This page describes where the various bird feeders are located in the wildlife observation area.
There are quite a few different feeder stations in the wildlife area. The exact placement of some of them depends on what time of year it is, and other stations are pretty much fixed for all time.
Things that do not move include the following:
Birdbath: Located at the far end of the area, near where the rail fence joins with the building.
Pole Feeder: The feeder pole with a house-like feeder at its top, used to dispense mixed seed.
Boulders: There are three flat-topped boulders spread across the area, and we put a small amount of mixed seed on the top of them.
Brick Pavers: Outside the fence rail, I put a small handful of mixed seed on every third (or so) brick paver. Winter ground-feeding birds will use this seed, and that’s where all the squirrels and chipmunks like to get seed.
Tray Feeders: Three of these are attached to the back side of the fence rails at the north end of the area (farthest from the observation windows). We put mixed seed in them.
Angle Iron Feeder Hook: Attached to a fence post directly opposite to the observation windows.
Things whose exact location is variable:
There are several shepherd hooks jammed into the ground around the observation area. These are used to hold suet or hummingbird feeders, depending on the time of year. The exact placement is a tradeoff between sticking them close to the observation window so people get a good look at the birds, and not having so many feeders that it makes so much clutter that the view from the observation room is obstructed and unsightly.
In the summer, we tend to put out two or three hummingbird feeders. In the winter, we put out a couple of suet feeders.
Some photos of the area:
The gate to the wildlife area is at the left of the PEECaBoo wall.The slide lock on the gate. It can be hard to operate, lift by pushing up on the gate with your right hand in the gate portal opening (at the center of the gate), and slide the lock with your left hand. See the picture above.This is a view of the far corner of the area, showing the birdbath attached to the top rail of the fence. Bring a jug of fresh water out, rinse the bath, and fill with fresh water. The nearby shepherd hook is used to hang a hummingbird feeder in the spring, summer, and fall.We usually hang a suet feeder (as shown here) on the angle iron attached to the fence post across from the window.The house-like seed dispenser at the top of this pole feeder is filled with mixed seed. The birds don’t go through this seed very fast, and if you show up and the feeder is more than half full, you can skip adding more seed to it.When you need to add more seed to the house feeder here, raise the lid, and pour in mixed seed. If the feeder is too high to reach easily, and if you are comfortable doing so, stand on the rock next to the pole and add seed from there.There is a small tray feeder screwed into the back of the fence rails across from the observation window. We made these by cutting a piece of PVC pipe in half the long way, and screwing them into the wood. It is our way of attracting birds to the top rail where folks in the observation room can see them without being distracted by the feeder itself. Fill the tray with mixed seed, and don’t worry if a few seeds fall on the ground — the birds are much messier than you are.This is the second of the split PVC tray feeders, on the top of the fence rails across from the window. Fill it up with mixed seed just the other one. There is also a third (brown) split PVC tray feeder on the next fence section, attached to the middle rail. Put mixed seed in that one too.There are three boulders in the area, this is the one closest to the west (mountains), and closest to the observation window. I put a small handful of mixed seed on the top of the rock. It attracts some birds, but mostly attract squirrels and chipmunks, who are the delight of the little kids.This is the boulder nearest the pole feeder. It’s the one you can stand on to fill the pole feeder house if you want to. Like the other two, I put a small handful of mixed seed on its top. The third boulder is one PEECaBoo wall side of the bridge. The drill is the same — one handful of seed.
