Life listers. Ahhhhh, they're an interesting group. I'd like to take a birding cruise some time, but too many tweedy life listers are well, too many tweedy life listers.
Gotta admit my favourite pic of me, was taken on a birding walk on Assateague Island - a while line-up of bundled-up people with binos raised. I look like a life lister.
They get breathless talking about it... honestly, and sometimes froth. I find it embarassing (pardon me if anyone reads this who is an avid life lister, but jeeeeeez).
Can you send me the pic?
I'll try to pull it out of the frame and scan it for you : )
ehBeth -- why are you anti-bird feeding? (Not looking for militantcy, just a brief explanation)?
bandylu -- I'm not sure Beth has seen your question. I wondered, and looked back... couldn't find where she said that. Would you repoint me??
I know that the Nature Conservancy regards bird feeding as upsetting the balance.
I personally feed all sorts of birds. I have 4 suet feeders (chickadees and nuthatches love me), 4 tube feeders with patio mix, 4 trays with sunflowers and I spread millet on the ground for doves. In addition, I leave corn around for the crows. I have probably increased the bird population here, but I enjoy being in my yard and surrounded by birds.
Piffka, previous page, just above your two responses.
I'm for feeding them,too, especially since we live in suburbia and we've (that's a generic we) destroyed lots of their natural food sources. Because we feed them (and have water available with both a bird bath and small pond) and lots of appropriate plant life, we get oodles of birds. Some just pass through in the spring and fall; others spend their summers here; some are with us all year long. In the winter, the suet attracts woodpeckers to the feeder (which never come near it when they can get bugs) as well as other birds. I feel like I'm doing my little part to combat sprawling humanity.
Ahh, geez, no wonder I got B's in school! Are you sure you want to hear her rant? She gets awfully serious!
Well, I'm with you anyway and believe just as you do. We have taken over so much habitat and, anyway, I want to see as many as I can. I try to be very careful with what I feed and stay reasonably clean... I periodically soak my feeders in a bleach solution and scrub them out as well as possible. I have a fountain and a small birdbath set up so that the woodpeckers can drink, too. That's a treat!
You know, when I went to NYC earlier this month I was wishing I knew someone who could tell me about places on Long Island. As it happened, we didn't have enough time to do anything, but it certainly looks like it might be wonderful.
