Simply For The Birds

Listening to the twittering of birds and watching feathered creatures hop, flutter, and fly are extremely relaxing to some people.  This is the why they install bird feeders to draw woodpeckers, chickadees, blue jays, titmice, cardinals, and finches to their grounds, and keep them in the vicinity.

Bird feeders can be hung, stationed on the ground, or placed on top of sturdy structures like thick branches and trees.  As the name indicates, window bird feeders are positioned close to or on windows or windowsills.  This makes the feeder easy to reach, clean and refill for the owner, in addition to providing a great view.  Window bird feeders that resemble a house are known as hopper feeders.  They have walls and a roof, requiring birds to hop on it so as to get to the seeds.  This is quite the opposite of platform bird feeders, which are open like trays but have a raised surface, and are more easily accessed by birds.  The absence of protective walls or screens, however, makes platform bird feeders susceptible to animal attacks.

Tube feeders are another alternative and they can also be situated next to windows.  They are great contraptions that are shaped like a cylinder, have perches and areas for feeding, and effectively keep poaching animals away.  The type used for hummingbirds is usually made of plastic or glass and looks like a bottle.