Don't just watch birds - feed and shelter them, too

Bird watching is the perfect hobby for a busy world. You can do it while you're on the phone and while on your way to take the kids to soccer practice. You can watch birds at a bus stop or while you eat a sandwich. "Bird watching is the fastest-growing outdoor activity," says John Bianchi, a spokesman for the National Audubon Society, quoting a 2002 national survey on recreation and the environment. About 71 million Americans are bird watchers, Bianchi says, and more than 60 million have bird feeders in their back yards. While we're enjoying the bright flash of a goldfinch, the antics of a blue jay or the determined progress of a wren as she looks for insects in the fissured bark of an old...