Last year, we barely had any birds eat from the feeders we strategically placed around our backyard. A local birder told us that it wasn't our choice of seed, the locations of the feeders, or even the loud dog (Mugsy) chasing them away. Most likely, the bird population had suffered from the avian flu (the fowl version of COVID-19?)

That has changed because this year, the birds are back. The other morning, I glanced out the back and saw flocks of birds energetically attacking our feeders. My first impulse was to prance around the yard like Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins singing, "feed the bir...