Red loves his new platform feeder!

Earlier this winter, the platform feeder my dad made me back in 1990 when Rick and I moved from our apartment into our first house died. I went out to stock it with seed, and it was shattered on the ground...raccoon, squirrel...Sasquatch? Who knows who dealt the final blow. All I knew was it broke my heart. That feeder was part of our backyard landscape for over 26 years, and because my dad made it, I loved it all the more. It was Red's favorite feeder as well, and I was surprised how hollow it made me feel to look out and not see Red and his buddies crowded around eating sunflower seeds from it. The thought of putting a new store-bought feeder in its place made me feel even worse, so I just threw seed on the ground and ignored the gaping hole until Rick stepped in to save the day by making a beautiful "Cedar Palace" for Red and me...

Red and his buddies took to Rick's cedar platform feeder right away. When the snow melts away,
I will take a few closeups of of it. The Cedar Palace is a work of art...no nails, btw...all mortise and tenon.

Rick took the dimensions from my dad's feeder and got to work. He came up with his own design, and even made cedar shakes for the roof by hand. This thing is sturdy and will no doubt last as long as my dad's, which when added to my current age will make me 80...wait...80???? That can't be right, but after a quick re-add, it is. (I think I'm going to ignore that bit of info for now and just keep watching, painting, and photographing the birds.)

If you want to see my dad's old feeder, click here for the post from 2009, "This bird feeder has seen a lot of action..." It was only 20 years old back then!

(Thank you, Dad, for making the best bird feeder ever, and thank you, Rick, for carrying on the tradition. Lots of hearts, lots of smiley faces, lots of love.)

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!