*If* I remember to refill the feeder...

In light of bird flu outbreaks in animals, it think it’s best not to, except if the bird is your pet.

I...

... never understood feeding birds.

Like, watching birds? Awesome. But feeding them? Maybe it's a home ownership thing? Don't they just stick into the roof, and cause property damage and drafts/leaks?

No, but I'm glad my neighbors do.

We don't feed native birds, it's not good for them.

But we do have a large round ceramic bird bath which we upkeep with fresh water (unless it's rained). The families of birds around us all use it, but the white cockatoos seem to think they own it!!!!

It also allows us to watch them alot. They've worked out we're not here to harm them.

I used to feed great tits with lard and sunflower seeds

mostly because I plant things that they love to eat.

This may well be the most even poll I've seen!

i dont feed them. But i have a dripping faucet outside, and i put a chipped bowl under it. Since i live in the southwest, and it's very dry....i have become a minor bird celebrity.

Living in the subarctic means that all wildlife here is precarious. One bad season can be devastating to the bird population. The Icelandic bird conservation society has pretty good advice on how to feed the birds to give them a bit of a buffer than makes them likelier to survive a bad season.

mostly those who cannot scavange

Results so far are so balanced it's surreal.

(154 votes, with a breakdown of 25%-25%-24%-26%)

I have a hummingbird feeder I try to put out during their season here.

In the warm weather, I keep a plate of peanuts hung on my patio for the birds. Last summer there was a cardinal who waited for me to come out every morning to have breakfast with me. If I was late he'd sit outside my window and call.

Not in my yard, because I live on top of a feral cat colony, so I'd really be feeding them to the cats if I did that. I do feed ducks sometimes though.

I don’t have a birdfeeder (and setting one up on my apartment balcony would be difficult for various reasons), but I haven’t _never_ fed ducks at a pond or lake.

(Remember not to feed them bread!)

the crows know me as the leftover lady

Yes, but in accordance with local avian flu guidance.

Would like to but there are just too many cats in my neighbourhood, including my own.

tuppence a bag?

I have spare feeders and rotate them so I can keep them clean. I definitely feed them, but I follow the advice of our local Dept. of Natural Resources and I did take them down temporarily at one time.

I also discourage the neighbour's cats from coming onto our property.

If I didn't feed birds, my #CatsOfMastodon couldn't enjoy quality BirdTV content.

My qualified yes is that I feed the birds over winter and wean them off in the spring.

I will probably wean them off early this year as H5N1 is coming with migratory birds and I don't want to encourage greater spread or risk catching it myself (highly unlikely).

I also stop feeding and watering them when avian conjunctivitis or other bird diseases are on the rise.

Qualified yes, here. We have a feeder and keep it filled, but have left it empty during the bird flu outbreak.

I do. I sometimes feed the sparrows too. It gives me an enormous sense of well-being.
And then I'm happy for the rest of the day, safe in the knowledge that there will always be a bit of my heart devoted to it.

#parklife

Crows can be a lot of fun if you feed the same ones enough to get to know them. But what's even better is squirrels.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ydeBAFWKsY6WTR289

cats in our hood (hell, our house alone) means I’d be setting them up for death, but I feed them at Nick’s father in law’s house. (I fill the feeders).

I even have photographic evidence!

we feed them here in our Vermont back yard.

tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag

Wow, definitely a contentious poll.

I am a strong yes. We grow native plants in our garden to support both berry- and seed-eating birds but also to support the insects that insectivores want.

We also have bird-feeders in the winter, which are apparently good for some species.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

would love to but we have a cat and that just feels like collusion

I don't feed wild birds because in my town this means... hundred of pigeons. I don't hate pigeons, they're part of the ecosystem, but it's our duty to prevent them to proliferate too much. They're far too much intelligent for the sparrows, which population is decreasing rapidly.

BUT my mum owns a very old cockatiel, 21 turning 22 this december, who had a beak or tongue problem this january and couldn't feed himself. We hand fed him with liquid baby/chick formula for almost three weeks. He almost died, but later he recovered and now he is back to his normal weight.

A strong yes, I feed birds every week to my family