Holiday gift idea: bird feeders

If you'd like to bring a bit of nature to your backyard, bird feeding is a must! You can scatter seed on the ground. But that comes with problems. Leftover seed may be consumed by critters of the night—ones that you'd rather not have around your property. Or the seed may become moldy. That won't entice the birds.

Using bird feeders is a better solution. Feeders can be designed for beauty or for utility. Or both. There are a lot of gift-giving options for the bird lovers on your Christmas list.

There are five basic types of feeders for use in the backyard:

• Tube feeders
• Hopper feeders
• Platform feeders
• Suet feeders
• Feeders designed for specific birds

Squirrel Buster Plus

Let's start with tube feeders. These can be hung from a shepherd's hook or a tree limb. Some can attached to the top of a metal pole. Here are a just a few of the models of tube feeders available at The Bird House.

Bothered by squirrels? The family of Squirrel Buster products is a solution. When a squirrel climbs onto the feeder's perch, its weight automatically forces down a metal shroud, closing the seed ports. The squirrel is foiled. The weight can be adjusted to keep out unwanted birds as well. The feeder is all metal, except for the chew-proof polycarbonate tube. It has a lifetime warranty. We've had a lot of customer satisfaction from these feeders. Four different sizes are available.

Droll Yankees Flipper

Another squirrel-proof line of products comes from Droll Yankees. At first glance, the Flipper seems like other feeders: a powder-coated metal cap and bottom, a UV-stabilized polycarbonate tube and solid metal perches. Birds can perch freely. However, when a squirrel alights, its weight triggers a battery-powered motor to spin the little critter until it loses its grip and is thrown gently onto the ground.

A similar Droll Yankees product, the Whipper, has four covered perches that enables cardinals and other small songbirds to eat. Each perch is individually sprung and calibrated to collapse when a squirrel tries to alight. Made in the United States, Droll Yankees offers a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage.

Caged tube feeder

Another way of dealing with squirrels is to encase the tube feeder in a metal cage. The mesh of the cage is wide enough for finches, chickadees, nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, siskins, sparrows and other small birds to enter. However squirrels—as well as larger birds such as starlings—cannot get in. The feeder is refilled by simply lifting the metal cap.

If you are lucky enough to not have a squirrel problem (or if you use a baffle to block squirrels from your feeder, try one of the Droll Yankees tube feeders. They range in size from 15 inches long to 23 inches and have four to six seed ports. The newest model, the Pull Ring feeder, features rustproof metal parts and a polycarbonate tube. It's easy to clean. Just pull the rod and the tube comes apart. Assembled in the United States, the feeder has a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage.


Hopper Feeders

Cedar hopper feeder

Hopper feeders are both attractive and functional. Some birds, such as cardinals and Mourning Doves, are more comfortable landing of a wide, flat perch. 

We carry several styles of hopper feeders from American manufacturers. The feeders attract cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, titmice, Mourning Doves, towhees and Downy Woodpeckers.

Birds Choice, for instance, has two different sizes of hopper feeders made of durable, long-lasting cedar. 

Fly-thru feeder

Made in the United States, the feeder is assembled with UV-resistant polycarbonate panels, weather-resistant screws and plastic-coated steel cable. As with the tube feeders, the hopper feeders can be filled with black oil sunflower seed, sunflower chips, safflower or white millet seeds, or cracked corn.

Several hopper feeders are built of 5/8-inch polylumber, a recycled material made of plastic jugs and bottles. (Some of the larger feeders reuse 31 milk jugs!) Birds Choice's hopper feeders have a lifetime guarantee never to split, crack or fade. They come in a variety of colors, including taupe and green. Some have attractive red or blue roofs.

"Fly-thru" feeders allow birds to enter and feed as they please. They have no walls, just a roof and a bottom. The bottoms are made of rust-resistant metal mesh to drain water away from the seed. Smaller ones can be hung these from shepherd's hooks or trees. Larger ones must be placed on the top of 4x4 posts.

Platform Feeders

Platform feeder

For some birds, flat platforms—with no roofs—serve as ideal feeders. The platform feeders can be made of cedar or polylumber. They have rust-resistant screws and mesh screens for drainage. Some sit on legs close to the ground. Others hang from shepherd's hooks or from tree limbs. Others are placed atop metal poles or 4-x-4 posts.

