Choosing a Bird Feeder: Ground or Tree Feeder?
Oct 24 '05
The Bottom Line Consider what types of birds to attract, or if you mind other creatures feeding as well. Ground and tree feeders have different purposes.
Right now as I look out my back door, I can see a group of little wrens enjoying my ground feeder, feasting on the five pounds of Pennington wild bird seed I just filled it with.
The little birdies are enjoying the buffet of seeds almost as much as the squirrel is enjoying it.
When you choose an outdoor wild bird feeder, clearly you need to decide if you want to feed only birds, or other creatures as well. Because squirrels will presume anything edible you put in your feeders is meant for them.
Advantages of a Ground Feeder
Two years ago, I bought a ground feeder from Gardens Alive and am still enjoying it. A ground feeder is nothing much more than a simple wooden frame, often set up on short legs like mine is, that sits on the ground.
If you're handy, you can make your own ground feeder with a frame of sturdy wood and a fine mesh grate or screen that allows water to drain through the feed, but keeps small seeds from spilling to the ground where they can sprout.
My feeder is about 18" x 18" and can hold over 5 lbs. of feed. I like that because I don't need to fill it constantly, perhaps every five or six days if my feathered and bushy-tailed wild friends are hungry. And they almost always are regardless of the season.
I set my ground feeder on my daughter's wooden swingset on the platform of the "fort." We keep the swingset around even though my daughter is 19 now because my younger nieces and nephews still like it, and she and her boyfriend sometimes sit out there at night and talk.
The feeder is up high when my patio furniture is still out on my deck, which keeps the rabbits away, but not the squirrel. It's also just a couple of feet away from an evergreen tree where I know bluejays, cardinals and other birds have nested -- I see them coming in and out of the tree all day, hopping into the feeder.
When the patio furniture gets stored for the season, I move the ground feeder to my patio right outside my door. The rabbits are now free to feast during the winter should they choose -- and they usually do.
Having the feeder near the back door makes it easy for me to fill it as soon as it's empty without having to trudge through snow.
The real bonus is that I can get a really closeup view of the winter birds, like cardinals and bluejays.
With a ground feeder, you can move it easily, it holds more food, less frequent filling, no lids to lift or special instructions -- just dump your seed in there and spread it around evenly.
Advantages of a Tree Feeder
A year or so ago, I got a beautiful stained glass bird feeder for Mother's Day. It's got a wide top and is surrounded with decorative metal that lets little birds feast but keeps squirrels away.
I have always filled this feeder with the same seed I use for the ground feeder, so the little birds can have their own spot to feed if they don't want to compete with the squirrel.
A tree feeder will allow you to use smaller amounts of seed that is formulated to attract specific birds, allowing them to eat in relative safety from larger birds.
My tree feeder isn't as easy to fill and holds maybe half a pound of seed. For me, that means refilling almost every day.
Birds and The Hunger Moon
Ever since I've heard about the old Native American story of the "hunger moon" when wild creatures can't find food in the frozen ground, I have made sure to leave food for the little birdies who live in my yard all year long.
These little friends provide me with tremendous visual pleasure every day, and I want them to stay around.
This spring, I was so happy to have absolute proof that the same birds return to my yard every year. Two years ago a mutated white grackle hung out all summer in my tree and yard before migrating south for the winter with his ordinary grackle friends.
Imagine my delight when the white grackle returned after several months! I knew for certain then that my feathered pals had not forgotten how to find my house, even though they had been many, many miles away.
Or maybe they just missed the squirrel.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
MsHooterville
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Member: Ms Hooterville
Location: Hooterville Green Acres USA
Reviews written: 596
Trusted by: 416 members
About Me:
News and feature writer, graphic designer and artist, wife and mother, small business owner.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.