Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
to participate, or contact your local Audubon Society. If you're interested in
starting your own program, the National Audubon Society has an online tool-
kit that will help get you started.
Provide food and nest boxes. For all the challenges that cities pose to birds,
they also of er bountiful riches, particularly in the form of a million tons of
birdseed. This annual subsidy from U.S. residents alone, plus water and
shelter available in cities, increases bird abundance by bolstering overwin-
ter survival and reproduction. Birds such as black-capped chickadees,
which are common denizens of subirdia, derive 20 percent of their daily
energy requirements from bird feeders if they are available. This fraction,
while substantial, suggests that birds using feeders do not abandon other
natural foods and do not become overly reliant on feeders. Indeed, when
feeders were removed from chickadees, their survival dropped, but only
back to normal levels. Such tangible benei ts of bird feeding compel me to
try keeping my feeders well stocked, but also put me at ease when they are
empty.
Bird feeding benei ts not only birds but also people, by bringing them
closer to nature and by pumping billions of dollars into local businesses
each year. It provides one very important connection between the people
and the wildlife of subirdia that forges our mutual destiny as coevolving
partners. But before you rush out and get a feeder, let's quickly review some
best practices.
Most birds that use feeders prefer black oil sunl ower and white proso
millet seed. So a balanced mix of these is a surei re way to begin attracting
birds to your feeder. Adding other types of feed to your yard—nectar for hum-
 
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