ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, February 12, 1996              TAG: 9602130001
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BETH DAY PASHLEY STAFF WRITER 

FIRST YEAR OF FEEDING IS A HIGH-FLYING EXPERIENCE

It happened on a cold snowy Sunday at 1:55 p.m.

After a year of filling feeders and keeping fresh water available for my chirping friends, my efforts paid off with a back yard full of colorful visitors.

Like the vintage Coca-Cola commercial, the birds at my feeder sang in perfect harmony in my snow-filled yard. A downy woodpecker plucked a black oil sunflower seed from the terra cotta feeder hanging from a tall maple tree. At the base of the tree, a hairy woodpecker hammered for insects. A male cardinal sat on a limb above the feeder and waited his turn. Even higher in the tree, a blue jay waited - yes, waited - to make its move.

Below the hanging feeder, a small gray squirrel sat on his feeder seat and munched an ear of corn, while a larger gray squirrel scampered across my deck. To the right of the blue jay, 20 mourning doves basked in the sun.

Wow, I thought, what a picture - I wished I owned a zoom lens for my camera. I also wished I could go outside to get a closer look without scaring them away from their food.

It's hard for birds to find something to eat when snow covers the ground. I like to help. The first thing I do after a snow is to shovel a path to my feeders.

I've been putting out seeds since I bought my Northwest Roanoke house in November 1994. The empty terra cotta feeder was a bonus.

"If I fill it, they will come," I thought. I poured in wild bird seed, and they came to pick out the black oil sunflower seeds.

February is National Bird Feeding Month, but it can be done any time. Here are some things I've observed:

Birds get used to being fed. They expect seeds to be in feeders by dawn and before dusk. (Don't get up early; put seeds in feeders before you go to bed.)

Birds need fresh water. Keep a low, shallow container (think puddles) near feeders.

Birds need protection from predators and weather. Place your feeders in dry, secure areas. (I have two feeders near a prickly holly bush.)

Place the feeders at different levels. Some birds are ground feeders; others like to perch or cling.

Cats are predators, so don't make it easy for them. (My cats stay inside.)

The black oil sunflower seeds attract chickadees, cardinals, finches, mourning doves, sparrows, titmice and downy woodpeckers.

Blue jays love peanuts in the shell - raw or roasted.

Squirrels also love peanuts - and corn. They eat the hearts of the kernels and leave the rest. Mourning doves like the leftovers.

Pieces of bread, pizza crust, crackers or suet encourage crows and starlings to swoop down to dine. I put those scraps in the back of the yard away from other feeders and cars.

When you have them, put crushed eggshells in the feeders with the seeds. That's important in the spring for female, egg-laying birds.

Birds become dependent on the steady food supply. If you go on vacation (even for a day), make arrangements to have the feeders filled.

If you're just getting started, you can buy your own feeders or even make them. My 4-year-old niece made two feeders with pine cones. She mixed bird seed with peanut butter and smeared the paste on the cones and hung them.

It's important to mix first; don't smear the cones with peanut butter and roll them in seeds. (You don't want a bird to choke.)

As a birder-in-training, I refer to bird books to help identify my feathered friends. ``An Identification Guide to Common Backyard Birds'' by Bird Watcher's Digest. My collection now includes five feeders, a bird house, a water container on my deck and a squirrel feeder. I have a squirrel-proof (so far) cylindrical feeder. I wrapped clear packing tape around the metal perches so little bird feet won't freeze against the metal.

One more tip: Be sure to clean your feeders regularly.

Once you start attracting birds, you can sit back and enjoy watching your yard come alive.

LENGTH: Medium:   76 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  A chickadee grabs a sunflower seed with its small, 
          stubby bill, then beats a quick retreat.   color  STEPHANIE 
          KLEIN-DAVIS  STAFF