Unique Birdhouse Boutique

The backyard birding experience is about watching wild birds, their behaviors and songs, and their interactions in the habitat you’ve provided. At times it can be captivating, watching nature thrive, close up in your yard. It can literally “take you away” from the day-to day mundane, to the extraordinary.

Maintaining feeders is large part of this great hobby – cleaning and filling them. It’s the responsible thing to do if you’re attracting birds to gather in rather unnatural groups and eat from these feeders. If you’re looking to spend less time filling and more time viewing, hopper bird feeders are a perfect choice. Hoppers tend to hold more seed than tube type feeders.

Large capacity hopper bird feeders will entice a good variety of species as well. Just about any kind of seed mixes will work with them, and some even offer suet cages for more food variety. We like to use sunflower hearts, as there is no waste or ground mess to deal with. This seed may cost a couple of bucks more, but is well worth it in the long run.

The hopper bird feeder shown above is constructed of durable cedar, and holds 11 quarts of seed, it even offers two suet cages that will attract different species. These feeders are also available in recycled plastics that are guaranteed to never crack, split or fade. Whether wood or plastics, with hopper bird feeders you’ll spend less time filling and more time watching!

Bird feeders of every make and model imaginable will keep your feathered friends fat and happy! Any wild bird feeders that are easy to fill and clean are the ones that will attract more birds. If it becomes a real pain to clean…you may not tend to do it on a regular basis. And this is of utmost importance to birds’ health, as disease can be spread very easily amongst the immediate population.

Stoneware, ceramics and glass wild bird feeders alleviate the dreaded gnawing of squirrels, and this can be a big plus to many folks who have football teams of the critters in their yard. Another benefit of these materials is they are non-porous, which prevents bacteria and germs from settling into surfaces.

Pictured are just a few fun bird feeders that are guaranteed to attract and entice feathered friends. From ceramic cupcakes, to stoneware cats, these wild bird feeders make awesome gifts for any birding enthusiast or nature lover that might be on your list! Wild bird feeders make very long-lasting gifts, that actually get used everyday…now what could be better than that?

With so many choices in wild bird feeders these days, it’s kinda difficult to decide what type to buy. There are standard hopper feeders, which tend to hold larger capacities, and platform feeders, for offering a variety of foods to birds. Fly-thru feeders are generally platforms with roofs to protect birds and food from the elements. You have suet feeders and meal worm feeders, then of course there are the popular tube feeders.

Tube bird feeders are wonderful for attracting many species, but one problem with them is limited perches or feeding ports. They usually allow only a certain number of birds to feed at once. Two, four, maybe six ports on most models. The spiral tube feeders accommodate more birds, as the designs allows for the whole tube to be accessed for food. Birds love to “run” the spiral and it makes for a great show too! These spiral feeders are available for thistle seed, (or nyjer) for feeding finches, peanuts for feeding jays, woodpeckers nuthatches, and for standard seed mixes too. The powder coat construction ensures many seasons of use, by feathered friends and human hosts alike.

And if you’re new to the great hobby of backyard birding, we can’t stress enough the importance of water. This is by far the best attractor for wild birds to your place. Fresh water in a bird bath will entice many more wild birds than just feeders alone. Especially in winter, a heated bath can be a life saver for many feathered friends!

There’s something about hand crafted items that makes them a little special. Beside the aesthetic value, it’s knowing that an individual used their artistic ability to create the piece. Just what went into that, as far as thought and feeling… one will never know?

Wild bird accessories that are hand made are ones of highest quality, ensuring many seasons of use and enjoyment. Which is very opposite of the mass production of China. This glass bird feeder is hand blown by an artist in Mexico, and each piece has it‘s own character.

Other artists work with stoneware, which is high-fired and withstands the elements well. Weatherproof stoneware looks similar to glass, but is usually heavier and always opaque, or solid. This large capacity stoneware feeder is a true work of art, and available in six colors.

When buying a bird feeder, the best one is the one you will maintain. Fresh seed in a clean bird feeder is the number one factor. It will attract more birds and keep them coming back again and again. And for a unique and lasting gift that will actually be used and appreciated, a hand crafted glass bird feeder wins hands-down.

Offering a variety of foods will attract more species of wild birds to your feeders. Seed feeders are wonderful for many birds, but some have no interest in them at all. Suet is another food (especially in winter) that will entice more feathered friends.

Peanuts are an absolute favorite of many birds. Jays, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Grosbeaks, (and even Bluebirds in winter) will chow down on peanuts. Some birds prefer shelled peanuts, while others will go for whole peanuts too. Squirrels on the other hand, will eat any peanuts!

