Nope. You are creating a predictable concentration of prey, and predators aren't stupid. It's coming for breakfast, too.

If you're putting seed on the ground and it's not all getting picked up each day you are probably going to get rats also. Another thing to be mindful of is unnatural concentrations of birds at feeding stations can promote disease.

I can't say I totally agree with the above. Sure, I have many hawks at my house, but there are a few ways you can deter them slightly. First, keep your feeders right by a shelter (an evergreen bush, shrub, etc. is fine) or put large nesting boxes out to hide from predators when needed. Another thing I would do is keep feeders that give hawks a hard time at reaching- ie, caged feeders, or in your case, covered ground feeders. One idea is to feed the birds on/off every week or two so that the hawk doesn't see the yard as a steady feeding area. Also, keep in mind, hawks and owls don't generally eat birds that often, it is falcons and kites you should really worry about... But then again, winter really pushes the boundaries a bit. Of course there are things you can do, but none are foolproof. Embothrium, of you're reading, as long as the areas are cleaned and sanitized each season, bird feeding is great for the birds as it is a healthy source of food. Winter is especially hard, and there will be less disease in winter.... Lazy_Gardens, as I mentioned, agreed, but it doesn't have to be predictable. Rockybird, if the hawk nests very close to you, you may have a bigger problem, but if it's farther away you should be okay if you take into consideration the above (with hopefully less casualties:), and do you know what type of hawk you are dealing with? I only have experience with red tailed hawks. Good luck :).

Hawks and owls don't generally eat birds that often, it is falcons and kites you should really worry about

The usual hawks at feeders here are Cooper's hawks, which are Accipiters (Bird Hawks). I have been out weeding and had one float across and pluck a junco off a branch a few yards in front of me, dive into a nearby rhododendron to sit and remove the feathers.

Their comparatively short, round wings and long tails are specific adaptations to negotiating vegetation in pursuit of other birds.

Hmm I'm not familiar with Cooper's Hawks, but you're probably right. That's why the type of hawk in rockybird's garden is important.

http://www.birderfrommaricopa.com/vultures--hawks--eagles--and-falcons.htm

We have them ALL. Seriously, all of them, even nesting bald eagles.

The Phoenix AZ area has peregrine falcons nesting in the rocks of Camelback Mountain right behind rockybird's house.

Intermittent feeding, providing cover, and planting species that feed birds with flowers and seeds will minimize the carnage.

We had a huge ironwood, and during bean drop it was an all-day, all you can stuff into your crop feeding spot for quails and doves. It was also a "fast food fly through" for several raptors. If they missed their target, the birds scattered into the bushes for a while and came back.

Thanks for the replies. I believe it is mostly cooper's hawks, although I have seen some smaller predators also. Part of what I feed the wild birds is the left over food from my parrots bowls. It seems like a waste to just throw it out. The food is gone in a matter of minutes, so I am not worried about rats. I have tried a hanging feeder but the large doves monopolize it and then also the quail and other ground dwellers dont really get any food. I guess I will just keep feeding and hope for the best.

As far as feeding on the ground increasing natural disease, I think that is a risk no matter how you feed them. I spoke with a govt. wildlife official (I cant remember who) and he said it was actually safer from a disease standpoint for me to feed them by throwing the food out on the ground.

If you move the feeding area every couple of days you minimize disease problems AND confuse the predators.

Thanks Lazy gardens. The problem is that it is hard to find areas away from the house in locations where they wont fly into the glass windows and fence when the predators come. I am trying to put the food where they can more easily disperse. I will be moving the feeding site anyway as it is right where the addition will go. Maybe I will just try to decrease the amt. of food and change it to every couple days. I hate seeing the birds waiting for me in the AM though. :(. The real soln. Is for me to just stop feeding them.

dbarron-yes, I have thought of that too! And it's not like they very often are successful anyway...

Yeah, though extreme weather can be very hard on birds, they really need to be kept at a sustainable level any way. I've found that in my area of the south, most (but not all) stop feeding as the weather warms in spring anyway. I do have to admit that I found woodpeckers (of all things) to be the ones that continued to raise families on my black oil sunflower seeds into the summer.

I tend to feed only when the ground is covered with snow or ice, and indeed they're quite grateful for it. Of course, I don't have quail (I think they're largely extinct in my area since my childhood), but just rural songbirds. And even though the wrens and robins aren't really interested in seed, they tend to come where the other birds are concentrating, so it has a wider draw than just those that feed on seed.

I also see (and admire) several red tailed hawks here. Last time I saw one successfully catch, it was a tree rat (aka squirrel), which certainly need thinning here. Occassionally, I see an owl too, but I'm sure he'd much more interested in the rats and mice of the area.

I'm seeing more hawks on a daily basis too. I'm in the Midwest and I have a strong following of birds after feeding them for years. Every morning I go out and top off the feeders and sprinkle the premium stuff in the open style feeders.

First, anytime I see a hawk or predator I go out and spook them or let the dogs out. If the hawk/predator already has a bird, then I let it finish eating. But if I see a hawk just sitting in the trees then I go out immediately and spook it until it flies away.

Second, I still have last years xmas tree - so I put it near a bunch of my feeders where doves and cardinals eat on the ground. The dead tree blocks any hawks from sitting on my deck and having a perfect vantage point. This years xmas tree will also be out after the holiday to help protect another feeding area in my yard.

I understand the hawks have to eat too and that's fine. But when I'm home I will spook them. My yard has lots of trees and shrubs which helps the birds, but at the same time I've seen predators use the shrubbery to hide and kill birds - so it's a two way street.

Good luck.