It’s
best to start putting out food around the middle of October. Natural
food is becoming hard to find then, and what’s available will
be used up through the winter. It’s best to continue feeding
through February and March when food supplies are lowest.
There is a notion
that once you start feeding birds you need to continue without interruption—otherwise
the birds that have become dependent on your feeder will starve.
It's more likely that backyard birds visit a number of feeders in
their daily search for food. If yours is empty, they'll just go
to their next stop. The biggest problem in interrupting a feeding
program is getting the word out to the birds once you resume feeding.
If too many
birds are concentrated in a small area, they may suffer from stress
and increased exposure to diseases. This can happen if too many
feeders and an overabundance of food are placed in a single backyard.
A large concentration of birds may also attract predators and cause
problems with neighbors.
Moderation is
the key. Remember that one reason you feed birds is to replace the
food that was lost when your property was developed. Going beyond
this with too much kindness may not be favorable to the welfare
of the birds.
