Mike said
"I have found two common statements from birders:-
1. "Do not feed the birds, they will become used to it, and if you are away
will starve"
2. "Plant native shrubs in your garden to provide food/shelter for native
birds"
Now, this does not make sense, a native shrub will provide food for only a
few weeks during nectar production or seed production times, whereas putting
out bird food will provide food all the time you remember to do it. "
Now Storm says:
In regards to the first statement, (particularly feeding parrots in NSW)
feeding stations are a very good way to spread disease, specifically
circovirus and chlamydiosis. Simply putting out water doesn't tend to
attract the volume of birds (or their feces). Feeding stations, unless
carefully designed, are also a great way of supplying easy food for local
predators.
For the second, not all bird are nectivores or granivores! Lots of birds eat
insects and these can be found pretty much all year round in and around the
leaves of native trees and bushes.
All of which is not to say I would not feed birds at a carefully designed
and frequently cleaned feed station. But this is a hard message to sell to
Joe and Josephine Public where as 'don't feed the birds' is not.
I have no idea about the validity of arguments about locally created
overpopulation.
storm
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