Thanks so much for the replies guys.

I thought I'd post this beautiful and very apt song on this very subject:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrRxQVUFN4

I love all the replies and feel quite tearful over this issue. I will continue to feed them especially in the winter, I'll just be a bit more careful about how often etc.

Good point too. If we let them have their space we wouldnt need to feed as much.

Been feeding birds for years. Like some others here, the sense of it is to support them thru the harsh times of winter and early spring, not make them dependant on me, which may make me feel good, but not so good for the birds. In winter water is also a need, and small size birdbath heaters are available.

Re disease....wildlife can carry some diseases harmful to humans and also to them selves in places where they congregate. About 6 years ago an eye disease of the house finch was making it's rounds among feeding apperatus. It happens occassionaly. Pigeons ARE disease carriers, most often of livestock diseases, via thier feet and because they are a flocking bird they can become a prime vector if a disease is present near thier habitat.

Here's the responsability about feeding wild life....if fed during the warm long days of breeding season, the abundance of food will produce an abundance of offspring. Not a bad thing except for this...if that artificialy produced abundance of food diminishes or ceases, there will be die off from starvation, plain and simple.

Long term, if you have the means, do what whiteshaman plans, landscape and plant to support the wildlife you love, suppling food, water, and shelter.

Well I bought a proper bird feeding station and put some food out - within seconds a pigeon appeared and has been sitting there feeding for half an hour now - seriously!

People are right. Pigeons are pests and carry disease. Once you start feeding them, its difficult to get rid of them. We also have minor birds here (introduced) who are also pests and riddled with lice. Minors also spread parvo virus (puppy disease).

You've got the right idea with the feeding station...it needs to have small holes for tiny birds...like sunbirds etc

Wait 'til the squirrels spot your feeding station.........hahahahahah. :tongue:

Sounds just like human beings :smile:

Lol :D I won't mind that - my mum feeds the squirrels as well as the birds, it just gets a bit expensive!

Hi Starbuck :smile:
Good for you dear keep feeding them...I love feeding the birds and anything else in nature that comes my way...even the slugs and snails get a nice juicy cabbage from time to time... which in turn then feed something else. We tend to forget when putting all these pesticides down we are actually killing off the food of other birds and animals. I had a chaffinch keep flying at every window in my flat in the spring...I thought he wanted to come in the way he kept on coming to the windows every day...I don't have windowsills out side so I opened the window and put food inside on the windowsill. He came in several times eat some food while I was only about four foot away then flew out... then the penny dropped they had fledglings feeding and he was asking me to put food out...once I put food out he stopped coming to the windows. Chaffinches are beautiful colours.
All the birds and animals were on this planet long before us...it's us that are the biggest pests on this earth in my opinion. Love nature and nature will love you thats my experience and I have had some wonderful experiences with wild life.
Love and light
Spiritmessenger

The other day in my garden,my cats were sitting on the fence and a squirrel came running along and jumped over their heads . Talk about fence rage lol :)

As for pidgeons we stopped feeding them because they started to nest on our roof :( I love our garden we have Blue **** , Chaffinches , gold finches , green finches , sparrows , magpies , crows and parakeets :) x