|
'Easy Pickins' from Audubon Appreciated by Winter- Challenged Friends
By Nancy Durr
The birds (and Putnam Highlands Audubon) are full of gratitude for everyone who purchased a good stash of birdseed this fall. If the stash is already or almost depleted (or, feathers forbid, never existed), please complete the order form in this week's paper to provide some 'easy pickins' for our winter-challenged feathered friends.
You might enjoy the moon high in the sky on a winter's night, but only night birds such as owls can make use of it for foraging. Most over-wintering birds must spend all of the very short hours of daylight on the critical task of maintaining a balanced metabolic budget: calories coming in from seeds, berries, nuts, larvae and the like, against calories spent finding these foods and keeping warm. Given the pressure of this task even in the best of weather, it's no wonder that they appreciate us for easing their daunting challenge. They are, indeed, grateful guests at our seed buffet, rewarding us with hours of delightful company. A win-win deal: we make their winter lives easier and they make our short daylight hours cheerier.
Bags of winter cheer (also known as birdseed) are available through Putnam Highlands Audubon Society (PHAS), and all are in biodegradable packaging. Indulge yourself and splurge for the birds by using the order form in this paper. PHAS provides 10 top-quality choices with guidance on the birds' preferences; the choices are nicely priced although wholesale costs are up since the fall. Orders are due soon - Friday, January 25 - so complete the form without delay. And, please, make a note to pickup your order between 9am and Noon, Saturday, February 2, at Hubbard Lodge (2880 Rte 9, just north of intersection of Rtes 9 and 301), where you'll likely meet our dedicated Paul Kuznia, who organizes these PHAS seed sales, and where you can watch the birds enjoying the habitat and seeds of native plants in the overwintering Ann Odell Butterfly Garden.
Audubon hopes this article catches the attention of neverbefore (or lapsed) helpers of the birds challenged by winter's 'slim pickins'. If you're a beginner, we suggest the blended mix approach. If you're in need of a feeder, we suggest you go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Birding Shop, www.onlinenaturemall.com/ clo for a good selection (look on left column to check out all options). Or you can make your own feeder from a 2-liter plastic soda bottle from instructions at www.birding,about.com/library/ weekly/aa032000b.htm.
Additional order forms can be downloaded at www.putnamhighlandsaudubon.org..
| Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
