Fall migration has begun and many birds are heading south

for the food that will remain abundant in climates warmer than ours.

Is the daily pleasure of watching the comings and goings of our

tiny neighbors all over for bird lovers in Georgia?

Not at all. This part of Georgia IS the South in which many

birds from much farther north will spend the cold months. And

one of the nicest perks of living here is that one can actually see

more birds here, both in variety and numbers, in the winter than in

the summer.

Right now, food supplies are abundant, with insects, seeds,

and larvae still plentiful, even in our urban environment. But as

cold weather slows the growing season, seeds become more

scarce, and the remaining creepy-crawlers are either killed or deep

underground.

Fall is the ideal time to begin feeding birds if you have not

done so over the summer. Once the birds learn where they can find

a dependable food supply, they will continue to return to it during

the more severe weather. And as the leaves come off the trees, birds

are easier to observe.

Between 60 and 70 million Americans maintain bird

feeders, making this an outdoor hobby second only to gardening. But some people who feed birds

often worry needlessly about making birds unnaturally dependent on human beings. According to

the nonprofit National Bird-Feeding Society, birds with access to supplemental feeding fare better

in winter than those that do not.

Tiny birds like chickadees, sparrows, and warblers are particularly at risk in frigid

weather because their metabolic rates are high and they have less fat to maintain body heat. And

while larger birds seem to endure cold better, all birds require more food in winter just to stay alive.

About 20 percent of the food a bird eats in cold weather is needed just to keep him alive,

never mind supplying energy requirements to fly, elude predators, and find food.

Nevertheless, chickadees appear to get only about 25 percent of their total food

requirements from backyard feeders; the rest is found in their natural habitat.

One possible exception is the rufous hummingbird, seen in Georgia for the past several

winters. Many persons who feed ruby-throated hummingbirds now leave sugar-water feeders out all

winter to supply these unusual visitors who have wandered in or been blown out of their

normal ranges.

The NBS says the distribution of birds may or may not be affected by backyard feeding.

While it is true that some species -- including cardinals, goldfinches, blue jays, and mourning doves

-- seem to be expanding their ranges northward, the NBS says the centuries-long evolution of

bird migration patterns has probably not changed because of the increase in bird-feeding over the

past three decades.

Introduced species such as starlings and house sparrows would probably not survive

without human handouts. These species compete for nesting space with native species like

cavity-dwelling eastern bluebirds and purple martins by destroying the eggs and chicks of the natives.

But even if these birds did not get food from feeders, garbage and litter also man-made

would probably support them.

Nonetheless, on balance, the NBS believes that feeding birds is better than not feeding them.

It appears that urban and suburban feeding offsets to a great degree the urban destruction of

bird habitats.

And through feeding of birds and gaining an understanding of their needs, people become

more concerned for the environment. These people are more likely to participate in, and contribute

to, programs that involve and benefit all wildlife.

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