Epic osprey rescue in Harwich in 2013
Watch dramatic 2013 video as professional climbers scale a 160-foot communication tower in Harwich to succeed in a young osprey that obtained caught.
Cape Cod Times
I used to be fortunately sipping a Narragansett and having fun with the fashionable consolation of my footie pajamas, once I stumbled throughout this intriguing submit on the Cape Cod Birders Facebook group:
“I would really like opinions about having a chook feeder,” wrote the writer. “I want to add one to my yard however do not need to entice squirrels and rodents … additionally my aunt says that it hurts the birds by making them depending on individuals.”
Suddenly, a universe of avian leisure beckoned. I may buy a chook feeder and turn out to be associates with eagles, dodos and aardvarks. Maybe we might all migrate to spring break hotspots!
But the Facebook submit gave me pause. While I’ve a grudging respect for squirrels, my urge for food for the corporate of rats has waned over the years. And I did not like the thought of birds changing into hooked on my Michelin-starred feeder and giving me the stink eye when it was empty.
So I dived into the world of chook feeders and got here up with a bellyful of intrigue. There is a stunning quantity of professional and con thought on the matter, and for a chowderhead like me, it was difficult to decipher.
First off, the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW) does not appear to be a giant fan of chook feeders. According to their “Avoid feeding wildlife” webpage, “The presence of chook feeders can convey many sorts of wildlife nearer to properties and residential areas, rising the possibilities of human/wildlife interplay and battle.”
The DFW recommends an alternative approach: “By offering native crops, contemporary water, and chook homes, you may entice birds to your yard with no need to make use of chook feeders.”
But we all know the feeders are on the market. According to a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service article titled “To Feed or Not to Feed Wild Birds,” round 59 million Americans feed birds of their yards, a practice that has been occurring for greater than 100 years.
The article describes the fun of getting a chook feeder, but additionally warns that they will enhance the danger of illness, predation and collision with home windows for birds.
Conversations with Cape chook specialists revealed that proudly owning a chook feeder could be rewarding, however it’s a considerably vital duty that requires upkeep and surveillance.
“If you are not going to take it critically and never going to maintain it clear, do not do it,” mentioned Mike O’Connor, proprietor of the Bird Watcher’s General Store in Orleans. This is fairly stern stuff coming from a depraved humorous man who sells chook feeders!
Pro suggestions from Mike embrace: think about taking your feeder in each night, to keep away from what he known as the “night time crew,” which may embrace raccoons and rats. He additionally suggests utilizing sunflower seeds as a substitute of a seed combine, as a result of birds on the feeder would possibly messily goal a sure merchandise within the combine, spilling meals onto the bottom.
The alternative of feeder can also be vital in holding squirrels out of your chook buffet. Mike’s all-time favourite feeder is the Brome Squirrel Buster Classic. It’s a tube-style feeder with a protecting cage. The weight of a marauding squirrel will decrease the cage over the meals ports.
Mark Faherty, science coordinator on the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, mentioned birds aren’t more likely to turn out to be depending on chook feeder meals. “There are loads of seeds on the market within the wild,” he mentioned. “When you feed birds, you are doing it for your self, not as a result of they want it.”
He additionally mentioned a chook feeder can join people to nature, one thing which may appear in shorter provide as of late. “When you evaluate doom scrolling by way of your cellphone to watching birds at your feeder on a snowy day, one in every of these is more healthy,” mentioned Faherty.
I assumed this investigation into animal catering could be simple, however now I’ve almost an excessive amount of meals for thought. At this level, I’d say my chook feeder plans are nonetheless up within the air.
Eric Williams, when not fixing Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a wide range of methods to benefit from the Cape, the climate, wildlife and different topics. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @capecast.
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