The Joy of Backyard Bird Feeding: From Pastime to Hobby

Saturday, November 2, 2019
11:00 AM

at Wild Birds Unlimited of Kingwood

Feeding and watching birds has become America’s second most popular hobby after gardening. For many the hobby of backyard bird feeding might be considered more of a pastime.  Many buy an inexpensive feeder, purchase low-priced food, and occasionally look out the window to see if any birds are at the feeder. It is enjoyable to watch birds visiting the feeder and interacting with each other. If squirrels invade the feeder, they can also be fun to watch.

Once you begin to enjoy seeing birds at your feeder, you might want to begin identifying the different bird species. You might notice that certain birds can be more of a pest by eating most of the food and chasing other birds away. Or you might notice that although squirrels can be fun to watch, they eat a lot of bird seed and can be destructive. Perhaps there are ways to feed the more colorful songbirds but discourage the squirrels from draining your feeders? Could you attract a wider variety of birds by changing the bird food or adding different kinds of food? What about providing water for the birds? When you begin asking this kind of questions, your pastime begins to develop into a lifelong hobby that can bring joy to you and your children.

We will introduce various kinds of bird foods, such as seed, suet, peanuts, etc., available for your feeders and how each food can attract different species of birds. We will also describe various feeder designs, the kinds of food can be used with each feeder, and advantages and disadvantages of each feeder design. Finally, we will describe various issues, such as unwanted bird species and other critters, disease spread by dirty feeders and birdbaths, birds of prey, insects, and windows that may cause concerns with your backyard bird feeding.