One advantage is that any kind of seed can be offered to the birds, even shelled peanuts, which are favorites of Blue Jays, a beautiful bird, noisy as it is. A ground-level platform feeder may attract birds accustomed to pecking for seed down low. For instance, juncos, cardinals, sparrows and Mourning Doves will come to this feeder.

Suet Feeders

If you are not offering suet at your bird feeder, you are missing out on a lot of bird-watching action. Woodpeckers, nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, chickadees and sparrows love suet. 

Caged suet feeder

Suet consists mostly of rendered beef. However other ingredients are added to made the bird's meal an even more enticing experience. Some suet contains peanuts, almonds, insects or blueberries, Another type contains a mixture of fruit, berries and nuts. If you have squirrel problems, try hot pepper suit. It's too spicy for squirrels but songbirds have few tastebuds so they don't mind. (A friend used to hang hot pepper suet on a 3-foot-high post. Squirrels never touched it but the birds did.) 

One cake actually contains relatively little suet. It's especially for woodpeckers: held together by glycerine, the cake consists of peanuts, sunflower chips and corn.

If squirrels or starlings are a problem, caged suet feeders are the solution. Several models have two cakes of suet encased by a cage made of powered-coated or galvanized metal. The metal roof both protects the suet from rain and keeps the squirrels out. The feeders are easy to refill.

Woodpecker feeders

Tail-prop woodpecker feeder

Some birds have their own feeding preferences. Naturally manufacturers have stepped forward to make the birds' job easier.

Birds Choice's Woodpecker Feeder, for instance, is made of long-lasting cedar and heavy-duty acrylic panels. Woodpeckers feed from each end; the feeder has a long base because woodpeckers use their tails to stabilize themselves while they feed or cling to trees.

One of the most popular woodpecker feeder is the Birds Choice "tail prop" feeder. Made in the United States, of polylumber and rust-proof coated wire mesh, the feeder holds one suet cake. The feeder is best hung from a shepherd's hook. 

Nyjer feeders

Goldfinches enjoy eating small-sized seeds. In nature, they prefer the seeds of coneflowers, black-eyed susans and certain wildflowers. But they really seem to enjoy Nyjer, a tiny black-colored seed that is commonly known as thistle. Because the seed is so small, special feeders are required so the seed doesn't tumble onto the ground. 

Nyjer feeders usually are tube-style feeders with four or six perches to accommodate ports notched into the sides of polycarbonate tubes. Inevitably a few seeds fall onto the ground. However these do not sprout. The seed is imported from India, Burma and other locations. Federal regulations require these seeds be heat-treated to prevent them from germinating. 

Another advantage of Nyjer feeders is that squirrels do not eat Nyjer. Goldfinches won't be the only visitors. Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers enjoy the seed as well.

Hummingbird feeders

The Bird House offers seven different kinds of hummingbird feeders. One of the favorites is Dr. JB's Hummingbird Feeder, which has four flower-like ports. Most hummingbird feeders are made of color-stable plastics and plastic or glass nectar containers. 

The feeders should be cleaned at least twice a week to prevent the development of mold which can harm the birds. Usually the feeders are hung from shepherd's hooks but low-hanging branches also serve well. The Bird House offers powdered nectar that is dissolved in water; you can also make your own preparation using sugar but it requires boiling first.

Window feeders

Window-placed feeders allow you to watch hungry birds feed closeup. 

One model consists of polylumber and a metal mesh screen for drainage. The feeder includes two suction cups to attach the feeder to the window. Two metal props provide additional support from the window sill. Other models are made of lightweight clear plastic. These are affixed to the window by suction cups. These feeders tend to be smaller and are meant for smaller birds.

Keep in mind that window feeders cannot be used if you have a window screen. In addition, remember that you will need to refill the feeder from outdoors. Place the feeder out of reach of squirrels. Their weight can topple the feeder. Squirrels cannot jump more than 5 feet above the ground or 8 feet from nearby decks or vegetation.

Products sold at The Bird House may run short close to the holidays so hurry in for the best selection!