Window Bird Feeder
Why A Window Bird Feeder?
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Having a window bird feeder will bring the birds within easy viewing range. This will also be effective if we live in a flat or apartment. Birds from local parks or nearby gardens will most likely stop off for a feed while en-route to other feeding areas.
It's worth noting, as we would with a window box, wherever the feeder is situated we should make sure it is secure for health and safety reasons. We might wonder, will the local birds notice our feeder situated where it is? At the time of writing this my brother is a flat dweller in the Midland's, an area as the name implies in the centre of England. He and his wife have a simple window box which they put food out on and they receive regular visits from small birds. He commented that because of feeding the birds he became more aware of how many birds do flit about in the tree canopy. Goldcrests and other birds feed in tree tops, so any window bird feeders at this height are an added food supply to them and they will take advantage of it. |
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A simple way to provide food at an existing window box.
Find a piece of cane or dowel 500-600mm long, drill a small hole in one end, then put some plastic coated fence wire through and make a ring and hang a fat ball from it. Then, where birds are easily viewed while feeding from it, simply push the stick into the soil of the window box until it is secure and stable. Bird Feeding Station |
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Providing food and water at a bird feeding station in
small gardens can achieve a lot for the local wild birds without taking up too much space. Putting out a variety of foods along with water helps create a corridor of feeding places for local wildlife in our area. It's a bit like being part of a small chain of restaurants providing tasty meals for travellers and regular visitors. There's no need to be overly concerned about shelter or safety as birds will use small bushes or higher perching points for shelter or safety, we just need to be reasonably sure there isn't a concealed pouncing pad for any resident cats. We can also put up a bird box away from the bird feeding station, which they can use during nesting season and also roost in during the colder spells. It goes without saying that all of the above can be put to good use in any garden, large or small. Bird Feed CamWe can get an even "closer look" at what visits our bird feeding station if we choose to use a bird feeder cam.
Being of the generation who still remembers that the only way to phone a friend was to traipse down to the end of the street and often have to queue before being able to use the public phone box, I often marvel at the mobile phone. I equally marvel at bird feeder cams! At a nominal cost we can bring the wild birds that visit our window bird feeders or bird feeding stations right into our living space, and watch them in the comfort of our home. Other than having them perched on our hand we can't bring birds much closer than this. |