As a subscriber from 3,000 miles away I enjoy this list a great
deal. I have not jumped into any of the discussions before, but cannot
resist on the subject of feeding siskins and other birds.
I think we tend to think we are the center of the universe and
forget what a small part we play. Based on bird seed sales there are as
many as 30,000,000 people in North America feeding birds. Fewer than 1 in
25 belongs to any club or organization or gets any newsletters or
magazines. If you want to get an indication of how many "non-birders" are
feeding birds, do a series of walking censuses in winter in suburban and
exurban neighborhoods. I have conducted such censuses for years and am
still amazed by the number of people who are feeding birds who have no
connection with other bird watchers.
If every active bird watcher in North America stopped feeding birds
it would not be even a blip on the radar screen of bird seed sales and
certainly would affect a minuscule percentage of the birds that are being
sickened at feeders. In fact, the benefits would be even smaller than the 1
in 25 figure would indicate because active bird watchers and members of
bird clubs are the ones carefully cleaning and maintaining feeders.
Unless we can persuade every seller of bird seed to include a note
in every bag of seed sold that details the steps for keeping feeders clean
and disease-free, no action on our parts will have any effect on the
increasing number of outbreak that are occurring throughout the continent
(even reports from Alaska!).
I have no position on the philosohpical implications of feeding
birds. I have done it in the past, liked it, and don't now because the
place I live is not conducive to it. I don't care one way or the other
whether other people do or don't.

Rick

"A great many people now reading and writing would be better employed
keeping rabbits." Edith Sitwell


Rick Blom
rblom at blazie.com
4318 Cowan Place
Belcamp, Maryland 21017
(410)575-6086