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birdfeedingHow Your Backyard Birds Realize You Are Trying To Help Them
This documentary explores the cutting-edge science behind the "Benefactor Shift." We examine peer-reviewed studies from the University of Vienna, Cambridge University, Oxford, and published research in Animal Behaviour, Science, and Ecology Letters to decode how wild birds read human intentions, test our cooperativeness, and use us as literal shields against the natural world.
Some extra points worth mentioning:
* Many bird species have learned to watch large mammals for item drops. They pick up woolly undercoats when shed, chase insects flushed by other animals, scavenge for spilled scraps of food, etc. You simply insert yourself into this pattern. Ever notice robins and blackbirds following your lawnmower? They are treating you and it like a buffalo.
* You can teach birds to come to your feeder faster by using a food call. Make a particular whistle or other sound only when filling the feeder (or birdbath, or whatever) and they will figure it out.
This documentary explores the cutting-edge science behind the "Benefactor Shift." We examine peer-reviewed studies from the University of Vienna, Cambridge University, Oxford, and published research in Animal Behaviour, Science, and Ecology Letters to decode how wild birds read human intentions, test our cooperativeness, and use us as literal shields against the natural world.
Some extra points worth mentioning:
* Many bird species have learned to watch large mammals for item drops. They pick up woolly undercoats when shed, chase insects flushed by other animals, scavenge for spilled scraps of food, etc. You simply insert yourself into this pattern. Ever notice robins and blackbirds following your lawnmower? They are treating you and it like a buffalo.
* You can teach birds to come to your feeder faster by using a food call. Make a particular whistle or other sound only when filling the feeder (or birdbath, or whatever) and they will figure it out.
