Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

we would put food out in winter for the boids. but that was england and it snows there. i feed the birdies here only it is more they help themselves to my fruit.

there was a con in alcatraz who fed birds.

I heard that piece last week. It is very interesting. The lady is Irish, I seem to recall.

Hummingbird feeders and the associated food, are big here. I bought a simple one from a yard sale, got the red sugar crystals from the hardware…set it up and the wasps, bees and ants arrived. The sugar solution also goes off and can cause problems with the birds.

So now I have plants, and will keep planting more plants, that hummingbirds love.

plants are best.

ChrispenEvan said:

plants are best.

Better than most humans.

I can confirm that bird feeding is actively encouraged by conservation movements in the UK. It should be in Australia as well. The only arguments against it here are anecdotal, and taken out of context. Wild birds are not idiots, they will eat a balanced diet whether or not they are hand fed. In addition, those Australians who are most vehemently opposed to bird feeding do it themselves, by growing plants that are not native to the suburb in which they live.

One of the biggest arguments in favour of bird feeding is education, by getting close to the animals you learn more about them, and come to respect them as individuals.

Peak Warming Man said:

Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

If I put fruit trees in my back yard to attract birds, no one objects. But if I cut that fruit and put in on a plate for birds, everyone loses their minds!

kii said:

ChrispenEvan said:

plants are best.

Better than most humans.

and you don’t get into trouble if you kill plants…

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

If I put fruit trees in my back yard to attract birds, no one objects. But if I cut that fruit and put in on a plate for birds, everyone loses their minds!

I don’t feed the butcherbirds but while I am preparing the dog’s mince & chicken the butchies fly into the kitchen & steal what they can.
When I throw the chicken carcass’s out the kookas & lace monitors contest for them.

the thing about trees vs hand feeding is that the trees are a)seasonal b) still there when you are not.

and as far as birds eating a balanced diet, tell me why magpies, and other birds, get problems in their young if they are fed plain mince?

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

If I put fruit trees in my back yard to attract birds, no one objects. But if I cut that fruit and put in on a plate for birds, everyone loses their minds!

This year I let the birds have all the peaches, it’s on a small hill and I couldn’t get to it easily with the bung knee. They took a lot of the apricots, but we still had more than enough (and the rocket scientist also took away bags of them)

ChrispenEvan said:

the thing about trees vs hand feeding is that the trees are a)seasonal b) still there when you are not.

and as far as birds eating a balanced diet, tell me why magpies, and other birds, get problems in their young if they are fed plain mince?

all of those natural amino acids and shyte are better minced in the bird.

kii said:

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Bird feeding is a common pastime in the US and the UK, and is actively encouraged by conservation organisations. But in Australia there is less information available and doubts exist over whether feeding birds is helpful or harmful. Now a large citizen science project aims to clear up some misconceptions.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/scienceshow/is-there-anything-wrong-with-feeding-birds/7750616
—————————————————————

I think the consensus science on this is that it’s bad bad bad to feed wild birds.

If I put fruit trees in my back yard to attract birds, no one objects. But if I cut that fruit and put in on a plate for birds, everyone loses their minds!

This year I let the birds have all the peaches, it’s on a small hill and I couldn’t get to it easily with the bung knee. They took a lot of the apricots, but we still had more than enough (and the rocket scientist also took away bags of them)

I don’t know what ate my mandarins but I suspect possums, bats & birds.

if you want birds, put in some water feature. you’ll get more satisfaction from watching them bathe. and a greater variety.

ChrispenEvan said:

if you want birds, put in some water feature. you’ll get more satisfaction from watching them bathe. and a greater variety.

I have some sandpaper fig trees. The lorikeets love the fruit.

ChrispenEvan said:

plants are best.

The woman in the piece answers that.

buffy said:

ChrispenEvan said:

plants are best.

The woman in the piece answers that.

like anything it is variety that counts. i have fruit and flowering. plus lawn, for beetles etc.

‘Crazy bird lady’ wears a special dress to feed hummingbirds

http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/153306600-story

I’m thinking I could run this as a quiz, no “correct” answers, just those I’ve observed most often.

Which Australian native bird species most like to eat these foods?

