Cassie

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= = __**Cassie's Bird Project**__ **What color of popcorn do birds like best?**
 * Question:** What color of popcorn do birds like best?


 * Hypothesis:** I don't think the color of the popcorn will affect how much the birds will eat of it, because the color probably will not affect the taste of the popcorn**.** I think they might eat the most uncolored popcorn, since maybe they have seen it before. Maybe they will eat the most red popcorn, since the color will be easiest to see. Some websites I saw said birds liked bright colors, such as red, but others said they hated bright colors, so it will be interesting to see which was correct for me. Since most birds can see colors, it will be interesting to see if birds can tell the difference between all the colors very well.


 * Dependent Variable:** How much popcorn the birds will eat of each color.


 * Independent Variable:** What color the popcorn is.


 * Control Variables:** They will all be hung up on the same days, so the weather won't affect one type of popcorn more than the others. They will all be taken down and put up at the same time, so the amount of time they have outside won't affect it. The popcorn will all be the same brand and type, except for the colors they are dyed.


 * Supplies:**
 * Lots o' popcorn
 * Popcorn maker without oil (oil and butter are bad for birds, so the popcorn also won't have either on it)
 * Food dye (colors: Red & Blue)
 * Bird feeders, made of cut up water bottles
 * Place to hang bird feeders (clothes line?)


 * Procedure:**
 * 1) Pop a batch of popcorn in a non-oil popcorn maker
 * 2) Divide the popcorn evenly, and put it in bags
 * 3) Add food coloring,to two of the bags, and shake up
 * 4) Put popcorn in bird feeders
 * 5) Hang bird feeders outside, at about 7:30 in the morning
 * 6) Take bird feeders down at about 7:30
 * 7) At the end of the week, measure how much popcorn has been eaten

=Day 1!!!= Today I hung the bird feeders with popcorn in them up, at approximately 7:30 a.m. I am slightly doubtful that many, if any birds came, since it was rainy today. Coloring the popcorn with food-dye didn't work as well as i had hoped, so they kind of look like dalmatian popcorn... When I checked on the bird feeders I saw that the levels of popcorn looked about the same, but that the pieces of popcorn I accidentally spilled on the ground were all gone. Was it the wind, or something //more//.... End Message.
 * Variables to consider:** If I hang up the popcorn on different days, will the temperature effect how much is eaten? If I hang them up on the same day, will the area it is hung in effect how much is eaten.
 * Solution to this variable:** I hung them up on all the same day, but not too far away from each other, so the weather and the area wouldn't affect it.
 * Research:**
 * 1) Can birds eat popcorn? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080106100352AAtLuJC
 * 2) Can birds see color? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080229075835AAFhOs2
 * 3) What colors are birds attracted to? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060824161346AA4d1rU

=Stupid day 2!!!= Rain killed project. Sucks.

=New day 1!!!= Fun fun fun! Let's all spend our weekends hanging cut up pieces of bottles full of popcorn in our yards! Yay! =Day 2!!!= Hung up bottles in yard. I figured out that if I mix water with the food coloring it spreads more, and gives you brighter-more-evenly-spread colors. Unfortunately I don't think I'll get many birds, 'cause they're not used to having any bird food in our yard. I also cut the bottle differently so it would be more appealing to the birds.

=Day 3!!!= I hung up bird feeders again =Day 4!!!= Ditto.

=Last day!!!= I'm done! Yay!
 * Color || Amount eaten ||
 * Uncolored || 1 1/4 cups ||
 * Red || 3/4 cups ||
 * Blue || 1 1/2 cups ||

= = In conclusion, the birds liked the blue popcorn most, then the uncolored popcorn, and they liked the red popcorn least. This could be because the red popcorn was too bright for them, and the blue popcorn stood out enough to see it, but not enough to startle them. Because of what my results were, I would say that birds don't like bright colors that much.
 * Discussion/ Conclusion:** If I were to do this project again I would leave bird feeders out longer, so the birds would get used to having food in our yard, because I think it took them a while to figure out there was food there. I would probably also measure the popcorn everyday, instead overall, because it would be a better measurement.I would also make it so our neighbors cat wasn't sitting there watching it, by putting a fence around it or something.