eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

What else could be more calming than watching little winged birds go about their merry business that haven’t to seem to have a care in the world? Maybe it’s watching sparrows dance in the snow with delight in the food that they’ve found strewn across the ground for them to now fill their chilled bodies that reminds me of walking home from school all bundled up from the winter frost walking into a warm home to sip on a nice hot mug of cider. Or maybe it’s the finches playing on their feeder on a hot summer evening as if they were school children on a playground proceeded by a cool dip in their bird bath gleefully splashing each other and swimming about that brings back memories of my own childhood.

I feed the birds to help make their lives easier, but they in turn save mine through the reduction of stress. Nourishing the birds in not only a helping hand to Mother Nature, it’s also of medicinal purpose for the human soul.

Feeding birds has brought much happiness to my life. I am handicapped and rarely get to leave the house. I can see the feeders (finch, 2 different kinds, suet holder, regular feeder) from where I usually am in the house and the beauty of the birds as they enjoy their "feast" brings joy to my life. I am lucky because my husband fills the feeders so I may enjoy.

When I moved to Utah, I knew barely a soul. I worked 70 hours a week because it was a new job, but even more importantly, I think because I was lonely. In an effort to see the birds in my new state, I hung a bird feeder on my patio. And they came. Boy, did they come. And they weren’t the only ones! My neighbors came, to tell me how much they enjoyed hearing the birds singing to each other every morning in the tree outside my patio. They came to tell me which new birds they had noticed that morning. They even brought me baby birds that apparently had fallen out of their nests.

Clueless, we all were – a bunch of self-centered Type A city folks. But the bird feeder brought us together, and between about ten of us, we’ve nursed four baby birds to adulthood, organized a bird-watching hike in the mountains, installed feeders on almost all our balconies, and have convinced our apartment complex not to cut down the tree where all our birds have taken up residence. And the best part is to walk outside at 5am in the frigid cold to fill up the feeder, and find a bunch of happy, tired faces doing the exact same thing – faces that never used to see the light of day before 8am!

I don’t work 70 hours a week anymore. Instead, I come home each evening and relax on the patio with a glass of wine and one or ten of my new friends. The birds put up with us being out there and only screech at us when we laugh too loudly.

Amazing how a simple bird feeder can change your life on so many levels!

"How Feeding the Birds has Improved My Life"

Birds are such lovely critters to have around. They show us grace and beauty. Seeing and hearing our various feathered friends gives my husband and me feelings of peace and well-being. By giving them food in the eight feeders in our yard, on our deck, and hanging from the front porch rafters, we are saying “Thank you!” to the birds for the amusement they so generously give. They say, “You’re welcome” by constantly entertaining us with their songs and charming antics.

My husband and I are retired. The process of aging also brought with it many physical limitations. We rarely get out and about anymore. Here in the backwoods country of the Ozarks where we live, human neighbors are few and far between. Feeding the birds has helped to make us more responsible, more tolerant of inconvenience, and more appreciative of the miracles that surround us. The birds in our yards let us know we are never alone.

WEATHER REPORT:
Minnesota nice here,
with gifts of seed
some Holiday cheer!

Forecast fun and food
for feathered friends,
not naughty, but good!

Clear weather here, up North
as the animals come to feed
like Santa's come forth!

Even squirrls for lunch
the chipmunk Alvin too
Dinner for the whole bunch!!

Great topic! I suffer from depression, among other things, and don't generally leave my house (not even to my own yard) for much of anything, other than going to the doctor or other essential trips out. This went on for years, until I started backyard birding about a year ago. It's made a huge difference in my life. Now I can spend hours out in my yard watching the antics of all my new backyard friends, both feathered and 4-legged little critters that come to visit. I can actually feel a smile warm my face as I watch them all, and it's such a wonderful thing! I've now got a huge variety of feeders, and have been re-planting my garden, which I had neglected long ago. I find myself out and about town looking for downed tree limbs for log piles and things to add to my ever developing backyard habitat. I’m talking to people about the birds and sharing my photos and stories with them. I’m amazed at what I had been missing all those years. All I had to do was stop and take a look.

The only bird feeding I've ever done is ducks+geese and seagulls, both of which should qualify as extreme sports. These activities improved my life by exposing me to 'nature, red in tooth and claw' and dramatically different from cartoons. Although a video of me being chased by the goose would have been acceptable in both catagories.

My parents have been birdwatchers for years, and have had a family of western blubirds nesting in our yard for several years now. Every spring and summer we wait for the new batches to hatch, watch them develop, and enjoy watching them come out of the trees for their daiy serving of mealworms. We feed them year round and they always stay close by.