1. Cooked oatmeal?
2. Weetabix with sugar and hot water?
3. Wet bread?
4. Cream puffs?
5. Macropod mix?
6. Hot chips?
7. Raw sausage mince?
8. Quartered oranges?
9. Half pear and half apple?
10. Pizza?

Which Australian native bird species most like to eat these foods?

Answers

1. Cooked oatmeal?
Little raven.

2. Weetabix with sugar and hot water?
Red wattlebird

3. Wet bread?
Black duck (of course)

4. Cream puffs?
Magpie lark

5. Macropod mix?
Cassowary loves it
Emu and brolga will also eat it

6. Hot chips?
Silver gull (of course)

7. Raw sausage mince?
Silver gull
Little raven and Grey butcherbird will also eat it

8. Quartered oranges?
Little raven

9. Half pear and half apple?
Rainbow lorikeet
Red wattlebird also likes it

10. Pizza?
none

mollwollfumble said:

Which Australian native bird species most like to eat these foods?

Answers

1. Cooked oatmeal?
Little raven.

2. Weetabix with sugar and hot water?
Red wattlebird

3. Wet bread?
Black duck (of course)

4. Cream puffs?
Magpie lark

5. Macropod mix?
Cassowary loves it
Emu and brolga will also eat it

6. Hot chips?
Silver gull (of course)

7. Raw sausage mince?
Silver gull
Little raven and Grey butcherbird will also eat it

8. Quartered oranges?
Little raven

9. Half pear and half apple?
Rainbow lorikeet
Red wattlebird also likes it

10. Pizza?
none

I’m certain a kookaburra would eat pizza

mollwollfumble said:

10. Pizza?
none

kookaburras would snatch it off the table if you turned your back on it.

party_pants said:

mollwollfumble said:

10. Pizza?
none

kookaburras would snatch it off the table if you turned your back on it.

It probably had pineapple on it.

Depends on what kind of pizza. If it was wormlover’s pizza, many birds would eat it.

When I’m out walking, I occasionally get approached by birds who want snacks. I’m usually at a complete loss as to what to feed them.

The most recent was a lyrebird, and I hadn’t a clue what to feed it. Any ideas?

Others have included eastern yellow robin, white-browed scrubwren, blue wren, thornbill and Canada goose (must have been an escaped farm animal). Any ideas?

>>The most recent was a lyrebird, and I hadn’t a clue what to feed it. Any ideas?

Grubs I think.

Peak Warming Man said:

>>The most recent was a lyrebird, and I hadn’t a clue what to feed it. Any ideas?

Grubs I think.

I tried out mealworms on the birds in my front yard, but none of the birds wanted to eat them.

mollwollfumble said:

In addition, those Australians who are most vehemently opposed to bird feeding do it themselves, by growing plants that are not native to the suburb in which they live.

+1.

People also tend to grow flowering natives, which attract many aggressive native species who drive out small birds and mammals.

Not only should plants be native to the area in which they are planted, there needs to be a wide variety of them. For example, grasses and flowering plants for food, dense shrubs for shelter and trees for future hollows.

Speedy said:

mollwollfumble said:

In addition, those Australians who are most vehemently opposed to bird feeding do it themselves, by growing plants that are not native to the suburb in which they live.

+1.

People also tend to grow flowering natives, which attract many aggressive native species who drive out small birds and mammals.

Not only should plants be native to the area in which they are planted, there needs to be a wide variety of them. For example, grasses and flowering plants for food, dense shrubs for shelter and trees for future hollows.

An exception would be if like me you live in a historic area that has long had a lot of European trees, bushes etc.

(And American trees, for that matter. There’s a big old sequoia I can see from my kitchen window).

Bubblecar said:

Speedy said:

mollwollfumble said:

In addition, those Australians who are most vehemently opposed to bird feeding do it themselves, by growing plants that are not native to the suburb in which they live.

+1.

People also tend to grow flowering natives, which attract many aggressive native species who drive out small birds and mammals.

Not only should plants be native to the area in which they are planted, there needs to be a wide variety of them. For example, grasses and flowering plants for food, dense shrubs for shelter and trees for future hollows.

An exception would be if like me you live in a historic area that has long had a lot of European trees, bushes etc.

