Ecology

Photo courtesy Flickr

Feeding birds also feeds silent wildlife. I hope that the raptors that live off small birds take many rodents as well. Until I read that once a feeder is established, one is obliged to keep it up, I considered putting out a daily ration. Now I support birds with water in the pond (aka heron feeder), with weed, flower, and shrub seeds (that simplify maintenance), organic garden practice, minor tangles of habitat for shelter, and by not keeping a cat.

It is a great courtesy not to startle birds, especially in winter. Their energies are taxed to the limit in cold weather, and taking suddenly to the air puts a huge strain on their metabolisms. They seem to remember being considered. In summer, birds eat bugs that eat my food plants and protect me from an excess of cherries.

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