The Citizen, 2004-11-18, Page 12Don't forget the birds!
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PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2004.
Bird lovers talk about lon -time hobby
Tweet tweet
Once the cold weather arrives,
everyone has to say goodbye
to the beautiful colours that
summer has to offer, but
Jeanette Boynton of Brussels
keeps the colours coming back
with her three birdfeeders
hanging in her backyard. As an
avid bird lover, Boynton puts
out a variety of birdseed to
keep the dozens of different
species coming back. Relaxing
on one of the two plastic
hanging silo birdfeeders in
Boynton's backyard is a
nuthatch. (Elyse DeBruyn photo)
By Tom Dunbar
When I was growing up we had a
neighbour who was obsessed with
feeding the birds. We all just smiled
at this but whenever he was
mentioned all the other neighbours
were always impressed and I realize
now quite envious with just how
many birds came to his feeders. We
wondered, we commented, we even
joked about him being a 'Pied Piper'
for the birds but no one ever
complained Since then I have come
across very few folks out there who
ever truly object to feeding the birds.
That however, is about it for
consensual agreement. When you
should feed, how you should feed,
how to attract specific birds, water
or no water and even whether or not
you really should feed, are all
debatable points worthy of
discussion.
By far though, the way to have the
most fun is to ask people what they
feed the birds. There's very little
agreement even among those who
make 'bird-feeding their business.
However, common sense and a little
scientific research can help us find
our way through the forest of myth,
opinion and misinformation
however well intentioned, that exists
out there.
Let's start off with a really
interesting study commissioned by
Wild Birds Unlimited -a U.S. chain
of wild bird stores. The independent
lab they hired found that throughout
North America the common places
we buy our seed tend to carry seed
mixes that are anywhere from 40 to
70 per cent filler. That's a lot of stuff
we pay for but the birds don't eat.
Fillers are classified as grains that
the birds found in a specific area
(Southern Ontario for us), will not
consume. You know when you've
bought one of these bags because not
only will you be cursing loudly
while cleaning up a huge, rotting
mess from beneath your feedrs but
also you won't get many birds either.
This is the main reason why. black
oil sunflower has such a good
reputation. It's the single most
popular seed among the birds that
frequent our backyards. It's rich in
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
For over 20 years, avid bird lover
Jeanette Boynton of Brussels, has
been hearing the beautiful songs and
seeing the unique colours of dozens
of different species of birds with her
feeders.
To keep a variety coming back
each day, Boynton said she has two
different types of bird feeders, one
birdhouse and two silos.
The birdhouse, which was built
"many years ago" by her husband
David, is a smaller version of a
square gazebo and perfect for the
species that like to hop around in
open birdfeeders.
Boynton said she lays a couple of
handfuls of seed inside the house,
then waits until the first bird arrives
to feast.
The silos or hanging birdfeeders,
are a big attraction for smaller birds.
The , plastic cylinder-type of
birdfeeder has little perches evenly
spaced making it easy for the little
creatures to get what they want.
For some birds like cardinals,
Boynton said she- puts a couple of
handfuls of bird seed on a flat piece
of wood because some species are
shy and 'timid and don't like to feed
if others are around. This makes
flying away much easier.
Joan Bernard of Brussels is also a
oils, it's easy to open with its thin,
soft shell and is readily available
.along with being fairly inexpensive.
It leads us to a simple conclusion:
black oil sunflower seed is a much
better choice for feeding our flying
friends than a cheap mix - no matter
how low the price.
Just for your information, the
fillers in these poor quality mixes are
things like excessive corn, red milo,
wheat, oats, barley and even rice.
These fillers are inexpensive,
plentiful and are simply not eaten by
our birds here in Southern Ontario.
Why then do some folks who feed
mixes get so many birds? It's simple
— good quality mixes containing
seeds such as black oil sunflower,
black stripe sunflower, peanuts.
white proso millet, red millet,
canary, canola, nyjer, safflower,
German millet, small amounts of
steel cut corn, hulled sunflower,
peanuts in the shell and various dried
fruits are all things that our birds do
readily take.
The trick is in the blend. Here is
what many of the not so
conscientious, big multi-national
seed companies like to do. They load
up the bag with whatever grain is
cheap and readily available such as
corn, milo or wheat, add a small
percentage of peanuts and
sunflowers and very often package it
in a bag you can't see through. The
lesson here is to read the label.
Variety, after all is the spice of life
— even for our feathered folk.
Excellent quality and proven blends,
are readily available primarily in
speciality bird or feed stores or you
can do what many people do and
that's mix your own. All the seeds
I've mentioned here can be easily
found and then you get to play with
what works best for your yard.
Since everyone's yard is different it
actually can be a fun challenge to
create that perfect, custom blend.
Really though, why bother with
paying a little more for a good
quality mix or the pain of finding,
storing and mixing your own blend
when black oil sunflower works so
well? That's easy. You will be
amazed how many more species and
bird lover with several silos and
birdhouses around her home. For
over 30 years she said she has been
watching the beauty of these little
creatures.
"It's just a hobby I picked up and I
love it," said Bernard. "I guess I love
nature and watching birds in their
own environment."
Boynton said she probably has 10
to 20 birds at a time around the
feeders and although different
species will eat with each other, the
bigger and stronger birds feast first.
"It's funny to watch because the
blue jays always scare away the
cardinals, but the cardinals can scare
off other species. It's all about who
is bigger."
Some species that arrive for a
quick visit and a big lunch, include
mourning doves, blue jays, downy
and hairy woodpeckers, cardinals,
gold and purple finches, house
finches, red-buff breasted and white
nuthatches and juncos which
Boynton said is not a very good sign
as they only appear when winter is
on its way.
"It's really quite amazing to watch
all these different sizes and colours
and-to hear each one's song is really
nice," said Boynton.
Some of the' more interesting
species she likes to watch are red-
headed woodpeckers, which she said
are rare and yellow-belly sap-
individual birds you'll get with a
superior quality mix designed just
for your area.
It's true that black oil sunflower
seed is many times better than a poor
quality mix but black oil barely
holds a candle to a top quality blend.
Give the birds choice and you'll get
the birds. Let's see the neighbours
keep up with that!
— Toni Dunbar is a wildlife
biologist, syndicated nature
columnist and lecturer
suckers that only come in the spring,
poking holes in the maple trees to
get their treat.
Boynton said usually around 4:30
p.m. her guests arrive looking to fill
their empty bellies and satisfy their
thirst as she has a water hole near the
birdfeeders.
"They really like to have water
close by when they're eating," said
Boynton. "They can get water from
the river, but once it freezes, it's hard
for them to get at it and they can't eat
snow all the time. I try to keep water
out whenever I can."
Bernard said she trys to fill her
feeders at least three to four times a
week, but hardly ever leaves out
water for them.
Like many others, Boynton sets up
a bird bath in the summer, but when
winter comes, the water freezes and
is useless to the birds. So for those
cold winter days, she sets up a
heated bath.
Continued on page 13
The great seed debate