Three winters ago, we soptted a hermit thrush on the patio. With a little coaxing and lots of patience, he got on a daily routine of coming out for his allotment of daiy worms also. He spent all winter with us, and left in the spring. Imagine our surprise when he showed up in our yard that October! It was amazing that her remembered us, he was not afraid, and ready to accept his daily worms. We were a bit afraid beacuse he was late this year, but the week before Thanksgiving there he was on the patio waiting for us. Birding has been a truly amazing experience.

Robin - Northern California

Although I am not officially a bird watcher, I love watching the birds feed at our bird feeder. We decided to remove the screens from our windows so we can get a clearer view of the birds from our family room window. I am not one to recall commercials but the master card advertisement come to mind ... buying bird feed $$ watching them enjoy the feed ... priceless! Enjoy watching your birds enjoy themselves

My wife Dorina and I started watching and attending to the needs of birds when we purchased our first home. Being in love with nature and animals, taking care of these little guys was a sincere pleasure. There was much to know and much to learn. As they say, a labor of love. We now have six bird houses which are constantly occupied and seven various size and shape feeders. I find it gratifying to watch a fledgling struggle and then fly off to start life on his own. I'm a year round watcher and feeder. I find it amazing how birds tell me when the seasons are about to change. Robins arrive in spring along with the budding crocus. Male Goldfinches turn into one of the most colorful and beautiful birds when summer arrives. Let's not forget the junco telling us to check the snowblower and all the winter necessities. Listening to the birds sing is delightful. We are fortunate to be blessed with the variety of birds that frequent our feeders. By the way, I'm still learning the best methods to coexist with the squirrel population.

We've found a great stress buster by feeding birds! Yep, it's as simple as that.
We have a finch feeder plus a window feeder. We fill the finch feeder with thistle seed while the window feeder gets the No Waste mix, and, boy, how the birds love having their own buffets. And we love watching the Lesser and American Goldfinches, White Crowned Sparrows, Towheys, and, on occasion, we are surprised with an Oriole or Black Hooded Grosbeak sighting. We sit in our dining room with a cup of tea and watch the antics of our fair feathered friends.(Ever see a house finch stand on it's tippy toes to get seeds from a finch feeder?)
Not only are our stress levels lowered, but we're enjoying learning about the different birds that visit us.
Wow! What a great deal, eh? Stress relief plus an education!

How feeding the birds has imporved my life.

About 2 years ago, in the middle of winter, I was watching some squirrels scrounging around my back yard… I watched them for a long time – they looked like they were having a hard time finding something to eat… I thought I would help them out so I found a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard and some stale bread – I peanut-buttered up the bread and put it under the tree… they came down from the tree and ate the bread… I thought it might make their lives a little easier if they didn’t have to struggle just to eat… so I went online and did a search for peanuts and this website popped up – I thought what the heck why not try it and see how it goes… well I was delighted when after I placed my first order the peanuts arrived in what seemed like one day… needless to say I was hooked… I have been buying peanuts every month since…. I enjoy watching the varmints (as we affectionately call them) as they run up to the peanut pile and take a peanut and run off to bury it somewhere in the yard so they will be sure to have one when the pile runs out… watching the squirrels has become a great pass time of my cats as they too seem to enjoy sitting in the window watching the show of twenty or more squirrels running and jumping and grabbing the peanuts before they are all gone… One time Bunker Mouse (my tiger stripped tabby) got out of the house and made a mad dash toward the squirrels – it was the funniest thing to see fifteen squirrels scatter in every direction you can imagine… Well I grabbed Bunker and scolded him for his naughtiness… although I think he actually swatted the bottom of one of the squirrels as it ran for its life… it is very entertaining to watch the wild life in my backyard…

More reasons why I feed the squirrels,

When ever I order a box of peanuts it arrives at my back door… I’m usually not home at the time of the delivery – the squirrels they know who the peanuts are for – it never fails when I come home there is always a squirrel sized hole in the box and sometimes even a squirrel, helping themselves to what they assume is theirs… how can I teach them manners? I adore their audaciousness and their innocence this is the reason I enjoy feeding the squirrels…

At 50 years of age, I married for the first time and moved out into the country with my husband and his 5 year old son. I tried to find activities that would connect us all as a family. Bird watching and feeding the birds turned out to be the perfect family project. We started with a simple feeder that brought cardinals, wrens, sparrows and titmice. Last year we added hummingbird feeders and this year we started planting a flowerbed to attract more birds and butterflies. My son who is now 8, loves to watch the birds and look them up in our reference books. This simple activity has been such a joy and a great bonding experience for our family.

