Modern Ball Bird Feeder

No dried and hollowed out gourds here; we have taken bird feeders to the height of modernity. Imagine the resort your backyard will become when graced with a medley of colorful chirping birds. You can even turn an apartment rooftop, small patio, or front porch into a song-filled respite. You’ll be well on your way to this mini vacation with a few strategically placed bird feeders and some delicious seed for your feathered friends to feast on.

Our favorite bird feeder is the Modern Bird Ball Feeder. This award winning design by Eva Solo is graceful and simplistic, made of mouth blown transparent glass. It is perfect for birds to perch on as well. Many wild birds are clinging birds, meaning that they will grasp on to the small opening in the center of the globe. This feeder perfectly blends beauty and practicality.

Did you know that different types of Aves may be attracted with different varieties of bird seed? Black oil sunflower seeds are a great choice for your yard. They are loved by bright-red cardinals. With a habitat that includes most of the United States, from Canada all the way down to the Gulf States, cardinals are easy to draw to your bird feeder, and visually stunning.

male cardinal

Mixes that include millet will attract graceful beige and gray mourning doves, as well as sprightly sparrows. If you live East of the Rocky Mountains, you can lure the eastern bluebird to your feeder with a mix of suet, fruits and berries. Adorable gold finches will devour nyjer seeds, which are tiny little black seeds that are rich in oil content and calories. No need for birds to watch their waistlines; you’ll be helping them to store up. It takes a lot of caloric energy to fly!

mourning doves

Since birds don’t have teeth, they swallow bits of grit to help grind up the food in their gizzards. You can include a bit of grit mixed in with your bird food in order to help attract them to your feeder. Crushed up eggshells make a terrific grit, and are particularly loved by pigeons. As a bonus, eggshells contain calcium, which birds need for egg-laying. Just make sure to bake the eggshells first in order to kill off any salmonella or other pathogens that they may carry. Remove the membrane, then place them in a 250 degree oven for just 5 minutes, or nuke them in the microwave for 2 minutes. Toss them in a zip-top bag and roll over them with a rolling pin to crush them. Voila!

pigeon, or rock dove

As the Chinese proverb states, “a bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.” With the right blend of birdseed and a chic bird feeder, you’ll enjoy by the sound of bird song in your own backyard. We are certain that you will be surprised by how many of these wild outdoor pets you will soon call your own.

Tags: backyard birds, bird feeders, bird feeding

This entry was posted on Monday, November 2nd, 2009 at 2:36 pm and is filed under Garden, Shopping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.