Question by Calvin-Thinking With Portals: Question about bird feeders…?
So, on Friday-ish I refilled my bird feeder about 3/4 of the way on both sides, and mind you, it’s fairly large(it’s divided into two so you can put in 2 different types of seed) because birds weren’t really visiting my feeder(turns out the seed had kind of “solidified” from growing roots and they were all stuck together).
Well, I got an explosion of bird visiting my feeder, beautiful birds, Gold Finches, Lesser Goldfinches, Sparrows, Finches, and even this poor one eyed bird. Well, today they finished the thistle section almost entirely. The other half is almost empty as well.
I told my dad about this and he told me that I shouldn’t fill the feeder in the summer/spring as there is already a lot to eat and that I should fill it during the winter and fall when they need it the most. He also says if I continue to do this, the birds will grow too reliant on me and “forget”, essentially, how to forage, so if we move, they’re screwed(and moving is a looming possibility in the future).
I’m debating on what to do. I love watching the birds(as the feeder is just outside my window), and they’re so beautiful and they sing so nicely. Plus, their personalities are awesome and I record the birds I see on eBird.com.
So…what should I do? Should I follow my dad’s advice? Should I continue to fill my feeder? Or should I just once a month fill it and let the birds eat away at it and in the colder season keep it filled? Or something else?
Thanks!
Best answer:
Answer by sydney 
we keep ours filled all year, as the birds dont just eat at one time of year. We are moving too, but we are telling the person that move into our house to put feeders up..and they wont forget how to forage. Birds often live in groups, and if they are loners, they will remeber quickly.
What do you think? Answer below!
Tags:about, bird, Feeders, Finch, Question
