Care For the Birds

Care for Our Birds Earl Plato

Ruth Zimmerman-Klopka called a few years ago and shared this little bird anecdote. While shopping in a local mall Ruth and a friend went for a bite of eat. There flying around was a little sparrow looking for a handout. Ruth is a bird lover. The bird seemed entrapped. She called the manager for some help. He told Ruth this was the second sparrow hanging around the food area. “This bird flies to the bird feed section at night and feeds there.” Best of two worlds for the little but smart English sparrow.
Ruth reminds us of water for the feeder birds. A rock heated in the micro wave and placed in the frozen bird bath can do the job. Be careful handling! She advocates rolled oatmeal for the feeders. First juncos and chickadees, squirrels, then cardinals and the mourning doves arrive for the feast.
It’s a “throw-away” world. We can often throw away friends and relationships, aging machines and yes, automobiles. It’s the thing to do in 2008. No. Wait! Do you have some old macaroni, cooked or uncooked, that you were going to throw out? Ruth says, “Put it on your feeder. ”She did and it disappeared. Feed your birds on a regular basis, in the good weather and bad.