It's OK to feed wild birds – here are some tips for doing it the right way

109 points
1/20/1970
11 days ago
by dnetesn

Comments


Vicinity9635

None of this applies to crows. They're very happy to eat our rotting corpses and day old vomit. So feeding them can be an adventure if you try hard enough.

11 days ago

sva_

I tried that once. I fed a bunch of crows some walnuts while sitting by a river, and it was fine. The next day I came back, I fed crows at the same spot, and soon a murder of other crows came and attacked the crows I just fed. Not even just lightly nabbing them, but hacking down on them continuously until I broke up the fight.

Didn't try feeding any since then.

11 days ago

lagniappe

You're supposed to use McDonalds fries, and some light rock-throwing toward the opposing faction. Traditionally this is how murder-crows have been trained since at least 2013. Total process is a few weeks.

Source: https://imgur.com/f50IZJS

11 days ago

supriyo-biswas

Crows are social animals, and it would be very strange for the two factions to not intermingle (let alone just observe) and know what was really going on. Also they are opportunistic animals, and won’t give up the chance to get a treat even if they consider you an enemy; where I live the crows consider me a threat and caw loudly and angrily peck at plants and the windows if they see me, but will take any food that I leave outside.

The crow war is a good story, if only a bit suspect.

10 days ago

wdh505

Omg, what did I just read? That was some good greentext

11 days ago

sdwr

The barriers are dissolving! 4chan by way of reddit on HN

Age of Aquarius, or barbarians at the gate?

Shrug emoji

10 days ago

flawn

wholesome

11 days ago

gerdesj

Whomever came up with that nonsense about cockroaches inheriting the smoking remnants of the earth we leave behind have no idea.

"If its a rook its a crow ..." Crow are mostly singletons, rooks are the social largish, black corvid. By social, I mean bird form of Peaky Blinders.

In the park opposite my house there are many large, mature trees. Several of them are home to rival gangs of rooks. There are also many magpies and some jays and some crows. The magpies seem to spontaneously form mobs but mostly couple up and do small scales raids on smaller birds if they run out of other food or for the hell of it. Jays tend to be more circumspect and I rarely spot them being nasty. I suspect they are more like assassins.

Corvids are extraordinary birds. They don't have the weaponry of hawks, so seemed to have developed intelligence and a really strong stomach instead.

Mind you the seagull (herring gull) is an even larger "crow" with amphibious capabilities. I lived in Plymouth (Devon) for some years and worked on the Barbican, so dealt with a lot of seagulls. I never got crapped on and never had a burger or chips stolen from me.

Wind forwards a fair few years. I'm doing an IT related job and am in Bristol Parkway railway station, on platform munching sandwiches during a lunch break. A gull swoops in from behind me and grabs a sarnie from my hand.

The skill and precision of the steal was remarkable. I've also seen them glide in, slow up and briefly hover over a victim, drop down and grab with their beak and then fly vertically upwards and escape. You have to admire the sheer strength of these birds. They are largely designed for soaring and gliding. Look at the aspect ratio of their wings - they are long and quite thin - more like a glider than a fighter. I suppose their association with the sea and fishing has encouraged evolving strength. Pulling a fish out of the sea is hard work. They can furl those gliding wings for bursts of speed and they have the sheer strength to do VTOL. Unlike a hawk, they do not have talons, nor a hooked beak to grab, rip and tear. Their beak instead is designed to cut things in half or cut bits out.

I could, but won't, witter on about the peregrine falcon. They are quite fast and successful.

Pigeons (rock doves) will probably have the final say after Armageddon and will clean up any corvid, and seagull waste. Including those that found cockroaches unpalatable.

11 days ago

m463

11 days ago

xeonmc

They’ve already survived one apocalypse before, who’s to say they can’t another one?

10 days ago

HenryBemis

Probably territorial disputes. I bought a feeder and I'm hanging it right outside/below my balcony (so birds can eat without pooping on my balcony). I buy hulled sunflower seeds, 10kg, every month just for the feeder. My typical 'customers' are House Sparrows that I try to keep alive through the winter. The (three) crows on my block are cool with them, and let them live around here. When pigeons fly in though, or once we had some ducks resting and trying to feed on my feeder, OH BOY, the crows no-like-big-birds.

