Feeding wild birds in America : culture, commerce, and conservation / Paul J. Baicich, Margaret A. Barker, and Carrol L. Henderson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Baicich, Paul J., author.

Barker, Margaret A., author.

Henderson, Carrol L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Birds--Feeding and feeds--United States--History.

Birds.

Birdseed--United States--History.

Birdseed.

Bird feeders--United States--History.

Bird feeders.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (330 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

College Station, Texas : Texas A&M University Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Today, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, more than fifty million Americans feed birds around their homes, and over the last sixty years, billions of pounds of birdseed have filled millions of feeders in backyards everywhere. Feeding Wild Birds in America tells why and how a modest act of provision has become such a pervasive, popular, and often passionate aspect of people's lives. Each chapter provides details on one or more bird-feeding development or trend including the "discovery" of seeds, the invention of different kinds of feeders, and the creation of new companies. Also wov

Contents:

Foreword / by George H. Petrides Sr.

Acknowledgments

A note on bird names

Introduction

Curiosity, kindness, and protection: before 1900

Ongoing awareness trends

Essentials of equipment and feeding: 1900-1909

"Useful birds" then and now

Deliberate devices and appliances: 1910-1919

Development of the birdbath

True grit

Seed and feeder businesses in the roaring twenties: 1920-1929

Suet for the birds

Bird feeding in hard times: 1930-1939

Hemp, the devil's birdseed

Game bird feeders over the decades

War and recovery: 1940-1949

Recycling and creativity, then and now

Backyard prosperity: 1950-1959

Squirrel battles

Four-season feeding

Experimentation abounds: 1960-1969

A sunflower saga

New seeds, new products: 1970-1979

Feeding hummingbirds over time

Nyjer, the wonder seed

Windows, glass, and feeding stations

A maturing market and pastime: 1980-1989

Experiment goes awry

Project feederwatch and the great backyard bird count

Visiting hawks

The recently arrived house finches and Eurasian collared-doves

Bird feeding institutionalized: 1990-1999

Mealworm revival

Fruits and jellies for the birds

Nectar feeding for nonhummingbirds

Tweaking the seeds

Cats in the backyard

Funding for birds and wildlife

Bird-feeding recipes, then and now: over a century of prepared feasts

Bird feeding in the twenty-first century: experiences and expectations

Rarities at the feeder

Community feeding

The Latin American and Caribbean experience

History lessons for modern bird feeding: some conclusions.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62349-217-3

OCLC:

902762170