Out with the old and in with the new! Well… sort of?
I inherited a very old metal feeder designed to keep large birds like pigeons—and determined critters like squirrels—from raiding it. Don’t get me wrong, I feed those critters just as readily. But when you have 200 or more pigeons that will literally land on you like you’ve been cast in Home Alone: Lost in New York, you have to take certain measures to make sure the little birds get food at all.
I truly fell in love with that feeder, but… it’s definitely old. For now, ol’ trusty still hangs on the shepherd’s hook and continues to be used by the birds, but it was time for an upgrade.
Today I stopped at the local Tractor Supply to pick up flock grains for my chickens and ducks (which the wild birds happily help themselves to, too), along with some black oil sunflower seed. As we head into January, I wanted to freshen things up and really amplify the feeding station.
That idea had been planted just days earlier. On the morning of December 27th, while starting the Prince Gallitzin Christmas Bird Count, I came across a lovely house in Ashville with an adorable feeder—just a step or two up from my old metal standby. As it turns out… Tractor Supply sells it:
Yep. It says “Farmers Market” right on it. The perfect addition to our little poultry barn, right?
I filled it with a mix of black oil sunflower seed and safflower seed—something I haven’t really tried before. I put the same blend in ol’ reliable as well, and within minutes a stunning male cardinal had already claimed the new offering.
It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a slope between our house and the neighbors’, dotted with arborvitae and a couple of hemlocks that provide excellent cover for wildlife. Because the hill slopes down just outside our mudroom window—a favorite hangout spot for our cats—I started sprinkling seed there as well. The birds have been loving it. Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Juncos, and more have all been taking advantage.
So… I decided a small ECOCYCLE platform feeder might be a welcome addition. After all, our resident Song Sparrow is quite the little aggressor—even bullying invasive House Sparrows! I’m okay with that, but I figured a small feeder in this spot would offer a perch for birds less interested in ground feeding beside ol’ moody:
With a small shepherd’s hook tucked neatly into the hillside, those birds now have a peaceful place to eat at their leisure. As an added bonus, our cats get to enjoy the show from the window while the birds remain completely safe outside.
So yep—that’s it. That’s my big New Year’s Eve excitement.
And honestly? That’s because this New Year is for the birds.