Help migrating birds by putting out bird feeder

By Marc Morrone, Tribune Content Agency on Sep 14, 2016

Q: Now that it is September, I want to put my bird feeder back up in the yard, but I was told that if I do then it will prevent some birds from migrating south for the winter. I need your opinion on this please? -- Fay Brooks, Manorville, N.Y.

A: Well my opinion does not mean anything here as it is a scientific fact that it is the change in daylight that triggers the urge in a bird to migrate -- it has nothing to do with food sources.

Actually putting the feeder out now will only help migrating birds. The birds making their way South can stop at your feeder to refuel and immediately continue their journey rather than waste time looking for food.

Migrating birds need all the help they can get.

Q: My uncle passed away recently and I inherited his 15-year-old sun conure parrot. After I adopted him, I took him to a vet as I knew nothing about parrots. The vet told me Max was too fat. My uncle fed him only sunflower seeds and peanuts. I was told to give him a diet of pellets and fruits and vegetables. The pellets work fine but the fruits and vegetable part is hard for me. I work two jobs and just do not have the time to buy and cut up fresh produce. I can do apples and carrots because they keep easy, but do you have any other suggestions for me? -- Mary Adams, Uniondale, N.Y.

A: I am in the same situation as you. We are so busy these days and our fridge rarely has more than a soft apple and a couple of potatoes that are starting to sprout.

However, I do take care of my pets. I truly believe that some kind of produce is very important to give pet birds on a daily basis. The nutritional aspect is one thing, but many birds get bored on a diet of just pellets.

A healthy, well-adjusted bird should look forward to anything new offered to it in speculation that it may be something good to eat. What I do is get a frozen bag of mixed vegetables -- most of these combos contain lima beans, string beans, corn, peas and other such veggies all cut up into small bits. Then I let them thaw and mix them with a can of fruit cocktail packed with juice. I usually do three parts veggies to one part fruit cocktail. I keep this combo in a Tupperware container in the fridge and put a few spoonfuls in each bird cage every morning.

The combo is very colorful and it attracts the bird's attention. Although it may not be as nutritious as perfectly fresh produce, it is still much better than a mealy apple and sprouted potato. Just be sure you give the bird only what it can eat in one day as any uneaten food left on the bottom of the cage can spoil very quickly and attract fruit flies.

(Marc Morrone has kept almost every kind of animal as a pet for the last half-century and he is happy to share his knowledge with others. Although he cannot answer every question, he will publish many of those that have a general interest. You can contact him at petxperts2@aol.com; please include your name, city and state.)