I worry that I wouldn't maintain it as a habit and thus end up disappointing them.

@starkatt Don't worry, they'll remind you. My mom puts out peanuts for her local Stellar's Jays. They make a racket every morning she forgets.

@starkatt @Soreth yes, this. the crows recognize me, they look for me through the porch door in the mornings, and if I don't put anything out they stop by and remind me occasionally through the day. ;)

@green @Soreth Hmm. How late are they active? realizing I should feed them at a time late enough that I can keep doing so after I get a job.

@starkatt @Soreth pretty much until night, but remember, they don't care about daylight savings--if you start feeding them at 6 pm, they'll remember it as that *time of day*, and as the days get shorter, that expectation will shift earlier accordingly.

on the other hand, their behavior changes in winter too; their feeding territories change, so the ones who learn to expect you in spring/summer will probably be a nesting pair/family, but in winter they may be literally different birds.

@Soreth @starkatt mine look for me in the morning, but they aren't super noisy, and after hanging around for a while they move on. crows can be noisy but they're a couple of volume levels below jays. XD and if you aren't putting out a ridiculous amount of food--I usually put out at most a dozen or so peanuts, just setting them at regular spacing along the porch railing--you won't attract more than three or four crows.