Many Americans enjoy spending time with nature, and one popular activity is feeding wild birds. As many as 53 million Americans feed birds as a hobby each year. One of them is Sumner Askin, from Arlington, Virginia. His interest started a few years ago, when he was in college and studying wildlife science. "I had just taken this class, ornithology, the study of birds, and I was just super into it. And originally I got one feeder and I put it all the way up in this tree, I probably climbed like 30 feet so I could hang it right outside my window. And I got some cool stuff and I just wanted to keep going with it, see what else I could get." His plan was successful, and many wild birds visited his bird feeder. He recalls seeing downy woodpeckers, northern cardinals, mourning doves, and other birds. Askin says you can learn a lot from bird watching. "You learn about just how each species is designed differently, like the way their toes are shaped so they can grip things differently." Askins adds that most bird watchers develop a dislike for a lot of invasive, or non-native, species because they often chase around the other birds.
Title: Popular Hobby: Bird Feeding Connects People to Nature
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/C.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Popular Hobby: Bird Feeding Connects People to Nature' data-article-id='5192'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='9792'>Many Americans enjoy spending time with nature, and one popular activity is feeding wild birds.</span> <span data-start-time='9792' data-end-time='17521'>As many as 53 million Americans feed birds as a hobby each year. </span> <span data-start-time='17521' data-end-time='22604'>One of them is Sumner Askin, from Arlington, Virginia. </span> <span data-start-time='22604' data-end-time='31146'>His interest started a few years ago, when he was in college and studying wildlife science.</span> <span data-start-time='31146' data-end-time='36688'>"I had just taken this class, ornithology, the study of birds, and I was just super into it. </span> <span data-start-time='36688' data-end-time='44313'>And originally I got one feeder and I put it all the way up in this tree, I probably climbed like 30 feet so I could hang it right outside my window. </span> <span data-start-time='44313' data-end-time='48583'>And I got some cool stuff and I just wanted to keep going with it, see what else I could get."</span> <span data-start-time='48583' data-end-time='54625'>His plan was successful, and many wild birds visited his bird feeder. </span> <span data-start-time='54625' data-end-time='63333'>He recalls seeing downy woodpeckers, northern cardinals, mourning doves, and other birds.</span> <span data-start-time='63333' data-end-time='68813'>Askin says you can learn a lot from bird watching.</span> <span data-start-time='68813' data-end-time='75792'>"You learn about just how each species is designed differently, like the way their toes are shaped so they can grip things differently."</span> <span data-start-time='75792' data-end-time='89021'>Askins adds that most bird watchers develop a dislike for a lot of invasive, or non-native, species because they often chase around the other birds.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/C.png'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=16282 data-hint-location='68813' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/what_does_species_mean.wav'>What does species mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a group of animals or plants that are similar and can reproduce'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/a_group_of_animals_or_plants_that_are_similar_and_can_reproduce.wav'><span>a group of animals or plants that are similar and can reproduce</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/animals_that_can_fly.wav'><span>animals that can fly</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/land_mammals_that_do_not_swim.wav'><span>land mammals that do not swim</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/a_virus_that_causes_a_pandemic.wav'><span>a virus that causes a pandemic</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=16283 data-hint-location='9792' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/approximately_how_many_americans_feed_birds_as_a_hobby_each_year.wav'>Approximately how many Americans feed birds as a hobby each year?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='53 million'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/23_million.wav'><span>23 million</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/53_million.wav'><span>53 million</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/3_million.wav'><span>3 million</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/13_million.wav'><span>13 million</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=16284 data-hint-location='31146' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/the_study_of_birds_is_called__blank_.wav'>The study of birds is called <span class='blank'>ornithology</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='ornithology'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/ornithology.wav'><span>ornithology</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/biology.wav'><span>biology</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/genealogy.wav'><span>genealogy</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4665/technology.wav'><span>technology</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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