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From: MBlanchrd at aol.com
Return-path: <MBlanchrd at aol.com>
To: sanjer at televar.com
Subject: Report on bird feeder
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 20:03:47 EST
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I recently was fortunate enough to win a contest in which the prize was a
prototype of a tube style bird feeder. Following is a report of the
'performance' of this feeder.

Jerry Converse built this feeder. It's constructed of PVC pipe. The cap is
removable without attachment to the tube, and the bottom is removable for easy
cleaning. I see big plusses for it's size and build...I already can see that
cleaning it will be a breeze, as it's virtually indestructible. I use a lot of
bleach and hot water when I clean feeders, even in winter. This one will be
easy to clean.

It's big enough to hold four pounds of sunflower seeds. I filled it with four
pounds of black oil sunflower seed. I did not try any other type of seed, as I
don't feed milo,millet, etc. However I don't foresee any problems feeding
these seeds.
I hung the feeder in the spot where I've had a Duncraft tube feeder
hanging for years. The species that normally feed in my feeders (I feed year
round) are house finches, goldfinches, pine siskins (sometimes), evening
grosbeaks, Stellar's jays, the occasional blackheaded grosbeak, and the
occasional purple finch.

It took the birds two to three days to accept the feeder. Of course, it
was the HY's who took to it first, and AHYs soon followed suit. There are
several other feeders in the immediate vicinity, both hopper style feeders and
tube feeders, as well as ground feeders. I have several species that are
strictly ground feeders..mourning doves and juncos. While the juncos will feed
in the hopper feeders, I've never seen one attempt to feed from a tube style
feeder.

The feeder is sturdy. It's wide enough to be easily filled while it's
standing on the ground. This is an aspect I appreciate, as smaller tube
feeders are never stable enough to stand on their own foot, so to speak. Not
having to hold the feeder while I'm filling it allows me to better control the
flow of seed into the feeder.

It has no seed tray, another aspect I like. I find that seed trays allow
seed to pile up, and because they never drain properly, you soon have wet,
moldy seed right in the feeder. Western Washington's climate is wet most of
the year, and keeping feeders clean and mold free is a challenge.

The feeders four pound capacity is another aspect I like. I don't have to
fill this one every single day, something I have to do with my smaller,
commercially made tube feeders. When I've had to go away for two or three
days, I've found it's hard to find a pet sitter who understands the importance
of keeping bird feeders filled.
Four pounds of feed doesn't make the feeder so heavy that a woman with
shoulder problems like myself can't hang it up. Yet the weight of the feed
keeps it pretty stable. My area usually has a steady west wind, and at times
my other tube feeders are "hanging" horizontally in the breeze. However, this
feeder's heavy enough to stay vertical as it should, giving the birds a
ride..but they can still feed.

The eight feeder ports are sufficient to keep a bunch of hungry birds
feeding, and yet doesn't allow the feeder to be emptied as quickly as if it
had more. The perches are unique. You can adjust them to move in or out to
your liking. This allows the smaller birds access to the ports, and yet big
birds, like Stellar's jays, can't perch on it and eat at the same time. I
think the birds also appreciate the perches presentation to the feeder port.
Most tube style feeders force the bird to eat with its head sideways.
When my birds first started feeding on this feeder, they fed the same way as
on the typical, straight rod style perch in my Duncraft feeder. However, a few
smart ones figured out this wasn't necessary, they could feed directly from
the feeder port with twisting their necks. Perhaps I'm being anthropomorphic
(and why not....anyone who's had a pet cat bring mice home for the family
larder will agree that animals can be anthropomorphic, too.) but I think the
birds appreciate this.

The best aspect of this feeder,though, is the price. I warn you, this is
not a fancy feeder. It's functional as a Swiss army knife, but it's not
pretty. No clear plastic, no metal perches, no fancy pot metal cap. However,
the feeders that are pretty are also very spendy. I priced one at a local
retail outlet, one that was approximately the same size as Jerry's, and they
wanted $59.95 for it!!.
That's awfully spendy for a bird feeder. Heck, for that price it ought to
fill itself!
Jerry tells me he's not going to ask that kind of price for his feeder. I'm
told the price will be a lot lower, and much more within my budget.

All in all, I am glad I was the lucky one to win this feeder, because I'm
going to keep it and use the heck out of it, and probably buy another from
Jerry. It's sturdy, functional, and best of all, affordable.
If you have any questions about this feeder, I'd be glad to give you more of
my humble opinions, or you can ask Jerry about it. His address is
sanjer at televar.com


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