Wow! Where did the summer go?

Since my last article in the spring, where I reported that "Avian Conjunctivitis" (in House Finch) had been noticed at my feeder, I am happy to report, that in the groups of them who feed at my place, the original two were the only ones (as far as I know) that became infected. One adult male, and his chick.

I followed Cornell's instructions, (that they mailed to me) to the letter, using one flat feeding dish, and scrubbing it each night, and thoroughly disinfecting it. I put it back outside in the morning, and repeated this 'dance' daily. It worked!

Visit Cornell here: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

Using only one flat dinner-sized plate,on a plant stand, and just under my picture window, I used "Sunflower Chips" which have no hull. (It's the inside pure nut.) I used very little seed, just enough to watch the parents come with their little fledglings. That, to me, is the most special part of it all, to get an up- close peek at the brand new birds. Both mother and father feed them, (mouth to mouth) and teach them.

Once in awhile, as there was this year, a stubborn baby will demand to be fed by it's parent. Then, you watch the adult bird look at the baby. Then, the parent will pick up some food, and eat it. The baby sits there flapping it's wings; mouth WIDE open. "Where is mine?" it seems to beg!

Again, the adult bird will make eye contact with the baby, pick up a seed and eat it. "This is how we eat" the motions tell.The baby will continue to flap. But, eventually, it will try the task on it's own, and begin to eat from the plate. Graduation! The bushes of natural dried seeds in the fall will be much easier than this.

House Finch almost seem to "disappear" at this time of the year. They much prefer natural seed, than anything we can buy. But, when winter snows cover their natural food sources, they will need us again.

But, life has renewed, and if you watched closely, you got to see it unfold. Now, they are on their own, and will soon have their first experiences in the cold blasts of winter. But, they are ready!

Oh, and my prize "day" at the window this year? I heard a certain "chirping" that I've grown to recognize as "Hey, you in there, would you please come here?"

H.F. are great communicators with us human folk!

So, I walked to the window, and there on the dish was one female house finch, and a friend. A chipmunk was sharing the dish of seed. The little House Finch just cocked her head, looking at him as if to say "Ummm, I didn't invite you, buddy!" What a hoot (blessing?) THAT was to see!

Tips for winter feeding:

Use the best bird seed you can afford. Sunflower Chips have no messy hauls, thus zero waste. It IS the best buy, in the long run.

Never feed white bread to birds. There is not enough nutrition in our breads for them. If fed only bread, a song bird can starve to death over night, in freezing temperatures.

This is a very colorful and informative guide on to how to attact birds, and the GOOD things for them, that they love to eat!
http://www.gibsonswildliferehabcentre.org/wildinfo.html

We must always keep some fresh, unfrozen water outside for the birds. Even if you choose not to feed, this is an easy, precious gift for the birds of winter.
When snow is abundant, they still need fresh water that they can drink.

Keep your bird feeding stations cleaned. It's better to put out a little seed each day, than to overload a feeder, where seed can mold, and where spills can attract mice, etc.

Also,other wildlife can appear at overloaded feeding stations. We know from recent news reports that fox, coyote, and mountain lions are now in our area. Never lure them with food. Actually, it is against the law in Colorado to feed wildlife, such as fox, deer, etc. (This does not include feeding the birds.)

Always keep kitchen garbage in tightly covered cans. Nothing is more appealing, say to 'a bear' for example,than some good old stinking kitchen garbage!

We have to be responsible, and use good animal-lover-ethics at this time of year. Wildlife belongs to each and every one of us. We must be responsible!

This article is an excellent one on RESPONSIBLE bird feeding. Please enjoy it. http://www.natureskills.com/feeding_wild_birds.html

Personally, I just want to watch the beautiful birds out my window this winter, and not watch a beautiful bear on my porch!

Happy Holidays! And, thank you for responsibly feeding the birds.