An avian appetite

Even iPod-wearing teens birdwatch, recounts natural history author Scott Weidensaul in his new volume, Of a Feather: A Brief History of Birdwatching. The pursuit has become so popular that “listers” or “twitchers”, the eccentric-sounding terms for enthusiasts, are now, Weidensaul says, almost cool.

Yet even more numerous are those who pursue a more sedentary form of bird-fancying. About 60m people in the US are backyard bird feeders, says David Horn, assistant professor of biology at Milliken University, Illinois, and the principal investigator for Project Wildbird, a rare, large-scale study into indigenous avian eating habits.

That popularity has attracted high design to bird feeding. Eva Solo, a Danish range of bird-fancying accoutrements made of chrome and handblown glass, stands out for its pristine, modern look. Indeed it might take only a bird dropping to besmirch its gleam.

For, despite being among nature’s most beautiful creations, birds are messy creatures. They not only spray droppings indiscriminately (although it is a powerful fertiliser, so gardeners might be grateful) but imperiously toss aside any seed that does not strike their fancy, like bejewelled medieval banqueters.

Birds are finicky eaters, says John Hadidian, director of urban wildlife programmes for the Humane Society of the US. “Typical birdseed from a big supermarket has a lot of junk seed in it – poor-quality millet or other filler seeds – that the birds will reject. We tell people to spend a little extra because it’s better for the birds and more economical in the long run.”

And, despite their fine appearance, birds are indifferent to aesthetics. The Eva Solo range might be marketed as an “indulgence”, for “decadent birds” but in fact the birds couldn’t give a fig. Bird feeding primarily benefits humans, not birds, Horn says; it is a way of “gaining a close connection with nature that might otherwise be lost in our busy lives”.

It is, then, quite justifiable to choose a bird feeder for its looks and for the kinds of birds you like to watch. “Tube feeders,” Horn explains, “bring in the smaller perching birds, such as, in England, tits and sparrows,” and hummingbirds in the US. “Hopper feeders – which look like ­little houses – attract medium-sized birds,” such as cardinals; “platform feeders bring in the larger species”, including doves.

Fruit is a bird treat in summer, demanding another kind of feeder. Here, again, the Danes come up trumps: the Menu Feeder String, resembling some obscure new-age amulet, comprises a cord with conical, frosted glass weights at each end that, threaded with oranges and apples, is suspended from a tree branch.

Other recent innovations include clever baffles to prevent your bird feeder becoming a squirrel feeder: the furry nuisances “will shinny up or down most poles [and] even ‘dive-bomb’ feeders from above”, the Wild Bird Centre company warns. The Humane Society also advocates replacing old-style wooden feeders with devices made from recycled plastics or plexiglass and aluminium: these can be more easily washed, helping to prevent the spread of bird diseases.

But more sophisticated feeders await the arrival of better knowledge. For such a popular pastime, little ­academic research surrounds bird feeding; Horn’s study is one of the few. And so avidly are humans gobbling up avian habitats, some species might not be around much longer to research.

Even the common sparrow is under threat. A kind of cockney among birds, the sparrow is one of the few species, Hadidian says, that “can survive in industrial, downtown urban cores”. Yet, in Britain, its population has crashed from about 12m to 5m in the past quarter century.

Exactly why remains unclear but, according to Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), it certainly has to do with human activity: from overly hygienic modern farming – forbidding a thimbleful of seed to be spilled – to the rash of renovations blocking off the house cavities that make lovely homes for sparrows.

Backyard bird feeding can help some threatened birds to survive. “Feeding used to be just supplementary,” says Val Osborne, from the RSPB, “but now, especially in the cold weather, it can be really important for birds to have a regular, year-round source of food.” In the US, some ornithologists argue, ubiquitous bird feeding has even allowed some species, such as the hummingbird, to extend their range.

You could also help by buying feeders, such as those from the National Geographic Home Collection, where the proceeds go to conservation and research. But, as a bird feeder, much of your loyalty will be local – to those individual tits, woodpeckers or juncos who become used to visiting you.

For humans bird feeding might be an enchanting diversion but it is red in tooth and claw and, for the birds, visiting a feeder to find it empty means, Osborne says, precious “wasted energy”.

To enrol birds in the first place, provide a bath alongside food. “Even in winter, birds love to have a bath because it improves feather maintenance,” Osborne says.

Planting native species will also increase visitor numbers. Osborne suggests letting a patch of garden go, literally, to seed; birds will love it, no matter how it looks to you. You should also provide plenty of cover near the feeder: the pyracantha shrub is sure to attract ardent defenders of its rich supply of winter berries.

www.menu.as
National Geographic birdfeeders from New Creative, www.ncegifts.com

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