[anjan_c2007]

The joys of bird feeding are aplenty. Most of them flock at very particular hours of the day with alacrity, which is a surprise. Usually they come to get their diets early in the morning, once in the noon during lunch and also once before dusk. Most never miss the morning and noon visits.

A secluded place in the house where humans step less often is the most preferable. If there's even any signs of human movement or noise near such feeding place, the feathered species get suspicious and fly away. The spots need to be in places with ample daylight, visible to birds and not in darker locations.

Once birds develop the habit and get to know about their safe hangouts, there's no stopping their routine visits. Subsequent upon their landing, the chirping, playing, tweeting (no X here), warbling ( we have a bird species called Warblers who chirp, chirp and chirp but can't stay quiet), serenading of the female by the male and so on become regular. They become cool at such hangouts, treating these as their next homes.

Most birds, tiny to mid sized (I didn't have any large sized visitors till now) prefer millets and we can store adequate amounts at home and replenish the bowls from time to time. Millets have been eternally the bird's favourites, much before it saw its renaissance with humans after 2023 got declared as the "International Year of Millets" by UN.

The United Nations General Assembly at its 75th session in March 2021 declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM 2023). FAO is the lead agency for celebrating the Year in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders. Millets can grow on arid lands with minimal inputs and are resilient to changes in climate.

It's much affordable at around Rs 35 to Rs 40 per Kg (the standard variety, not exotic) and nutritious too. Having experimented with a few pulses, bread and biscuits, I found birds shunning anything other than millets, once they develop an affinity for this food grain. During moist seasons the millets need to be stored in a dry place preferably amidst silica gel.

Earlier, a water container in my avian hangout spot would appear during the drier months. But after withdrawing it post summer a few months ago, the prolonged dry phases during this monsoon, prompted me to fill up that water container again, which the feathered friends now take a sip from, most of the times.

I have started bird feeding since nearly two years and have seen Doves to be the most regular, with occasional trips by Warblers, Bulbuls, Robins (the Indian, full black type) and rarely Mynas. The Doves visit timings are very well maintained with regularity at specific hours and can startle any observer. But I miss the Sparrows whose number have dwindled all over, so sadly over the years.

At the spot on the first floor of our house, the hangout spot very recently had a swarm of red ants that had come to feed on the millets. The bird were simply not coming as some of them might have been stung by these ant intruders. Since the bird feed didn't require any replenishment for more than a week, I was disturbed. Upon a close view, the army of these red ants were spotted as the prime culprit. I shooed away the ants on a Sunday by emptying the millets in another container and redoing the transfer from vessel to vessel again and again. The ants fled with great difficulty. Thereafter, I applied kerosene on the iron stand hosting the container taking care not to spill drops, as these could mix with the dropped millets on the floor, to become lethal for the birds.

Now you can view the small water containers on each leg of the iron stand which is a barrier ( security ring #1 for the birds) for the intruder ants. The images are posted below. The ants have stopped their intrusions now. But it took at least 10 days, post the day I made the hangout ant-free for the birds to reappear as they were extremely apprehensive having been stung and down and out with ant phobia.



Small hangout on the ground floor with a Dove feeding there- clicked from behind the screen as they dissappear if any human is spotted around!









The water container and the now ant-proof hangout on the first floor. The three ant repellant water containers on three legs of the iron stand can be seen.







Red ants , a few seen here above tried to capture the bird hangout.

It hardly takes any time or much of efforts for the upkeep of such bird hangouts. Also if there's greenery around within and outside your home, its a great plus for our avian friends. Everyone who can, will do well by easily trying to volunteer to do his or her bit for the survival of our feathered friends.

Some quotes on birds:-

“Birds teach a great life lesson. All you have to do is listen to their song.”

“A bird does not sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
-Maya Angelou

“The bird is powered by its own life and by its motivation.”

[anjan_c2007]

Two red and green Macaws born recently (2020) in Argentina has set the record of being born in the wild for the first time in 150 years long after it was treated as extinct.

Their two daughters, named Tuco and Puré, became the first Red-and-green Macaws to be born in the Argentine wilderness in 150 years. But when the chicks were just two months old, Sopa mysteriously left the nest and did not return, leaving Nioky to care for them alone.

Here is the link a lovely BBC podcast that I was listening in to this morning on BBC. A treat for bird lovers:-

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct4qgl

(Pls go to BBC Outlook podcasts and you'll find this at the top. If you have the BBC App it quickly navigates you to the link.)

Another link:-

https://www.laprensalatina.com/argen...ver-a-century/

[anjan_c2007]

Some pages on Facebook and Instagram by bird lovers that are dedicated to birds:-

Birds Photography:-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1575...ibextid=NSMWBT

Beautiful Birds and Nature:-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/beau...ibextid=NSMWBT

Amazing World of Birds:-
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1233...ibextid=NSMWBT

Peta Valentine:-
https://www.instagram.com/petra.vale...iYpXD7qxVUp19k

[arunrajk81]

Feeding birds and watching them eat I can do it for hours. So the fishes in a properly set aquarium are close to an ecosystem. If you are interested in photography, it gives as excellent opportunity

From Northern California, We have Hummingbird feeders and food for other birds mainly for songbirds. And a small pond which serves as a bird bath where they occasionally take a dip.Squirrels also visit frequently during hot seasons here for drinking.

Winter is the time they need it most when food is difficult to find. Last year there was an avian Flu outburst that killed some of these birds and from the birding community it was advised to remove these feeders which I also did to slow down the spreading of these diseases.

Another option is to grow plants that give them food. We used to plant sunflowers for sunflower seeds and kale flowers also attract songbirds. If you grow flowering plants near the garden, it attracts hummingbirds as well as pollinators like bees.

Our hummingbird feeder visitors include Rufous Hummingbirds,Allen's hummingbirds those are migratory types and local species like Anna’s Hummingbird.


Seed feeders are mostly visited by Song Sparrows, Gold Finches, House Finches, White Crowned Sparrows, Oak Titmouse, Scrub Jays(They are medium sized birds that scare away the smaller ones and are aggressive too towards Owls, Raptors), California Towhees etc.


Few times I saw Hooded Orioles trying to get nectar from a hummingbird feeder, Normally they used to hang around my neighbors Mulberry tree.

Other than on feeders, the birds like Blue birds, Bushtits, Bewick's Wrens also are frequently seen.