Winter can be a wonderful time to see wildlife and for some of the best viewing you don't even need to risk getting cold. On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe speaks with Jim Pease, Emeritus Associate Professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University about attracting Iowa's winter birds to your yard with feeders and bird baths. Pease discusses the types of birds which become most prevalent in during the season, where to place bird feeders, what kinds of feed to use, and even gives some statistics on just how much people love these birds. "Iowans spend, on average, about 45 million, with an 'M' million, dollars annually and that's just on birdseed."
Pease sees birds, and wildlife in general, as something we need in our lives, because it adds perspective and peace.
"It's actually just to bring nature in even closer and get that constant contact with something other than ourselves," Pease says. "And I think that's one of the reasons that so many people love to feed wildlife, particularly birds, because it allows them to concentrate on something other, with these other creatures with whom we share this planet."
