Everyone's going to tell you pole feeders win. Your neighbor swears by his. Some guy on a birding forum wrote a 600-word essay about it. They're all repeating the same thing: "birds fear glass." Here's the thing: That was true-ish…
I still remember the spring I did everything wrong. I'd been gardening in our suburban backyard for years, and somewhere along the way I decided I wanted orioles. I bought a feeder, a bright orange, exactly as advertised and filled…
You put out a feeder. You filled it. Nothing came. That's not bad luck. It's a mismatch between what you offered and how bluebirds are wired to find food. Unlike sparrows or finches, bluebirds do not forage. They hunt. They…
More than 90 million Americans watch backyard birds regularly, yet most are still using the same basic tube feeders they bought a decade ago. This makes the gap between old-school hardware and what's now available huge. You should know that…
I'll be honest with you. This started as an accident. My older one was bored in that loud, declarative way kids have, and my younger one was following her lead, which is always a warning sign. So we went outside,…
Imagine waking up on a slow Saturday morning, coffee in hand, and watching a bright little finch land just inches from your face, just separated only by a pane of glass. No trip to the park. No binoculars. No backyard…
Imagine this. You filled the feeder on Sunday and by Tuesday, it was empty. And the sad part is that a squirrel was chilling nonchalantly on the pole above, looking hefty, sunflower seeds dribbling from its mouth. These critters are…
It’s truly amazing seeing birds alight at a feeder that you've personally made from scratch. It’s even more amazing when you remember that the feeder started as a discarded container, like an empty plastic bottle or old milk jug. Creating…
There's something quietly magical about watching a bird land on something you’ve built with your own hands. And you can do this with a DIY bird feeder. Bird feeders invite nature into your everyday space. This can be your balcony,…