{"id":992,"date":"2011-02-04T12:47:46","date_gmt":"2011-02-04T17:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/?p=992"},"modified":"2014-04-07T07:16:38","modified_gmt":"2014-04-07T12:16:38","slug":"bird-feeding-a-classic-winter-hobby-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/?p=992","title":{"rendered":"Bird Feeding: A Classic Winter Hobby"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Ellen Smith<\/em><\/div>\n
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A male downy woodpecker perches on a birdfeeder. Photo by: Ellen Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

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House finches, a junco, and a female cardinal frequently visit birdfeeders. Photo by: Ellen Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

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A male red-bellied woodpecker looks up from feeding. Photo by: Ellen Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

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Juncos, titmice, and flickers. \u00a0Believe it or not, these are the names of some common Indiana birds. \u00a0In the heart of winter, it is normal to see songbirds flocking around neighborhood bird feeders, chattering in the trees or perching on telephone wires. \u00a0Winter is a time when many people open their wallets and their backyards to the birds. \u00a0However, not many know about the the hobby at all. \u00a0Bird feeding is a little-known hobby that is very fun and rewarding.<\/p>\n

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In wintertime, many species of birds travel south, so they do not have to weather the harsher conditions. \u00a0The birds seen now are the ones who do not migrate, and have adapted to be able to handle the much colder conditions of winter. \u00a0However, as people continue to invade the habitats of local species, many birds are urbanizing. \u00a0Urbanization has one drawback-a lack of food. \u00a0This is why bird feeding is a very beneficial hobby, for the birds and for the feeder of them as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are a wide variety of songbirds in the Plymouth area. \u00a0One of the most common ones to be seen is the cardinal. \u00a0Cardinals are small, bright red birds with a crested head and black face mask. \u00a0Cardinals are the state bird of Indiana, and are also one of the most recognizable songbirds because of their bright hue. \u00a0Blue jays are also very easy to spot at a bird feeder. \u00a0Their large size, striking shades of blue and harsh call are all noticeable traits. \u00a0Blue jays have a crest, with black barring and patches of white on the wings and tail. \u00a0Barring is a striping of color. \u00a0Jays are raucous, aggressive birds that often chase down their smaller relatives. \u00a0Tufted titmice tend to visit local feeders too. Like the blue jay and cardinal, it has a crested head. \u00a0A titmouse is an earthy gray in color, with a white breast. \u00a0It is one of the smallest songbirds. \u00a0Goldfinches, normally brilliant gold, but dull yellow in color for winter, are a common bird to see. Goldfinches have black and white wings. \u00a0Juncos are small, dark birds that are mainly ground feeders. \u00a0These shy birds will mainly eat any seed that has fallen from the feeder itself. Chickadees are very small songbirds with a black and white bi-color head. All small songbirds are known for their short, blunt wings. However, songbirds are not the only kind of bird to visit Plymouth bird feeders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Woodpeckers are also visitors to local bird feeders in the wintertime. \u00a0One of the most frequent woodpecker visitors is the downy woodpecker. \u00a0This woodpecker is the size of a songbird, but is beautifully feathered black and white. \u00a0Red bellied woodpeckers frequently pay visits as well. \u00a0This large woodpecker has black and white barred wings, a red read and a red belly. \u00a0Their long, pointy beaks are perfect for burrowing into the bark of a tree, but this woodpecker still comes to feeders for birdseed often.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The colors of species of birds usually vary by gender. \u00a0Male cardinals may be bright red, but females are a dull brown in color, tinged with red on the wings, crest and tail. The crest is a raised patch of feathers on a cardinal\u2019s head. House finches vary by gender too. \u00a0Female house finches are also earthy toned, but males sport a reddish purple breast. \u00a0Male downy woodpeckers have a small red cap on the back of their head. \u00a0Females are generally more camouflaged than the males, because they sit on their nests and are more exposed. \u00a0Therefore, blending in is vital to their survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bird feeders come in many different shapes and sizes. \u00a0Platforms, hoppers, and tube feeders are the most common ones to choose from. \u00a0Bird feeders are generally used only in the wintertime, when food is harder to come by. \u00a0An important rule among all bird feeders is that once\u00a0they begin to feed birds,\u00a0they must continue to do so until winter is over. \u00a0Birds become reliant on being fed, and in the tough times of winter it can be fatal if a main food source is lost. \u00a0There are many different types of seed to purchase as well. \u00a0One of the most widely available food is sunflower seeds. \u00a0Sunflower seeds can be bought with or without the shell. \u00a0However, shelled seed is more expensive. \u00a0Birdseed can attract more than birds though.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With bird feeding can come pests. \u00a0The most common invader of a neighborhood bird feeder is the innocent-looking squirrel. \u00a0It may be tempting to simply let squirrels come and go as they please, but this is a money-wasting habit. \u00a0Squirrels consume much more birdseed than songbirds and make feeders a mess. \u00a0In general, it is a good rule of thumb to not allow squirrels in a feeder. \u00a0There are a variety of squirrel stoppers available to help solve the problem. \u00a0Predators can be pests to a bird feeder. \u00a0In more urban environments, cats may stalk the feeder, but in more rural areas, hawks can cause issues as well. \u00a0Red tailed hawks will sometimes perch in nearby trees, camouflaged, and dive on unknowing birds. \u00a0That is why many species like the goldfinch turn duller colors for the winter. \u00a0They want to blend in as well. \u00a0\u00a0The more rural a home is, the better chance wild turkeys or opossums will hang around. \u00a0It is important to be prepared for other wildlife besides birds at a feeder.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once and a while, there will be some rare birds that will stop by bird feeders. One possible visitor to get is a flicker. \u00a0The yellow shafted flicker is a large woodpecker. \u00a0This brown woodpecker is barred on its wings and spotted on the underside. \u00a0Flickers have a small red crescent on the back of their heads. \u00a0Another rare bird to be seen is the pileated woodpecker. \u00a0Pileated woodpeckers are very large birds, almost crow-size. \u00a0Pileated woodpeckers have dominantly black plumage, with a red crested cap and white detailing. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bird feeding is a very rewarding hobby that does not take much work. \u00a0Filling a feeder with seed will give hours of fascination with these beautiful songbirds that are so rarely seen. \u00a0Friends will be impressed by the hobby. \u00a0There are species that can be identified, rare birds to marvel at, and so many ways to make bird feeding the perfect hobby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ellen Smith \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Juncos, titmice, and flickers. \u00a0Believe it or not, these are the names of some common Indiana birds. \u00a0In the heart of winter, it is normal to see songbirds flocking around neighborhood bird feeders, chattering … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[14],"class_list":["post-992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature","tag-january-2011"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=992"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8903,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/992\/revisions\/8903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/social.plymouth.k12.in.us\/perspective\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}