Bird's Reliance on Bird Feeders During the Winter at Purchase College

Abstract

As we continue to interact with the natural world, we continue to learn more about how our actions are impacting our environment and the other species' around us. People have been feeding birds for nearly two centuries, yet a lot is still unknown about this relationship and the impacts it has. Human interference in the environment can have negative impacts, but we also have the ability to really help the ecosystems around us. Every year, birds in North America fly south for the winter in order to survive the colder months and then return in the spring, while other birds stay for the winter. In this study, I observed bird frequency at bird feeders during the winter to see the relationship birds have with feeders at varying temperatures and weather conditions. Results of this study showed that while temperature variation had very little impacts on the amount of birds at bird feeders, birds were far more likely to be at the feeders on days of snow than on cloudy or sunny days. From this research, I believe bird feeders are beneficial to birds at least during the winter months, and that more research should be done in order to get a better idea of these implications.