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Hopper bird feeders are one of the most versatile and traditional bird feeders for your backyard birding oasis.

A few years ago, my mother-in-law asked me what I would like for a birthday present. I responded with (big surprise) a bird feeder.

On my birthday I received a package with a wooden bird feeder. I was ecstatic; it was a beautiful chalet bird feeder. I immediately began plotting where I would put my new feeder. I finally selected a spot only six feet from the edge of our deck.

Within hours of receiving this great gift it was up and functioning.

Hopper bird feeders are simply a bin to hold seed with a roof and floor. Some are round; others are square or rectangular in shape. The seed slips out at the bottom of the wall where openings allow the birds to pick up the seed.

A chalet feeder is rectangular in shape with solid end walls. The longer two sides are usually clear plastic or glass. (Some chalet bird feeders only offer feeding from one side.)

Mine, that I received as a birthday present, is a chalet cedar bird feeder. It will last for years, as it is treated with a wildlife friendly preservative. The acrylic sides slant inward providing shelter from the elements. This keeps the seed drier, and also shields the wild birds from the elements.

The clear sides make it easy to tell when the feeder needs refilling with wild bird seed. This is done by lifting the roof. The clear sides on my chalet bird feeder also slide out to make cleaning a snap.

My lovely wooden bird feeder has separate perches from the seed trough. This allows the birds to perch away from the seed while they nosh, preventing the spread of disease.

A good mixed blend of seed works well and is often used in this style of feeder. This will encourage the perching birds to come and choose their favorites. However, because the birds can choose, chalet feeders also encourage shoveling.

This is a process where some types of birds, especially Blue Jays, will push unwanted seeds onto the ground in their quest to find their preference, peanuts.

There is an easy solution to this problem, just simply fill your feeder with black oil sunflower seed. A large variety of wild birds will still be attracted to it. This eliminates the need to shovel, as all the seeds are the same.

In the winter, our chalet feeder is one of the central feeding stations in the backyard.

Here is an interesting story: One year, we had a very bad snowstorm. Two male Cardinals seemed to be stranded in our backyard. For two days and nights these two beautiful birds huddled in a cedar tree outside our family room window.

They would fly the six feet to the feeder, back and forth. Because the chalet feeder had a large seed capacity we did not have to go near the feeder to fill it, and risk scaring the Cardinals away. When the storm ended the two Cardinals left their safe haven. But from then on, every day at dawn and again just before nightfall, they would return to the feeder. What a joy it was to watch these stunning wild birds!

# posted by Medical Information : 3:07 AM