Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for June 13, 2011

My condo has a rule about taking down bird feeders during the summer months. This is based on the mistaken belief that we feed birds for their benefit. We do it for ours, and there should be no calendar limit on that.

Birds drop seeds all over the ground when feeding at a bird feeder, and the bird seed on the ground brings in rats.

Poor, poor crazy Aunt Tuppence…I love to laugh.

Whoever wrote that article is dumb; I think you should feed the birds whenever and wherever you want to.

I’m with you Doctor11. If I have stale bread, I always save it and feed the birds. They especially like popcorn:o)

If you visit places like Oregon’s Crater lake in mid-winter (assuming you can get through the snow-covered roads), you’ll find hundreds of squirrels lying dead in the snow around the various lookout places. They died because all summer tourists taught them they did not have to forage by feeding them that could not be stored – all for the tourist’s entertainment. Then winter came and the tourists left.

Looks like Arlo’s in a peck of trouble now.

Clark- Actually it was “Tuppence a day” not bag.

A-man wisely disavows squirrel knowledge, lest he bring the wrath of the bushy tailed rats down on him along with the birds who understand what he said. dd