Sidenote: because of the weird position of my feeder, only one bird can eat at-a-time. House Sparrows being smart and loving do the following.. one goes to my feeder and shoves/throws down seeds, so he/she eats straight from the feeder, and a bunch of others eat the seeds falling on the sidewalk.

11 days ago

Vicinity9635

Turf wars. We just call it war when humans do it. Or genocide.

11 days ago

pests

Genocide is the complete elimination ion of another group... Might be a little far.

11 days ago

Vicinity9635

Somebody feels called out.

10 days ago

banish-m4

Come to Austin. We have loud, annoying, fearless, and rude grackles who will leap up on your outdoor table and fight you for your lunch. They're no crows, to be sure.

Crows are smarter. I saw a crow chowing down with its buddies after it ninja'ed inside a mechanic's shop to steal their sunflower seeds from atop their toolbox. That it both identified a package containing food it liked and knew when humans were watching, formulated a plan, and executed it successfully demonstrated significant intelligence.

Reportedly, one can befriend crows as well as crows supposedly hold grudges.

10 days ago

AnotherGoodName

Also crows eat other bird eggs. They definitely do cause ecological problems if fed.

https://thecottonwoodpost.net/2022/05/02/the-maddening-truth...

11 days ago

robjwells

Narrowly on the matter of “clean feeders”, I’d recommend people (particularly of interest to those in the UK) check out Finches Friend. They make feeders designed to avoid the spread of disease (primarily trichomonosis) and their blog posts are full of related information.

https://www.finchesfriend.com/

11 days ago

smcleod

Tip for New Zealand bird feeding - native birds feed on nectar (sugar/honey water) and not seeds which are primarily consumed by introduced / invasive species.

11 days ago

soperj

I thought Kiwis eat, roots, shoots and leaves?

11 days ago

smcleod

You’re not going to be feeding kiwis in your average back yard, also - as they don’t fly, they’ll struggle to reach most bird feeders.

11 days ago

elliottkember

Google the phrase "eats, roots, shoots, and leaves"

11 days ago

observationist

Only the ones with guns and shovels.

11 days ago

timClicks

Flightless birds don't live in suburban and urban environments. There are predators there and they're all locally extinct.

11 days ago

davidhyde

You're confusing, pandas with marsupials ;)

11 days ago

867-5309

there's a Lynne Truss joke in there somewhere..

11 days ago

dekhn

no, that's drop bears

11 days ago

greenie_beans

just plant native plants that have seed heads and don't dead head them once they're done flowering. your neighbor will think your garden is ugly, but they won't have many birds in their garden.

11 days ago

goda90

Don't spray pesticides either. A lot of birds eat insects.

11 days ago

EvanAnderson

We plant sunflowers and zinnias to get lovely visits from hummingbirds (and bees and butterflies) in the early to mid-summer and jays and finches coming for the seeds in the fall.

11 days ago

hammock

can you deadhead but just leave them all in one spot in the yard for the birds to find?

11 days ago

greenie_beans

idk, try it and let us know how it works out.

11 days ago

Angostura

You can do that, and you’ll certainly have seed available for - three months of the year

11 days ago

greenie_beans

no, that is false. the seedheads sit on the stalk through the winter, providing bird food through meager times. that has been my experience at least, in both a warmer climate and a colder climate.

10 days ago

sologoub

Didn’t see this in the article, but having a thriving bird population is great for pest control as well! They keep all kinds of bugs in check, so less need to spray stuff, etc.

11 days ago

sitkack

I feed the birds by growing insects.

11 days ago

ClassyJacket

Sadly it was made illegal in our area and our neighbour actually reported us. One day they were actively bringing in bus loads of foreign tourists to feed the birds, the next they're knocking on our doors telling us to stop or get a fine.

(Melbourne, Australia)

11 days ago

datadrivenangel

The bin chickens are a nuisance though.

