Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v05n05)
Right in my Own Backyard - What's New for Feeding Birds - by Brandt Carter
posted: Feb. 29, 2008
What's New for Feeding Birds
We've recently returned from the Birdwatch America tradeshow in Atlanta, GA. This twice yearly extravaganza provides a marketplace for people with backyard bird feeding stores. Discovering all the new products is exciting, and I'm eager to tell you about a few. Perhaps there are some you might like in your backyard.
The traditional metal tube and wooden hopper feeders were plentiful. We looked at some great Droll Yankee (the "Cadillac" of birdfeeders) peanut tube feeders with bottom hooks for attaching another feeder or a suet cage. There's also now a line of stainless steel feeders and suet holders. The move to "green" is on. A bit pricier, feeders and houses made from recycled plastics can last for years, clean up easily, and never fade. We found the pop-up birdfeeder pockets designed by British engineers and seen on HGTV. They are fun, inexpensive, and can be mailed in an 8x10 envelope - quite nifty!
Special bird feeding items that caught our eyes include
Blue Jay feeders with larger side holes so jays can pull whole peanuts- Solar-powered electrical feeders that jolt intruding squirrels
- Blinking night lights to deter nocturnal animals
- Covered feeders for feeding fruit, jelly, and meal worms
- Canned meal worms and fly larvae with a five-year shelf life
- Decorative, elegant copper feeders and birdbaths
- Log birdbaths with drippers and recirculating pumps
- Mini-cams for watching birds intently
- Tuned wind chimes as tall as a person
What amazed us as we walked the show was the number of engineers and designers working on new concepts, new designs, and improvements to interest folks who enjoy attracting nature to their backyards. From simple seed feeders or elegant hummingbird nectar feeders to roosting and bat boxes, customers have lots of options for creating unique and diverse nature habitats, be those small or large spaces.
brandt@broadripplegazette.com