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Fill Your Bird Feeders

Back when I had one bird feeder in the yard, supplying the treats was easy. But as my interest in birds grew, so did the number of feeders, especially since I tried to meet the feeding requirements of many of the 20-some species that frequent our yard. Moving heavy cans of seed and bending to scoop up the contents began to take its toll on my arthritic back. But no more.

My husband, Walt, has provided a solution that delights me and makes me ready to refill any feeder the minute I notice it's empty. He designed and then built a clever filling station.

The two-layered cabinet is 46" high x 38" long x 26" deep. It features a lower level with two front doors and an upper recessed shelf above a storage area for three five-gallon buckets of seed. The upper section contains a pull-out tray mounted on sturdy 22-inch kitchen cabinet slides. When pulled out, it allows access to buckets up to five-gallon size that contain three kinds of seed and also leaves adequate room to place the feeders as they need filling. I can stand comfortably to refill the units, with no more spilled seed. A variety of properly sized scoops kept on that level makes the job easy.

The station is painted white and trimmed with green and is attached to the outside kitchen wall on our back porch; it blends in nicely with the house decor.

The extended tray is also an ideal place to refill my six hummingbird feeders after they are cleaned. These nosey little creatures often dive-bomb past my head as I work, because they immediately notice an absent feeder. They seem to enjoy supervising, and they quickly sample the various feeders as they are returned to their locations. Why six? Because often a dominant male likes to chase others away. With some of the feeders out of his view, all my hummingbirds enjoy the nectar.

Feeding the birds has made changes in our lives. I get a pleasant wake-up call in the morning when I hear some bird chatter. I look out through a plastic window feeder attached to my bedside window and see cardinals and finches starting their day with sunflower seeds. Later, as I do the dishes, I am entertained by birds at a feeder that hangs outside my kitchen window. On a summer day, I often sit in a swing to read, but pages remain unturned as the birds' antics distract and command attention. Friends visit and are fascinated by seeing so much color and activity up close.

As a mom and a grandmother, my family considers me the easiest person in the world on holidays. Bird feeders and gadgets come my way, and it's not unusual to see someone arrive lugging huge bags of (often exotic) birdseed on birthdays, Mother's Day, and Easter. These are gifts I truly appreciate.

I supply ears of dried corn for the squirrels (shared by the bluejays) and scatter mixed seed in the wooded section of our property. On several occasions one of the large cans of seed was left out on the porch. We returned to find a hole chewed in the lid and the contents spilled all over. The new feeder filling station has ended that.