Adding one or even two peanut bird feeders to your existing setup will definitely entice more species to your yard. Most of these feeders are made from metal and durable stainless steel, but wooden models are also available. If pesky squirrels are a problem, be sure to install a quality squirrel baffle to keep them away from feeders. If you enjoy feeding squirrels, there are peanut bird feeders like this innovative and fun whole peanut metal wreath feeder.  It suits both squirrels and birds….providing the little piglets leave some food for the birds!

As always, be sure to offer a fresh water source like a birdbath, as this will increase the number of species and sheer numbers of visitors to your place.

For every type of backyard, and for many particular species there are bird feeders to do the job. Obviously, large capacity feeders are better suited to larger yards with lots of space. But if you have a small yard, or even no yard at all…you can still entice and attract many species of wild birds.

Platforms or tray type feeders are extremely versatile as far as offering various foods. They’ll accommodate any birdseed mixes, suet, fruit, peanuts, or even mealworms. This means you can attract different species according to seasons. Window bird feeders are available in this tray style too, plus they allow for great close up views of your visitors. Hummingbirds for example, will also visit window bird feeders that are meant to hold nectar. In-Window bird feeders are also a great way to go if space is limited. These fit conveniently in most standard size windows, with the general feeding area right inside your room…talk about close up views!

So even if you’re in an apartment with the smallest deck, there are bird accessories to invite feathered friends to your place. A small birdbath will also do wonders for attracting many species, in fact, it’s the best single way to bring birds home!

If you’re lucky enough to have lots of finches in your backyard, you may be forever filling the nyjer feeder. And now that many young chicks are visiting these feeders too, the the nyjer (or thistle) seed may be going even faster than in the beginning of summer..

To the rescue: a Large Capacity Nyjer Feeder with quality construction to last for many seasons of use and enjoyment. This Deluxe Triple Tube Feeder actually holds seven pounds of thistle seed..and that’s a lot of thistle!

Goldfinches and others will frequent a birdbath if offered. This kind of fresh water source is known to entice and attract more feathered friends than any feeders or houses alone.

Remember when their bright plumage fades, Goldfinches will still be around, so be sure to keep nyjer feeders up and filled with fresh seed throughout the year.

…Happy Birding!

Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings, Purple Finches and others are a welcome addition to any yard or garden — these colorful birds will flock to a finch bird feeder if you are lucky, and chow down on thistle for long periods of time. Pecking one tiny seed at a time makes it easy to observe them.

This food has added benefits; squirrels ignore it, and it is not germinating which means that spilled food won’t turn into weeds. But what if you’re not lucky enough to have enough finches to eat all of the food on a regular basis? The thistle, or nyjer seed can clump when it gets damp, and the attraction for our feathered friends will quickly fade.

Here’s a trick to keep thistle bird feeders fresher longer: Place a few inexpensive ping pong balls inside your feeder. The thistle seed is very fine, so it flows around the ping pong balls and is available to the birds. The balls will take up space in the feeder, reducing the amount of food it holds, while allowing an even distribution for more feeding space. The result: less food in the feeder means less clumping and fresher food. You can add or remove balls until you get the right balance of food and space for your feeder and your habitat.

With their nesting season winding down, Goldfinches abound! Their electric yellow plumage is hard to miss. Adults feed babies thistle, or nyjer seed exclusively, so large capacity or extra thistle feeders are very helpful this time of year. Even those convenient thistle socks or bags, are an excellent way to accommodate all the newcomers.

Because of their sweet nature, Goldfinches will usually just give up and fly off rather than fight at crowded thistle feeders. A fresh water source such as a bird bath is also very enticing to all songbirds, and with moving water like the dripper shown here, birds will be flocking to your yard!

Remember to keep thistle feeders out year round to enjoy these vibrant summer colors. Goldfinches’ plumage will start to fade in the fall when they molt, but the same cheery birds will hang around your yard if offered thistle seed on a consistent basis.

Happy Birding!

Squirrels stealing seed from the bird feeder…it’s a miserable yet common theme among backyard birders. Even if you do feed the furry critters, it’s never enough because they always invite their friends! Their acrobatic skills and antics are enough to drive one bonkers!

Many squirrel proof bird feeders tend to resemble miniature critter jails with their metal cages surrounding a feeder tube. They work well for the most part, but that industrial look just  doesn’t suit all environments. There are better options out there for feeding your birds and foiling squirrels.

This high quality squirrel proof bird feeder is the called the Sky Cafe. It’s available in several options, including color roof, and seed separators, to offer multiple seed mixes in one feeder. It may be hung or pole mounted with the baffle below the feeder. The Sky Cafe is attractive and very effective at keeping squirrels out of your birdseed.

Check out why the Sky Cafe is called the “Fort Knox” of feeders in this great manufacturer’s video below and see for yourself. You may get a little chuckle too!