Saturday, March 14, 2009

This bird feeder has seen a lot of action...

My favorite bird feeder is about 20 years old. My dad made it for me when Rick and I moved from our apartment to our first home. We moved again about ten years later, and I dug it up and took it with us—no way I was going to leave it behind. It has beautiful lichens on the roof….years of raccoon abuse scratched and gnawed into the sides…peeling layers of wood…and it’s on an odd tilt, but I love it and know it will last for years to come. Think of the number of birds who have visited it in 20 years! (Thanks, Dad! I thought this was the best way to mark my 100th blog entry.)

The lichens on the roof of this platform feeder say it all...beautiful! 
This is definitely Red's favorite feeder!
If you have a really cool, worse-for-wear, cherished bird feeder, let me know. We should have a contest!

17 comments:

FAB said...

Congrats on your 100th blog. Well done Dad for making an everlasting feeder.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kelly, well done reaching the 100.
The bird table is really good because it blends in with its background now. A new one would stand out too much. Birds get use to their surroundings.

Steve said...

Well done on your 100th Kelly. Keep 'em comming. You'd never be able to buy a bird table like that, health and safety police would ban it!

Kim said...

Congrats on your 100th post and I love that bird feeder. I like my coconut feeders myself because they are easy to fill and clean.

Laure Ferlita said...

At first I thought that was peeling paint on the top of the feeder - even better that it's lichens! Great gift from dad!

Cool way to mark your 100th and congrats! Do hope you continue to blog as I have already learned so much from you. I was out in the yard with my camera yesterday as I heard our woodpeckers drumming. (Never saw them though.)

I have an old squirrel feeder that might compete with your bird feeder, but nothing as old.

Jayne said...

I don't have any feeders that old, but I do have a bluebird house that I've had for probably 24 years? I am not kidding when I say that I can't begin to count the number of babies raised in that house. And, the bluebird prefer it over any other houses I've had. The bark is peeling off, but I would not part with it for the world.

It was an original made by Mr. Sawyer himself.
(http://www.bluebirdhousing.com)

Jayne said...

P.S. I just realized, it's the house in this photo of the male bluebird feeding a baby. :c)

nina at Nature Remains. said...

Our battered feeders get tossed when they'll no longer hold up. The gnawing of squirrels and heavy-handedness of raccoons usually destroys them beyond repair.
But, some of my feeder photos show the metal reinforcing we've had to add for discouragement!

Congrats on your 100th!

Warren Baker said...

The only worse for ware bird feeder in my household is ME!!!

Anonymous said...

And may you get another 20 years of enjoyment from it!

RuthieJ said...

That's a nice fly-thru feeder Kelly. Most of my birds like the platform feeders best too.
Congrats on 100 blog posts too!

troutbirder said...

Nice blog and great 100 entries. I agree platform feeders are the best, tried and true, old or not.

Kelly said...

...well, I saw my dad today, and he said he's making me a new one this summer. He's making another for himself, as his bit the dust earlier this year. They were both made at the same time 20 years ago! I'll take a new one, but this one isn't going anywhere for a long time!

Frank...Thank you! My dad is very cool, and thank goodness I have him!!

Roy...Thanks! It does blend in. With the lichens on top, it's totally organic!!

Steve...Thanks! Haha...you're right!

Kallen...Thank you. I almost bought a coconut yesterday to try to make one for myself. The famouns Edith Holden/Kallen coconut feeder is next on my list.

Laure...thanks...I'll continue, for a long time. I'm learning so much. I still need to research the woodpeckers' bills...

Jayne...I love Bluebird house you have, and you've got me beat with 24 years. I see the peeling wood, and that makes it wonderful (sort of like old PJs are the most comfortable!).

Nina...thank you! The raccoons are terrible. At night in the summer, they do a lot of damage. The claw and teeth marks are very scary, actually....

Warren....haha...that's funny! I'm actually getting pretty worse for wear too...

Steve....thank you!!! I'd love to get another 20 out of it. If my dad hadn't made it for me it probably wouldn't mean quite as much to me.

Ruthie...thank you!! I even see the Juncos in it even though they prefer the ground. It is definitely a favorite of the birds...

Kelly said...

Hi Troutbirder...your comment popped on just as I sent my reply to the other comments. Thank you! True...the birds will like the new platform feeder dad is going to make just as well as the old one. P.S. I always have liked that bear in your photo. Must have been pretty cool to be that close to a bear in the wild!

Shelley said...

Congratulations on your 100th post! And I love that birdfeeder - the years have brought much character to it!

Heather said...

I don't have any old feeders, but one of our metal tube feeders got the heck chewed out of the ports last year by the squirrels. Little buggers! Oh, and congrats on your 100th post!

Kelly said...

Thanks, Shelley and Heather! It does have character...I love that. The squirrels are so cute, but between them and the raccoons, a lot of damage is dished out!