11 days ago

mysterydip

For those interested, Lazy Game Reviews (LGR) recently started a live bird feeder cam which runs daily: (edit: fixed) https://www.youtube.com/live/fd-2D_Qabqk?si=buJg480KK3VJI_PD

Also, if you're curious what birds are coming into your yard, I recommend the Merlin Bird ID App from Cornell University: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

11 days ago

stn8188

Was the link an ad intentionally? Or was it a copy/paste error?

11 days ago

mysterydip

Copy paste error. It was supposed to be the live feed, I'll see if I can fix it.

11 days ago

blackeyeblitzar

I really dislike when one problematic neighbor feeds crows. She has ended up attracting a massive group of them regularly, and it ends up causing a nuisance for everyone else who has to put up with constant noise from the crows and also trash (since they like to retrieve random things and leave them all over). Folks who decide to feed wildlife - please be considerate of others around you. Wild animals are wild, and they can figure out how to survive on their own.

11 days ago

wdh505

I am pretty sure that they can be trained to pick up trash and alert if someone falls. It can be a low tech alarm.

11 days ago

Aaronstotle

I feed my neighborhood crews peanuts pretty regularly, they know me and my girlfriend and are quick to show up in the morning when we have the bag of peanuts. Its fun

11 days ago

whartung

We don’t feed the birds directly, but we do have a fountain the local birds greatly enjoy. We make it a point that algaecide we use is bird safe.

From finches to crows, they all seem to enjoy the running water in our ad hoc birdie bidet. Once or twice a year we get a reenactment of “The Birds” when 10+ rather large crows descend for a spa day.

10 days ago

kingsloi

One of the best things I've done recently was install bird feeders that hang from the soffits of my house. My main level is on the the top floor, and seeing all the birds while I'm at work or on the sofa is such a joy. They keep me, my cats, and toddler entertained... but having to refill every week gets expensive

11 days ago

soperj

> but having to refill every week gets expensive

Less spent on cat toys though...

11 days ago

interludead

I remember how my mom and I used to feed the pigeons together in the park

10 days ago

bbarnett

Just seed your lawn, easiest most expensive way to feed birds ever invented.

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA47407

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA17790

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA3799

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA31924

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA5417

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA15555

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA46137

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA32958

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA8960

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA49615

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA20306

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA25477

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders46704

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders29423

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA3115

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA1143

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA17253

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA40712

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA26796

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA15102

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA36071

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA31332

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA47089

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA9594

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA37530

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA407

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA26148

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA20136

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA4342

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA47907

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders12556

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA37858

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders37824

[dead]

11 days ago

indianmilf5284

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders25128

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders6147

[dead]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA29703

[dead]

11 days ago

2genders34211

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders22676

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders27507

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders49782

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders28478

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc28009

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc35181

[flagged]

11 days ago

indianmilf22370

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc11107

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc23124

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc8730

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc9170

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc5905

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders23029

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc34984

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc24279

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc19402

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders23486

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders10838

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders49491

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders17668

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders22374

[flagged]

11 days ago

indianmilf24212

[flagged]

11 days ago

indianmilf36034

[flagged]

11 days ago

jen729w

@dang Unsure how to flag this other than tagging you?

11 days ago

dredmorbius

You can email HN mods at hn@ycombinator.com.

In this case, dang's well aware of the spammer flood. I'd emailed with a list of accounts myself, accidentally including your user ID as well.

10 days ago

[deleted]
11 days ago

indianmilf25886

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc3778

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders31285

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders22621

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders47456

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders36920

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders5639

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders5690

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders32599

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders20183

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders37005

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders11380

[flagged]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA12571

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders38534

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders42033

[flagged]

11 days ago

SEXMCNIGGA12543

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders20299

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders44672

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders37420

[flagged]

11 days ago

sexmc15116

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders5140

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders8049

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders26728

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders23289

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders20202

[flagged]

11 days ago

2genders33247

[flagged]

11 days ago