More Spring Cleanup
Well, this should wrap up the spring cleanup agenda. Things to think about...
See you by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
P.S. Still having fun with the NovaBird camera!
- One of the only posts I originally promised I'd write (but haven't yet) was about emergencies involving injured birds. That's a tough one. Thankfully Ms. Christine Tarski has done an extraordinary job of addressing this issue in her piece, "Lost" Baby Birds. About all I can add is to suggest that you have the emergency contact information ready before you need it.
- Mother's Day is May 13th... Nothing like a little seed and some beautiful birds to say "I love you mom!".
- About a month ago, we raised the prices on some of our seed. Here's why...
- As demand for ethanol (a corn product) has increased, more and more farmers are turning to planting corn vs. planting sunflower. And as sunflower seed supply dwindles, cost rise. The Missouri Corn Online site is just one of dozens that makes for fascinating reading.
- As a nation, we're finally beginning to listen to our doctors who have been ranting for years about how non-hydrogenated oils are better for us than oils with a higher
saturated-fat content. Frito-Lay is a prime example of a company that is paying attention.
But once again, the supply of sunflower seeds for the birds drops and the prices climb. - Finally, there's a disconcerting phenomenon you folks should all be aware of - something is happening to the honeybee population. They seem to be suffering
from what the entomologists call the "Colony Collapse Disorder". This anomaly occurs when bees
simply fail to return back to the hives and subsequently die. The reason behind this behavior isn't known, but the effect is that plant pollination by bees has dropped as much
as 75% in some areas. And without pollination, many plants will fail to produce the natural feed for birds. This is serious. (Keep in mind that we humans only provide about
20% of the typical bird's menu.) So, we really need to keep an eye on the activity and feed levels.
See you by the feeders,
CapeCodAlan
P.S. Still having fun with the NovaBird camera!
