Backyard Bird Feeding Study

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Table of Contents

Introduction/purpose
Materials/Methods
Results
Discussion
Works cited

Introduction/purpose

The practice of bird feeding has been around for many centuries. Many people regard it to be a pastime activity for bird enthusiasts around the world. However, it is an important activity that supplements the natural food that is available for birds in a given area (Sharon 2). Successful backyard bird feeding requires the setting up of a bird feeding station at the back yard and providing food that will attract birds to the station. Most backyard birds often prefer black oil sunflower seeds because of their abundance in oil sunflower. Other preferred seeds “include millet, niger, safflower seeds, cracked corn, whole corn and peanuts” (Montes 3, par. 2).

The study was carried out in a backyard that has a lake and a lot of trees surrounding it. The area is not secluded and is very close to the lake. The two feeders were placed at the back porch that is off the ground right in front of the lake. This research sought to determine the number of birds that visit the bird feeders daily for one week. The specific types and names of birds were not identified.

Materials/Methods

Materials

Petco black-oil sunflower seeds: The black–oil sunflower seeds attract many different types of birds such as the “chickadees, doves, finches, goldfinches, grosbeaks, Northern cardinal, nuthatches among others” (National bird Feeding Society, par. 4 ). The black oil sunflower seeds have high quantities of oil than other seeds. They also have softer shells that are easier to open by many small birds (Sharon 3).
Petco mixed blend: This consists of different types of seeds mixed together. This type of feed is meant to attract different types of birds as many birds will find their favorite seeds in the blend (Sharon 3).
Two thistle bird feeders: This is a long tube type hanging bird feeder that has small openings that prevent food wastage. It is used to attract birds such as the “goldfinches, purple finches, house finch and pine Siskins” (National bird Feeding Society, par. 5 ).

Method

Two identical thistle feeders were placed at the back porch of a house where birds can easily access them to feed. This back porch was chosen because it provides an ample view of the tree-filled land that leads to the lake.
The feeders were filled with different types of seeds; the first feeder was filled with Petco mixed blend seeds while the second was filled with Petco sunflower seeds.
Bird feeding activities were then observed during the morning hours and afternoons for a period of six days.
The number of birds that fed at the two feeders in the mornings and afternoons were recorded for six days.

Results

Figure 1: Petco mixed blend seeds.

OCT 2010	MON	TUE	WED	THUR	FRI	SAT	TOTAL

AM	8	11	6	5	6	4	40

PM	14	13	19	9	11	13	79
TOTAL	22	24	25	14	17	17	119 birds

Figure 2: Petco black oil sunflower seeds.

OCT 2010	MON	TUE	WED	THUR	FRI	SAT	TOTAL

AM	11	13	10	7	12	14	67

PM	13	14	12	16	13	18	86
TOTAL							153 birds

The results above show the number of birds that visited the two feeders during the study period. The observations were made and recorded during the morning hours (AM) and afternoons (PM) for six days. A total of 119 birds visited the feeder with the mixed blend of seeds while 153 birds visited the feeder with sunflower seeds.

Discussion

From the results above it can be seen that more birds visited the feeders during afternoon hours as compared to morning hours. This may be due to the feeding habits of the different species of birds that were observed at the feeders. The feeder with black oil sunflower seeds had more bird visitations than the one with a mixed blend of seeds. This is because more birds prefer the black oil sunflower seeds because of their high oil content (Montes 3).

The “high oil content readily provides the energy required by the birds to live” (National bird Feeding Society, par. 3 ). Mixed seed often attracts many birds of different kinds as they can find something they prefer in the blend. But it may attract fewer birds as compared to black oil sunflower seeds which are naturally preferred by many seed-eating birds. Usually backyard feeders often attract large numbers of birds averaging about 50 birds a day. However, in this particular study fewer birds were observed (an average of 25 birds a day for the black oil sunflower feeder and 19 birds a day for the mixed blend feeder).

If the experiment was to be repeated then a feeder with larger openings will be used and a variety of different seeds such as millet or cracked corn used individually. This is because the feeder used in this study had small openings that limit food access to smaller birds (National bird Feeding Society, par. 4 ). The other seeds could have been used for better validation of the results as both black oil sunflower and mixed blend seeds have been widely used in other studies (Sharon 6).

Works cited

Montes, Celia. Observation of the Bananaquit on Springfield Plantation feed habits, Commonwealth of Dominica W.I. Texas: Texas A&M University Study Abroad, 2003. Web.

National bird Feeding Society. “Best backyard feeding practices”. Birdfeeding. 2009. Web.

Sharon, David. “Wildlife in My backyard: Atracting Winter Birds and Bird Feeding.” Blue Bill (1999): 42(3): 112-116. Web.

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