Platform Feeder with a Twist

Alice Droske and her husband, John, of Elk Mound, Wisconsin, figured that a big wooden spool from their local electric company would make a good bird feeder. What they came up with was what they later dubbed their "backyard airport," a giant plywood platform feeder with a generous slanted shingle-and-tarpaper roof—a veritable avian hangar.

"It works great!" says Droske. "Juncos, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, and goldfinches are regular diners. A few resident chipmunks visit, too, but there’s enough room for everyone."

Plants and Berries—All-Round Bird Attractants

Pyracantha (Scarlet Firethorn), a four-foot-high nonnative shrub full of red-orange berries, proved to be a hit with Susan Ogleby’s backyard birds, plus plenty of feathered visitors she didn’t know were close by.

"I planted the bush in early fall within my FeederWatch site and immediately a family of Western Bluebirds—two adults, two juveniles—camped out in a nearby tree, eating berries all day long," says the Paso Robles, California, resident. "A Hermit Thrush, several American Robins, and Cedar Waxwings found it, too. Quite a party."

One FeederWatcher says the well-being of birds is a great excuse to just let her summer garden "go."

"I have resolved not to pull up any of the sunflower seedlings that germinated after being dropped from the feeders. This will make the finches very happy," says Marilyn Hardy of Seattle, Washington. "I am also not going to remove any of the rose hips from my old roses. This will please the chickadees immensely. And the fuchsia baskets will stay out as long as they produce any flowers. The hummers prefer them to my hummer sauce."

My Pre-FeederWatching Checklist

•Check your records. "I review my past year’s bird food and expense records, which I keep on a computer, to determine which type of food my FeederWatch birds like best," says Melissa Kimak of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "During 1998–99, for example, black-oil sunflower seed, safflower, peanuts, and peanut butter were well received. That’s what I’ll be buying again this year. Keeping records helps me make a FeederWatching budget, too."

•Check out your feeders. "Inventory all feeders. Clean, repair, and replace any that are in need," adds Kimak.

•Survey your FeederWatch site. "I have a brush pile at my feeder site that the birds dive into for shelter and perch upon," says Kimak. "I add yard waste and fallen leaves and branches to it in late summer and early fall, creating an even cozier escape."

"These 16-inch-high hard-plastic owls, sold to scare gulls from small boats, scare away my feeder birds, too," says Robert Weismantel of Ringwood, New Jersey. "I put one near my front picture window and a second outside my back window. They work great, reducing window strikes by 90 percent during the past two FeederWatch seasons. Really! It’s one more window-strike prevention."

Thanks to everyone who sent in FeederWatching ideas. We always welcome your helpful hints, especially if they are accompanied by crisp, clear photographs.