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Happy Halloween Pumpkin Turned Hopper Bird Feeder
After Halloween (like tomorrow) you can take that pumpkin and recycle it for birds!Over at Hummingbirds Anonymous (a really cool facebook group with 26,000 members) this image appeared in their news feed. By digging a well, or scooping out the pumpkin, a hopper’s created to hold peanuts or seed for feathered friends.
Another idea found over at Audubon.org, shows a hanging pumpkin with easy instructions for crafting this temporary hopper bird feeder. Some of the comments are fairly funny, bear feeder, squirrel feeder and raccoon attraction, so if planning on hanging a pumpkin for the birds, use a baffle on the pole to thwart squirrels and raccoons!
Need an idea for a cool carving? Back again at Hummingbirds Anonymous, these pumpkins rock with their bird themes! Folks do love their avian amigos and the ways are simple and many to help them thrive.
The basics are easy, as in food, water and shelter. When planting, think native for natural food sources and shelter. Water need not be in a bird bath per se, just a shallow pool about 2 inches deep works great. This cold be a plant saucer or bowl from the kitchen! Add a few stones or a large rock to assist with safe footing for perching and landing spots. Depth is important, no more than two inches of water in any kind of vessel. Leave birdhouses up through winter as many species may use them to roost at night.
At holidays, be cautious of outdoor decorations as some may pose a real threat to wild birds. Just because migration is winding down doesn’t mean the cool birds are gone. Resident birds like chickadees, jays, nuthatches, cardinals and titmice will bring song and color to the garden through the dreary months of winter ahead.
Happy Halloween to all ~ may it be a safe and fun one!
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Grab a Copper Bird Feeder for the Merriest of all Gifts!
Shiny, happy copper will light up a recipient’s face when the box is opened! How would we know this? Recently at a local show, our copper bird feeders were the buzz of the day. Someone had even walked down to see what the “glow” was all about. Yes, they’ll glow in direct sunlight.Gazebo post-mounted feeders are done in PVC/vinyl to make them completely inert. Impervious to the elements, the vinyl lasts for life, but the real beauty to us… they look like wood. Over the years many customers have told us of woes with their wooden feeders that have rotted. These were majestic, and beautifully crafted (and expensive too) but their life expectancy wasn’t quite commensurate with the price tag.
We’ve not had one complaint nor return for these copper feeders and birdhouses in eight years, so we’re pretty darn confident in our product! From small to large, and huge capacity hoppers, we know the birds LOVE them too!
Gracing the landscape with timeless elegance, architectural styles abound in different shapes with an aged patina copper finish as well. This is an acid wash done via heat process, so the color remains… 10-20-30 years down the road. The shiny roofs will stay that way for about 3-4 years before starting to weather. When copper weathers it gets dark, this aging process creates a very dark brown tone that takes many years to actually patina. The bright copper may be preserved (prior to weathering) with a quality copper polish applied every year.
Another stunning copper feeder is done in stained glass, and guess what? It glows in the sun too! Hand made with the most vibrant glass colors, this one hangs to entice feathered friends. Both copper bird feeders provide plenty of perching space and drainage to keep seed dry. Using quality materials, both are meticulously crafted to last for life.A gift of nature offers usage everyday, by birds and recipients. A glance at the feeder has the capacity to remove one from swirling thoughts and to do lists! There’s no batteries and no plugs… which is what allows one to simply unplug!
It’s our hope and mission to entice more folks to backyard birding through shiny, happy feeders like these 🙂
Oh yeah.. the show!
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Not Your Average Tube Bird Feeder
When it comes to a tube bird feeder, they needn’t be straight or boring, some have spirals instead of perches while some may offer “all-over” feeding space. The amount of bird traffic in your yard may help decipher best size and style, and of course aesthetics!For optimal bird attraction and the widest variety of species, you can’t miss with black oil sunflower seed. We like using the hearts or meats as they leave less ground mess below feeders. More birds are likely to chow down as there’s no hull to crack, there’s literally no waste with this pure seed. The Wave Tube Feeder is a groovy variation of the boring straight tube style. It’s available for both black oil sunflower and thistle (or nyjer seed). Handcrafted in the USA, its cedar construction makes it durable for years of use.
Thistle seed, also known as nyjer or nyger, attracts goldfinches, house and purple finches, red polls, buntings and other finch-family birds. It won’t make make too much of a mess either as it’s a non-germinating seed. Hulls may accumulate, but they’re tiny and won’t sprout weeds. It’s also a great offering to attract even more friendly fliers to your place.
These mushroom top ceramic tube feeders are equally groovy, adding a whimsical splash of color to the landscape. Many a songbird would be happy to perch here for a meal on cold winter days! Cold? Yes, these feeders are frost-proof via process of twice-firing. They’re safe outdoors year-round, also handcrafted in the USA. The colors run the rainbow from cherry bomb to funtasmic blue… and everything in between!
Protect your feeders from thieving destructive squirrels with a baffle, it’s only thing that really works to deter the critters. Birds dine in peace and hosts have less head aches. Place feeders so that squirrels can’t gain access by jumping sideways from something too. Feeder placement is always key in winning this war!
More so than any type of feeder or birdhouse, fresh water entices more birds everyday throughout the year. Even in frigid weather, they’ll flock to a functional bath. Adding a heater to your existing birdbath (instead of turning it over for winter) will bring birds on the greyest, coldest days of winter… brightening your day too!
Birding Tips, Information & News
