Evening star., 1945-06-04
This and That
BIZ Charles E. TraceneI.

correspondent wants to know which
Is the best way to feed birds. He has
heard that some folk keep food out all
the time, and that others just put some
out at certain times of the day. and he
wishes to know which way is best.
There really isn't any one best way.
All methods are right which help our
feathered friends Recently we read
fantastic story called Our Feathered
Friends" You will find it in many an
thologies devoted to weird fiction. 1t
makes good story but it is as untrue
to bird life as can be. Birds simply do
not act that way!
Putting out food in the morning, and
then again in the afternoon, has many
advantages. 1t is cheaper, for one thing,
and draws better congregation of birds.
If you put it out in small quantities
twice day, the birds eat every bit of it.
If food is ready for them "A hours
around the clock, they just eat out their
favorite seeds. In this they greatly
resemble humans, who, in the midst of
plenty, are very "choosey," and select
with great care, being rather on the
flnicky side, but let them get good and
hungry, as the saying has it, and they
will fall to with will and eat up everv
crumb.
Keeping food out for the birds all
during the daylight hours is rather ex-
pensive. Several hundred dollars worth
of seed and grains can be bought in the
year. In these days, several hundred
dollars is several hundred dollars.
Yet such method of feeding has It's
good points 1t not only makes sure
that all who come to the free lunch get
something to eat, but it insures a maxi
mum turnout spread over the hours.
So there may not be as many at any
one time.
On the other hand. the twice daily
feeding seems to bring a maximum
number OF species at one time. 1t also
makes certain that there will be little
raking and cleaning up after them.
Where the birds pick and choose, as they
do when food is always present, many
grains and seeds are scattered around,
and many of them are never eaten. This
not only Is wasteful, in our human
sense, but it also means that much will
mildew and become sour. Such food Is
not good for birds. Moulds gather and
cause bird diseases, when the spoiled
food is eaten.
And that is not all Spoiled food must
be cleaned up. Often one not familiar
with bird feeding is surprised at the
amount of stuff cleaned up around the
bird feeding place.
Much of this, of course, is composed
of split and cracked seed husks and
fragments of outer cases. Many of our
species are marvelously adept at open
ing a seed without leaving any visible
mark. Sometimes it is necessary to use
magnifying glass to see where the case
has been opened. The goldflnch, for
instance, is as careful as any surgeon
in opening seed. The cardinal cuts
them open with bold stroke, but the
little wild canary makes a clean cut,
extracts the seed. Then the wrapper
goes back together again, and such Is
the resiliency of natures cases that the
edges seem to vanish.
We may excuse the birds on charge
of extravaganza, because many of the
seeds which seem whole and good, in
the mass of chaff around busy feeding
place, are empty.
They have been eaten, although they
may look untouched. All of this has
to be cleaned up, and If rain, muggy
weather has been present, 1t is likely to
have bad odor.
Little cleaning up after the birds Is
necessary if food is put out in the MORN
ing, and then again about o'clock In
the afternoon. They are hungry, and
eat with will.
It is most interesting to see how a
yardful of birds manages to know ex-
actly the feeding time. They will perch
in shrubbery and trees, with their sharp
little eyes on the watch.
They know almost to the minute when
food is to appear and may be seen flying
into the bushes about 10 to IS minutes
ahead of time.
There is little doubt that all birds
have an excellent sense of time. Whether
this is true because time, as a thing, is
universal, and known to all creatures
whether they know how to make and
use clocks or whether it is simply sig
nailed to them by an empty stomach,
the result Is exactly the same.
1t Is essential, therefore, II one chooses
to put out food just twice day, that
the job be done on time, every day, for
this Is part Of the thing, and feature
most appreciated by the birds.