Real stories and observations from over 15 years managing feeders and the store that sold them. Blake Foster writes about what he actually saw work, what customers kept getting wrong, and why the same problems show up in every yard. No product roundups, no recycled tips. Just firsthand experience from someone who has set up, cleaned, and troubleshot more feeders than he can count.
For three summers, I barely touched my bird feeders. My regulars did not disappear. Here is what I actually learned about stepping back during the hottest months, why the endless summer maintenance might not be necessary, and how my backyard routine improved when I finally took a break. Why I Rethought the Summer Grind Whenever … Read more
People often ask why their inexpensive bird food just ends up rotting on the grass. From what I have seen at the store, the answer always comes down to the ingredient list. Most discount bags are packed with heavy filler grains that wild birds simply refuse to eat. When you buy cheap bird seed, you … Read more
More Americans feed backyard birds than play golf. You just never hear about it. Millions of people buy seed every single week, yet it rarely comes up in casual conversation at the office. This pastime lacks the flashy gear of other outdoor hobbies or the loud stadiums of professional sports, but the data proves it … Read more
Over my retail career answering questions at a wild bird store, I could usually diagnose a quiet backyard within thirty seconds of talking to a customer. Most people assumed the birds in their neighborhood simply vanished, but the reality was almost always a basic setup error. These are the five most common bird feeder mistakes … Read more
If you spend enough time behind the counter of a wild bird store, you start to notice a pattern. People rarely start feeding backyard birds because they have a deep, preexisting love for ornithology. They usually start because something in their own life shifted, and they suddenly needed a reason to look out the window. … Read more