In a message dated 6/6/2005 12:43:20 PM Pacific Standard Time,
lostriver at completebbs.com writes:

I don't think people are going to stop feeding wild animals, so
the crow and gull populations will likely remain very high.



I was under the impression that the crow population was high because of the
way in which development has changed our landscape. There is so much more
deciduous vegetation than there used to be, which benefits the crow. If this
area was as coniferous as it once was, whether people were feeding crows or
not I don't think we would have as many. Plus, I think crows scavenge more
food than is directly fed to them. Same goes for gulls. I have seen people
feed french fries to gulls <shudder> but more often they eat them off the
ground.
Don't get me wrong, feeding wild animals is a very bad idea and I would
never condone it. I just don't think it is what has caused the boom in crow and
gull populations.
Rachel Silverstein
Seattle WA