(And American trees, for that matter. There’s a big old sequoia I can see from my kitchen window).

Non-native plants can provide excellent food and shelter for birds. In our area, Council have waged war on Lantana, however, lots of small native birds shelter and nest within it. Just because a plant is not native does not mean it is of no habitat value.

Saying that, these plants are invasive, have displaced many natives and should be removed. We just need to know the facts and do it the right way.

Speedy said:

Bubblecar said:

Speedy said:

+1.

People also tend to grow flowering natives, which attract many aggressive native species who drive out small birds and mammals.

Not only should plants be native to the area in which they are planted, there needs to be a wide variety of them. For example, grasses and flowering plants for food, dense shrubs for shelter and trees for future hollows.

An exception would be if like me you live in a historic area that has long had a lot of European trees, bushes etc.

(And American trees, for that matter. There’s a big old sequoia I can see from my kitchen window).

Non-native plants can provide excellent food and shelter for birds. In our area, Council have waged war on Lantana, however, lots of small native birds shelter and nest within it. Just because a plant is not native does not mean it is of no habitat value.

Saying that, these plants are invasive, have displaced many natives and should be removed. We just need to know the facts and do it the right way.

new holland honeyeaters have disappeared since the wallabies ate the fuschias.

sarahs mum said:

Speedy said:

Bubblecar said:

An exception would be if like me you live in a historic area that has long had a lot of European trees, bushes etc.

(And American trees, for that matter. There’s a big old sequoia I can see from my kitchen window).

Non-native plants can provide excellent food and shelter for birds. In our area, Council have waged war on Lantana, however, lots of small native birds shelter and nest within it. Just because a plant is not native does not mean it is of no habitat value.

Saying that, these plants are invasive, have displaced many natives and should be removed. We just need to know the facts and do it the right way.

new holland honeyeaters have disappeared since the wallabies ate the fuschias.

I like honeyeaters and fuschias, but I also like wallabies :)

Speedy said:

sarahs mum said:

Speedy said:

Non-native plants can provide excellent food and shelter for birds. In our area, Council have waged war on Lantana, however, lots of small native birds shelter and nest within it. Just because a plant is not native does not mean it is of no habitat value.

Saying that, these plants are invasive, have displaced many natives and should be removed. We just need to know the facts and do it the right way.

new holland honeyeaters have disappeared since the wallabies ate the fuschias.

I like honeyeaters and fuschias, but I also like wallabies :)

don’t you worry about the wallabies.

I used to feed the white goshawks. But then I was raided by a quoll and ran out of poultry.

sarahs mum said:

Speedy said:

sarahs mum said:

new holland honeyeaters have disappeared since the wallabies ate the fuschias.

I like honeyeaters and fuschias, but I also like wallabies :)

don’t you worry about the wallabies.

I used to feed the white goshawks. But then I was raided by a quoll and ran out of poultry.

LOL, when I was camped overnight up on the boarder ranges track near the Stinson wreck I had a quoll try to raid my back pack when I was asleep, scared the shit out of me.

Speedy said:

Bubblecar said:

Speedy said:

+1.

People also tend to grow flowering natives, which attract many aggressive native species who drive out small birds and mammals.

Not only should plants be native to the area in which they are planted, there needs to be a wide variety of them. For example, grasses and flowering plants for food, dense shrubs for shelter and trees for future hollows.

An exception would be if like me you live in a historic area that has long had a lot of European trees, bushes etc.

(And American trees, for that matter. There’s a big old sequoia I can see from my kitchen window).

Non-native plants can provide excellent food and shelter for birds. In our area, Council have waged war on Lantana, however, lots of small native birds shelter and nest within it. Just because a plant is not native does not mean it is of no habitat value.

Saying that, these plants are invasive, have displaced many natives and should be removed. We just need to know the facts and do it the right way.

> plants be native to the area in which they are planted

Like when does this ever happen? Most Australian city and cereal-crop environments are so disturbed that nobody has a clue as to what was originally native there. eg. although Westgate Part is planted with 100.00% native plants, most of these are from interstate, and nobody has a clue as to what was originally there before it was an airstrip and motor racing circuit. I am prepared to swear that there is not a single square metre of undisturbed native vegetation in the whole of the Melbourne city council area, shown below.

