MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Tuesday marks the unofficial start of Vermont’s bird-feeding season.
The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife recommends waiting until Dec. 1 to begin feeding birds to avoid attracting bears.
“This may be a particularly good winter for attracting winter birds arriving from Canada, including Evening Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls,” said Fish and Wildlife’s bird project leader Doug Morin. “Black oil sunflower is a good seed choice that will attract a variety of birds, and folks may want to try other seeds or suet to attract certain species.”
People who feed birds can also participate in one or more bird monitoring projects by looking up the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, the Great Backyard Bird Count and Project Feeder Watch.
Among Fish and Wildlife’s recommendations are keeping cats inside because domestic cats are the leading cause of bird death in North America, and feeders can make birds easy prey.
To help reduce bird collisions with windows, feeders should be placed closer than 4 feet (1.2 meters) or more than 10 feet (3 meters) from a window.
Feeders should be cleaned regularly with a 10% bleach solution, then rinsed and allowed to dry. Cleaning helps eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses.
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