I put out birdfood all year round (no bears here). In the summer I want to attract birds to my yard so they'll find the insects, particularly caterpillars, while they're here. The feeders give them guaranteed food, but I see them in the trees and foraging in the lawn or garden as well. Water is also important - some birds will come for the water but not the feeders.

A few months ago (late spring) there was a sudden unexplained lack of birds and that coincided with an infestation of winter moth caterpillars and then gypsy moth caterpillars, and some trees were seriously defoliated. This has never happened before when the birds were in the yard. The birds are back now but the damage was done.

Feeding the birds doesn't seem to disrupt their migration cycles. The grackles left when the fledglings were ready for a long flight and the orioles may have left too, even though I have the same food out for them. I like to think they were fat and healthy when it was time to leave.

Claire

I used to feed year round but stopped so my tree swallows could nest in Peace. The feeders attracted to many house Sparrows which as we all know don't really mix with other cavity Nester's.

So now I feed from Fall to about April.

It gets really cold here so I always make sure they have food in

the winter. I'd feed them year roundifthe swallows weren't here. I havnt noticed any problems from yearround ffeeding. Sorry for the words together, Houzz is being weirdand won't let me add a space..

Claire, I'm not understanding something. Did the lack of birds ensure that there was a Gypsy Moth outbreak? I mean, would the birds have eaten the moths? Guess my head isn't screwed on right today.

Pat

Pat, the problem is with the caterpillars of the various moth species. Our biggest problem is Winter Moth caterpillars; the Gypsy Moth is better controlled by natural predators.

I can't say for sure, but each spring during nesting season many birds feed caterpillars to their nestlings. I've seen grackles and red-winged blackbirds happily foraging in the oaks and on the lawn. We just haven't had a serious defoliation event when the birds have been nesting near here.

I don't know what happened this year. I don't think it was hawks because we always have hawks and the other birds still come around. I suspect someone sprayed in the nearby wetlands or there was some problem in the local marsh, and the birds were killed or chased off. I had my feeders up as usual and for a few weeks there were absolutely no birds to be seen or heard. And the caterpillars feasted.

Claire

Claire, I got it. Thank you so much. I'm still researching summer feeding, which I think I prefer but not sure you. Your comments appear in so many threads that I am reading and it certainly is very kind of you to share your knowledge for so long now. You are surely a gem. I will decide what to do very soon, although I have returned to feeding just the safflower for right now.