Bird Puzzle Feeder: A New Way to Enjoy Your Garden
Birds as performance art
Finches snarf seed from hanging pots (by Alicia Iraclides).
Determined to get some suet cake, this scrub jay did a beak-stand.
Why a bird puzzle feeder?
Titmice' large eyes make them adorable. They go nuts (forgive the pun) over raw peanuts.
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As always, I welcome your comments and questions! ~ Debra
Related info on this site
See Baby Birds (Fledglings) at Feeders
Fledglings are toddlers of the bird world: cute, endearing and fun to watch. They’re awkward, curious, beg loudly, and don’t let their parents out of their sight. You’ll see nine different types of western birds shortly after they’ve left the nest. Look for these flying jewels in your own backyard. I show parents and offspring at unconventional feeders
See Debra’s Idea-Filled Garden
Welcome to my site’s “Debra’s Garden” page. This is where you’ll find photos of plants in my half-acre succulent garden, as shown in my recently released, 15-min. video:” See My Idea-Filled Succulent Spring Garden.” The video came about as a result of my garden looking amazingly beautiful after a rainy April here
You KNOW I love succulents and many other things that grow. But THIS video had me mesmerized. Russ even peeked over my shoulder and watched too. You have such a delightful mixture of avian friends that eagerly accept your gracious hospitality. This bird brain stimulating exercise is teaching them useful skills. I can see that table manners, sharing and passing food is not high on any feathered visitors “To Do” list.
Thank you, Debra, for creating this fascinating video. Cheep 🐥 Cheep ❣️
What a delightful comment from a treasured friend! It was a perfect stay-at-home project. I distilled hours and hours of footage down to 12 minutes. (Fortunately I could look at unedited video on fast-forward. Except for titmice. I had to watch them on real time because they’re already on fast-forward.) Speaking of titmice, I have some cool footage of fledglings. Hopefully, with that of other juveniles who came to the feeders in spring, I can make a baby-bird video!
I really enjoyed (entertained) your video on the bird puzzle feeder. Usually I’m watching squirrels try to get the yummies. Do you have problems with the squirrels attempting to steal the food?
Thank you, Diane! No, thank goodness, we have only ground squirrels in this area. Critters in general can’t get to the feeders, which hang from the eaves above a second-story deck. Also I bring everything in at night.
I have a different thought about this. I live in Maine and it is cold now. Why have a puzzle feeder and make the birds use more energy-just let the birds eat.
The feeder is beautiful and maybe summer would be a good thing.
Hi Celeste — Oh, that makes sense! Your birds contend with winter cold, and getting to food can be a matter of life and death. The less energy they expend, the better.
Stay warm and well, dear one. And give those birds of yours suet! Mine are mad for it, even though they don’t really “need” it.
I would really worry about abrading the birds’ feathers by contact with the wire. It might be fun to watch, but probably not so great for the birds. In wildlife rehabilitation facilities, we go to great lengths to make sure birds don’t come into contact with wire mesh.
Hi Nell — I had no idea (obviously). I’ll not do so in future and advise others to avoid feeders that make birds come into contact with wire. The puzzle was a brief experiment.