I've always looked at decorative bird feeders with some skepticism. I had a couple of beautiful feeders given to me a few years back, only to find that while they were a piece of art for the backyard, they were not feeders that the birds wanted to eat from.
This is the risk with artsy-type feeders. Some of these feeders have been designed for form and not function, so be careful when buying a feeder to look beyond the surface. Are the feeding holes large enough to properly feed the seed, is it easy to fill, is it easy to keep clean, are there proper perching spots for the birds to perch on, etc?
However, every now and then you run into a feeder that does combine form and function, and I ran into one last weekend when I visited some friends, friends that we recently had introduced to bird feeding with a few bags of seed and some basic instructions. I was surprised to discover, upon this visit that not only were they feeding the birds, but that they had jumped into the whole bird feeding hobby with both feet, having bought storage containers for seed and a number of feeders.
One of these feeders was this beautiful piece of sculpture that I must say really suits their yard and provides a real focal point. But more than that, the feeder is a very busy spot, with birds coming and going, obviously enjoying the seed they are finding in this lovely feeder.
Now the feeder was pretty pricey, as feeders go, and I won't say where they got it because I am not trying to sell feeders here, but when you see the impact the feeder makes in their little backyard, you become pretty enthused.
So use caution, but consider your bird feeder's aesthetic appearance as well as it's functional performance when you purchase your next feeder.
This is the risk with artsy-type feeders. Some of these feeders have been designed for form and not function, so be careful when buying a feeder to look beyond the surface. Are the feeding holes large enough to properly feed the seed, is it easy to fill, is it easy to keep clean, are there proper perching spots for the birds to perch on, etc?
However, every now and then you run into a feeder that does combine form and function, and I ran into one last weekend when I visited some friends, friends that we recently had introduced to bird feeding with a few bags of seed and some basic instructions. I was surprised to discover, upon this visit that not only were they feeding the birds, but that they had jumped into the whole bird feeding hobby with both feet, having bought storage containers for seed and a number of feeders.
Now the feeder was pretty pricey, as feeders go, and I won't say where they got it because I am not trying to sell feeders here, but when you see the impact the feeder makes in their little backyard, you become pretty enthused.
So use caution, but consider your bird feeder's aesthetic appearance as well as it's functional performance when you purchase your next feeder.
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