Kristen and I went to Home Depot and bought a bird feeder this past month. I hung it on my back porch overlooking the golf course, and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in every nook and crevice of the house above the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. 

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb my girls and even tried  to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit down and enjoy  my own back porch anymore. 

I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal. The only thing I had to dodge was the occasional golf ball.