This page describes the protocol for removing feeders at the end of the day.
There are several feeders that need to be removed at the end of the day. If they are left out, then various annoying critters will get into them and make a mess out of things. Most annoyingly, raccoons will pull hummingbird and suet feeders off their hooks, drain them and scatter the feeders all over the place.
And then in bear season, we definitely do not want to train the bears to look for food at the nature center.
So, bring in these feeders every night:
- Hummingbird feeders, in the wildlife observation area. Store them in the shed, hanging from the hooks screwed into the rafters.
- Suet feeders, in the wildlife observation area. Just like the hummingbird feeders, store them on the hooks on the rafters of the shed.
- Only if the bears are deemed to be a concern, then we may need to remove the house feeder than contains mixed seed on top of the pole assembly in the back. The feeder detaches from the pole by depressing a button at its base. It is fairly heavy, so you may need to make a single trip just to carry this feeder in. Hang this feeder from the rathers in the shed.
You may want to have a second person accompany you while you are bringing in feeders if there is a chance that bears may be active in the area at the end of the day. Err on the side of caution, of course.