site.btaA Seed of Love Campaign Saves Urban Birds in Winter

Ever more people join the A Seed of Love campaign held annually in early December to promote the placement of bird feeders in cities in winter. The campaign has been conducted by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) for 16 years now, Yordanka Goranova from the nongovernmental organization told BTA's Lora Metanova. Many pupils and kindergarteners take part in the initiative by making bird feeders and placing them in schoolyards and parks, Goranova commented.

Painter Milena Radeva too has observed an increased interest in the care for birds. She is among the organizers of an initiative for Draw a Bird Day, April 8, which each year brings together scientific illustrators. She herself is the illustrator of a book under a project backed by the Ministry of Culture, The Birds at My Feeder, and is the administrator of a Facebook group with nearly 600 members. Radeva told BTA that the main reason she became interested in the topic was her desire to get acquainted with the species of urban birds who people tend not to notice. Years ago, she enrolled in a course at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences where she learned more about birds and how people can help them. Afterwards, a book was made to attract children's and parents' attention to the topic, and the Facebook group was created. In her words, there are many members who not only feed birds but also photograph them, paint them, study them, and teach children care and responsibility through birds. There are also professionals who give advice and ideas.

Radeva noted that people get quite creative with bird feeders, using not only bird houses but also plastic bottles with holes and sticks for the birds to land on, coconut shells, orange peels, and apple halves.

The BSPB offers recipes for bird lovers to prepare and place in the feeders. For example, they can make a cake out of melted pork fat decorated with seeds and dried fruit. Before it cools off, the mixture is placed in a plastic cup or empty coconut shell.

The different species of birds prefer different seeds. For example, the great tit loves sunflower seeds, the magpie prefers whole peanuts and corn seeds, the Eurasian jay loves acorns, the common blackbird enjoys apples and raisins, the blue tit prefers cut peanuts, and the robin loves mealworms. The house sparrow eats everything, including cut seeds, raisins, and other dried fruit. The seeds must be raw and salt-free; sunflower seeds are always a good choice. It is important to have freshwater available near the bird feeder, the BSPB advises.

Raw rice and dried coconut must not be fed to the birds because they can cause death after ingestion. Salted foods and vegetable oils are harmful as well. The BSPB advises against giving birds milk, because they cannot process it, but they can eat fermented dairy products such as cheese, provided it is unsalted and grated.

Winter feeding of urban birds is a tradition not only in Bulgaria but also in many other countries around the world. It is a way to learn more about the variety of birds around us, the BSPB said.