birdfeeding has boomed since then. An estimated 63 million Americans feed birds. To serve this market, more than 360 franchise stores sell supplies to feed birds, including such chains as Wild Birds Unlimited and Wild Bird Centers. The sale of birdseed (not including feeders and other items) is an $18 million business in Colorado.

Feeding birds the right way takes some effort but being a good host at the birdfeeder pays off. We offer our avian guests a few seeds, and in return they bring us beauty, activity and a little bit of the natural world.

Next: A Banquet for Birds