Native birds LOVE lantana.

The reasons are simple:
1. Ripe lantana berries are delicious, sweet and non-toxic.
2. The dense vegetation provides excellent protection against cats and all other predators.

On a related issue, how do Australian farmers stop their crops from being ravaged by birds?

Overseas in many countries it happens by farmers shooting the birds. But what about Australia? Are there farmers out there who go about shooting nutmeg mannikins and similar?

mollwollfumble said:

On a related issue, how do Australian farmers stop their crops from being ravaged by birds?

Overseas in many countries it happens by farmers shooting the birds. But what about Australia? Are there farmers out there who go about shooting nutmeg mannikins and similar?

Anti-bird netting, fencing, shooting, trapping and poisoning. Regulations and required permits for which control measures for which species may vary from state to state.

mollwollfumble said:

On a related issue, how do Australian farmers stop their crops from being ravaged by birds?

Overseas in many countries it happens by farmers shooting the birds. But what about Australia? Are there farmers out there who go about shooting nutmeg mannikins and similar?

I see one reference on the web to “300 tonnes of poison laced cereal pellets were dropped across the …”

Bubblecar said:

mollwollfumble said:

On a related issue, how do Australian farmers stop their crops from being ravaged by birds?

Overseas in many countries it happens by farmers shooting the birds. But what about Australia? Are there farmers out there who go about shooting nutmeg mannikins and similar?

Anti-bird netting, fencing, shooting, trapping and poisoning. Regulations and required permits for which control measures for which species may vary from state to state.

Netting – very limited in area, not even all market gardens.
Fencing – won’t stop birds.
Trapping – for birds? I hope not.
Poisoning – only permitted if you “prove that shooting is either not permitted, not feasible, or not effective on your property”.

So, shooting is the way to go. How many Australian birds do we shoot dead each year?

>Fencing – won’t stop birds.

It’ll stop emus. Widely used in WA to prevent emus infesting agricultural lands.

Here is what you can do in WA

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/invasive-species/pest-bird-control-baittoxin-products

And what the invasive animals CRC has to say about shooting:

http://www.pestsmart.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/BIR001_shooting-pest-birds.pdf

Lunch over, very tasty. I’ll now have a sit-me-down with a cup of tea and resume housework at 13:30 hours.

Bubblecar said:

Lunch over, very tasty. I’ll now have a sit-me-down with a cup of tea and resume housework at 13:30 hours.

Only relevance is that I had wings for lunch, sorry.

buffy said:

Here is what you can do in WA

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/invasive-species/pest-bird-control-baittoxin-products

And what the invasive animals CRC has to say about shooting:

http://www.pestsmart.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/BIR001_shooting-pest-birds.pdf

That’s a lot of seriously nasty chemicals in WA.

On the shooting. They suggest shooting:
“silvereyes, sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, red wattlebirds, rosellas, lorikeets, galahs, little corellas, silver gulls, feral pigeons, chestnut teal, grey teal, pink-eared duck, white-eyed duck, long-billed corellas, sulphur crested cockatoos, cormorants, magpies, crows, ravens, black duck, wood duck, mountain duck, cape barren geese, emu”.

IMHO, we have a moral responsibility to feed more native birds than we murder.

The recent massacre of birds in Tasmania should be wake up for us all.

Peak Warming Man said:

The recent massacre of birds in Tasmania should be wake up for us all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9fabdgFt9Y

Peak Warming Man said:

The recent massacre of birds in Tasmania should be wake up for us all.

That was a mercy killing conducted by a trained officer.

In the US
there are distinct seasons
one or more involving freezing weather
and a marked scarcity of native food sources.

Too often, people with the best of intentions feed birds
which encourages them to stay long after they should’ve migrated.

Birds that are ill equipped to endure such harsh conditions, including long periods
of ground covered with snow too deep to keep them from finding even dry grass seeds
and without access to open (liquid) water. If the food is withheld, without enough calories to
generate body heat, I cold snap often proves deadly.

Easy fix: Withhold food as the natural seasonal migration approaches so the birds return to their
natural pattern while there’s still enough natural food sources available for them to reach their
wintering grounds before they’re caught -out by bad weather.