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American goldfinch
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Birds can be of great value to the home owner whether he lives in the city or the country. But, to fully enjoy their benefits, a little time must be taken to care for these colorful creatures.
A bird bath, a feeder and some work to plant shrubs and trees attractive to birds will assure you'll have plenty of birds to enjoy.
Regular visits by a beautiful scarlet cardinal can add color, sound and life to an otherwise bleak winter landscape. Or, in the spring and summer, purple martins can help control insects during an evening's relaxation. The antics of robins frolicking in a bird bath can cause laughter and lively interest to all who are lucky enough to see them, particularly for people who have taken the time to provide the few things these birds need.
But there is another aspect to the value of birds; in fact, of
all living things. Birds are a part of the balance of nature. There is strong interdependence between all living things in the gigantic web of life and the removal of even the smallest form of life may in time endanger the entire structure. This point of view is well expressed in the introduction to "Birds in Our Lives," published by the United State Department of Interior:
"We are coming to know more and more about the
findings and importance of ecology, the study of the relations of organisms and their environment. We appreciate more than ever that the conditions of pure air, sun, food, space and so on that make good homes for birds (and many other creatures) also make good homes for people; a habitat in which one species flourishes is likely to be good environment for other forms of life.
"We have changed the habits of many living things, including ourselves, unmindful of the old precept that we cannot command Nature except by obeying her."
Since birds are so valuable to humans, it is important to do something helpful to keep birds an important part of our lives.
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