I choose to feed birds because I know they are having a critical loss of
habitat. I think in some areas, especially cities, food is still scarce even
in the summer, or the bird has to search wider areas to find food and wastes
precious energy. By feeding them during their nesting periods and during the
summer you can enhance the number of young that will survive and make the
bird population stronger.

I read an article the other day that was bewailing the fact that starlings
are hardly seen in England any more and many people are quite upset. I think
we could probably send them 100,000 or so and not notice it - but, of
course,the problem there is loss of habitat also.

I try not to encourage starlings and have found when they become too
predominant that if I remove the suet feeders they quickly move to other
areas. We have the tube feeders, which work quite well. The band-tailed
pigeons are unable to feed at them, although because of their loss of
population, I have a platform feeder which they use.

Because the birds are able to find a variety of food, we have fewer birds
during the summer.

Hope this helps.

Sandy