Birds do not depend on human feeding. They will find food in the berries and seeds of natural plants. It is nice to put food out after a heavy snow, but my understanding is that human feeding is not necessary. It is also blamed for the spread of some disease like finch-eye conjunctivities and salmonella. Natural foods spread birds around which helps to minimize disease. Plants also provide cover for birds and nesting sites. Cover gives birds a safe place to hide from predators. Often predatorial birds will notice a concentration of songbirds and will post themselves near feeders. My understanding is that the more important thing to provide is water.

Phoebe: Sorry I didn't have time to post a more complete response last night. I live in a subdivision and on a very small lot so I only have room for one nest box. I put it up when we moved here in 2004 and have had 3 nestings in it each year since then. I have titmice and nuthatches too, as well as song sparrows, Carolina wrens, chickadees and downy woodpeckers (and unfortunately, house sparrows) that all come for the meal worms I put out for the blues. It's no problem except it runs my meal worm bill up. The blues boss all of the above and on very cold or snowy days will stand guard at the feeder as if they fear I will run out. I no longer feed seed eating birds (except in severe weather). When I did I was overrun with cowbirds and starlings that nested in the trees behind the house, ate all the seed and harrassed the blues all summer. So now it's just the birds listed above, plus the gold finches and the hummers. Still, because I provide water, my yard is a virtual beehive at times and I know the blues would prefer more solitude, but it is a small yard and they accept all the bustle. I know of only one other BB house in this development and I see blues nesting in abandoned woodpecker holes in the trees behind the house. I don't know how successful they are with the starlings up there but to me it is an indication that real estate is in short supply in this area. They don't always take many meal worms in the summer but they do appreciate them on days 13 to 18, when they have to hustle to fill 4 or 5 hungry mouths. All I can think of in your case is that there must be something in your area that threatens them (HOSP, cats, nest box location)and they have found a more ideal location that they go to to nest. As I said, they should be able to control the other birds and with your help, the HOSP too. But if the BBs' nest is nearby, they should continue to come to your place for meal worms and water, if you provide it. I too see hawks but the birds have a very good alarm system so they rarely are successful and I have never lost a BB yet. Knock on wood. Best of luck. Dave

I used to feed stale bread to the outside birds.My neighbors dad,who lived at the house part time after retiring to Pa,,,told me it was no good for the birds. So for the last 5 years I have bought wild bird seed,..A year or so ago my neighbor told me I needed to stop feeding them as they pooped on his 50 thousand dollar truck.I told him to F off...Months later I got a warning from town saying I can only feed them with a bird feeder,...I got one,,,,Then he told me not to feed them more than once a day.At 63,with a bad hip,I fed them if I happened to see it empty whenever that was.I got a ticket from town saying the food that falls to the ground as they eat,is illegal.,,,How can people be so mean?

It is much easier to spray with water. I keep a spray nozzle on the hose and I can pick it up and spray a stream a good distance. Farther than you could spray with a water gun. I yell at them at the same time. It really does work. I have always fed the birds and I have more cats than you can count because the shelter asks me sometimes to take cats that have been neutered but there for so long and no one adopted them. They help out with my cat food and vet bills for them. They also vaccinate them for me. I know a lot of people are convinced that all outside cats catch birds. They don't. But, the ones that do....are very determined. There used to be a snake here that hid in the sunflower seed hulls under the feeder and caught birds that came down to the ground to eat them. I saw him eat a cardinal and a dove. I didn't kill the snake....because I don't do that...but even though I hated that he did it, I understand that is nature and what snakes do. Still, I wouldn't want my cats to kill birds, because they are well fed. Almost every morning I find a little dead mouse that "someone" killed. They don't eat them. I don't put out poison, and I have no near neighbors so I give it to one of the possums. It's a treat for them. What I hate more than anything is the cats killing lizards. They will just about all do that. Still, there are lots of lizards here and lots of geckos, which must have come from some other place because they aren't native to this area. I guess the eggs came in on plants or something. They lay the cutest little eggs. White, and look like tiny little chicken eggs.