"How Feeding the Birds has Improved My Life"

When I was in my early twenties, I bought my mom a squirrel proof bird feeder for her birthday. We placed it right outside our playroom picture window where she could sit and knit and watch the birds feed. Eventually, the squirrels figured out how to get in the feeder but it still brought enjoyment to her. As I grew older and purchased my own home, the yard was filled with overgrown trees and shrubs. As I started clearing up the yard, I felt that I was being watched and turns out I was ! So my field of dreams became “if you feed them, they will come and boy did they. I now look so forward to all the seasons. My most special bird moments are in the early mornings. I love to get out there and fill everything up and wait and watch to see who comes in. I guess for the first time in my life what was a hobby has now turned into a passion. The knowledge that I have gained, I have turned my yard into a nature habitat for wild birds. I have all the elements for them to survive. I feel as almost, they are my children and I am helping them grow up to be healthly and happy.

All my life I have been terrified of birds. I can't remember what started this strange fear, but this spring I was determined to overcome it. What a blessing! I have 4 bird stations in my yard now. My cardinal couple visits me everyday. I hear their sunny chirp every morning. As I stretch out with my coffee and Bible. I see a titmouse spring off the fence into the birdbath. What a happy little fellow he is. What peace these wonderful creatures bring to my life. I know more about birds than ever, and my gardening efforts are for their benefit as much as mine. Peanut, one of our squirrels has his own feeder, so he squats on the rock wall watching the birds too. As the evening shadows fall, our bats come out. Flying over the misdirected spotlights, meant for the trees, they fly through the air and gobble up tasty insects attracted to the light. I am so thankful for these little rays of sunshine, and the peace they have brought to my life.

Happy Holiday

Sooooooothing is what comes to mind. As my days fill up with people to meet and things to do my feathered friends have an unchanging pattern. Each day their pace is the same as they visit my feeders. As God reminds us that he is taking care of the sparrow he will surely take care of me, I slow down and take a few minutes to see if the Downey will come this morning.
I think of the birds as my pets and what nice pets. They don’t shed, bark, jump on guests, require a litter box or need a kennel service when we leave town or cause allergic reactions. All I need to do is keep the feeders full and they will be my friend and keep us entertained in a very dynamic style.
If my feeders go empty they come by and wonder “what is going on here” which reminds me I am responsible to them for their food. It is good to feel responsible because it makes us feel as though we belong, be it a family, school, town, or country. They are counting on me as I am counting on them to visit me each day.

About 2 years ago I was watching some squirrels scrounging around my back yard… I watched them for a long time – they looked like they were having a hard time finding something to eat so I thought I would help them out… I found a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard and some stale bread – I peanut-buttered up the bread and put it under the tree… they came down from the tree and ate the bread… I thought it might make their lives a little easier if they didn’t have to struggle just to eat… so I went online and did a search for peanuts and this website popped up – I thought what the heck why not try it and see how it goes… well I was delighted when after I placed my first order the peanuts arrived in what seemed like one day… needless to say I was hooked… I have been buying peanuts about every month ever since…. I enjoy watching the varmints (as we affectionately call them) as they gather up the peanuts and run off to bury them…

Feeding the birds has shown me that they each have their own personalities and can be demanding. When my feeder is empty, they will sit in the tree above it and make all kinds of noises to let me know it's empty. Sometimes they will even fly onto the porch and look in the sliding glass door. I look forward to watching them around the feeder and I know I'm responsible for making their lives a little easier. When it's cold and the frost is heavy they don't have to forage as much. It's a nice feeling to know I can help them out.

When I was in my early twenties, I bought my mom a squirrel proof bird feeder for her birthday. We placed it right outside our playroom picture window where she could sit and knit and watch the birds feed. Eventually, the squirrels figured out how to get in the feeder but it still brought enjoyment to her. As I grew older and purchased my own home, the yard was filled with overgrown trees and shrubs. As I started clearing up the yard, I felt that I was being watched and turns out I was ! So my field of dreams became “if you feed them, they will come and boy did they. I now look so forward to all the seasons. My most special bird moments are in the early mornings. I love to get out there and fill everything up and wait and watch to see who comes in. I guess for the first time in my life what was a hobby has now turned into a passion. The knowledge that I have gained, I have turned my yard into a nature habitat for wild birds.

And it's now just past midnight PST, (3:01 EST) and the contest is closed!

We'll announce the winner in just a few days.

Good luck to all entrants!

CapeCodAlan

@Marco I know what your saying there . In the current economy its hard to find a job that pays good enough to live on and is consistent. I have discovered that if you just work hard and are consistent you can succeed. Look at the writer of this article, they are oviously a hard worker and have just been consistent over time and are now enjoying at least what would appear as somewhat of a success. I would encourage everyone to just keep hustling and moving forward.