West Virginia
Farm Bureau News
The Voice of Agriculture in
the Mountain State
Published as
The basics
for Farm Bureau
News
about bird
feeding stati
ackyard bird
ons in
feeding
food during harsh stations supply birds with
easily accessib
weather conditi
They also serve
le
ons or times of
as
migration.
location for native an ideal bird watching and
information gatheri
birds.
ng
Unfortu
B
February 2014
W VU Update
a Special Insert
Volume 22 Number 2
Winter 2014
your backyard
to attract. Do
a bit
research to choose of food preference
a seed that
preferred by
your target birds. is
seed mixtures
Many
have filler seeds
are often raked
that
Cleaning
out and spilled
ground. This
Clean feeders
spillover promote on the
regularly to prevent
growth of fungus
s the
contamination
and
can attract many and bacteria that
Remove decompo disease spread.
unwanted pests,
sing or moldy
such as mice,
Wash feeders
squirrels, bear,
feed.
every
and deer.
hot soapy water. two weeks with
Sunflower is
the most common
Remove spillover
used seed, because
ly
seed
it attracts the
variety of birds
largest
and is readily
There are two
available.
types of sunflowe
commonly sold
r
for birds – black seeds
and striped.
oil
Black oil seeds
have a
thinner shell
and are
most birds. Striped easily opened by
sunflower seeds
have a thicker
shell
difficult for some and may be more
Sunflower seeds exotic birds to open.
Place feeders
can be purchase
in a
already shelled;
d
optimal viewing location that provides
however, this
and easy access.
expensive and
is more
the
spoil more quickly.unprotected seeds
from the ground
Other good seed
options include
to prevent buildup
of moldy or
safflower, peanuts,
spoiled feed
cracked corn,
and to reduce
the attraction
milo,
of unwanted
white proso millet. sorghum, and
pests.
nately, if not
properly
maintained,
feeding
become hazardou stations can
population. Whens to the bird
bird feeders can left unmanaged,
cause disease
attract exotic
spread,
species,
Starlings or House such as European
Sparrows, or
bird populati
increase
on numbers
beyond what
the natural habitat
can support.
To minimize
these
simple guideline effects, follow these
s:
Placement
6
Place bird feeders
in locations that
offer optimal
viewing and
easy access.
Feeder placeme
nt
cover can provide close to natural
birds with a
area between
resting
feedings and
an escape
from predator
s; however, make
that squirrels
sure
will
onto the feeders. not be able to jump
Consider the
proximity to
windows, which feeder’s
millions of bird
cause
deaths each year.
place the feeder
near a window, If you
within 3-feet
to avoid a hard place it
impact.
Insert Provided
10
by WVU Extension
15
Bird seed
When purchasi
ng
the native birds bird seed, consider
and the birds
you wish
Service and Davis
College of Ag.,
Natural Resources
23
More informa
tion
There are many
online resource
available, such
s
as
org, to help you www.allaboutbirds.
choose the appropri
ate
– continued on
page iii –
, and Design
Winter 2014
20
6 Ag Organizations Partner to Save Lives
10 The Power and Pitfalls of Big Data
13 Stallman: Grassroots Strength, Strategy
15 WVU Update
20 AFBF Annual Convention
23