Quote from CaptainObvious:
A parable:
I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. What a beauty of a bird feeder it is, as I filled it lovingly with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food.
But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table ⦠everywhere!
Then some of the birds turned mean. They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud. They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, I couldnât even sit on my own back porch anymore. So I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.Soon, the back yard was like it used to be ⦠quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Maybe itâs time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
lol
When I first got my property I noticed that there were hundreds of California quail running around and I started to put out a little pile of bird-seed and feed corn. Lots of other critters would get in on the bonanza like squirrels, chipmonks, rabbits, mice, ravens and just about every other type of bird or rodent that is around.
After a couple of years I noticed that there were many more quail around than when I moved in so I stopped feeding them. I ended up with all kinds of coyotes living up here, a bobcat, a honey badger and several large red tailed hawks, a couple of roadrunners and even a heron at one point. Feeding the quail had a huge impact that I had not anticipated.
Same with feeding the hummingbirds. I put out a feeder and now they are everywhere here (mexican hummingbirds with green throats) and they are actually a little aggresive and will fly up right in front of your face and hover for a few seconds to have a good look at you.
The Law of Unintended Consequences.
