I tend to get all revved up every year just about now. I have washed all my small feeders that have been in storage since spring, and the larger ones I have spray washed with a pressure washer. The other day, I gave them a fresh coat of paint. They are ready for the winter feeding season to begin – all 30+ of them!

That is not to say I haven’t been feeding our summer birds all summer. I have. A niger feeder, sunflower seed feeder, suet cakes, and a half dozen bird baths. It has been a great summer, with blue jays, downy woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, gray catbirds, brown thrashers, mourning doves and an assortment of others, all bringing their young to partake of my offerings. I even have a raccoon that seldom misses a night and for him it has been a crust of bread, a wiener and a handful of dog kibble.

My bird feeder setup is just out from my office window. In winter, when I am staring at the computer screen desperately searching for profound thoughts to insert into an article, I find it very therapeutic when I look out the window and watch the birds feeding. My mind seems to clear, and life has meaning again.

That is why I have put so much work into my bird feeder setup. The 30+ feeders are all contained in a space outside my window, measuring approximately 50 feet by 50 feet. A bit congested, I’ll admit, but in that space is a variety of attractants including a large maple, a red cedar, a sugar maple, white spruce, honeysuckle and a variety of other smaller trees and shrubs. They form almost a perimeter fence of sorts with an open area in the centre, occupied, of course, by other feeders on poles. A small water garden complements the setting, and in winter the birds even have a heated pool! The large bird bath has a built in de-icer and activity at the bird bath is brisk most days.

I keep the entire ground area free of snow, either with a large snow pusher shovel, a small electric snow blower, or when the skies really dump on us, a 20 hsp Toro garden tractor snowblower. I have a small storage compartment, designed to hold three garbage cans. This is where the bird feed is stored where it will be handy. However, I soon learned that a plastic structure is no match for squirrels, and this year I  replaced it with an aluminum garden shed, containing a light of course, and lots of room for my bird feed, and a rack to store the bird feeders in summer that are not in use. Currently a flood light illuminates the feed area outside, since the area is prepared for the day long before the first ray of light appears, and the feeders topped up. You have to be early as tree sparrows are poking about before darkness has left completely.

Am I a bit eccentric for going to all this trouble and expense? I would like to think not and the bird feeder yard in winter has drawn many a motorist into our driveway to catch sight of some of the guests. To say it is my pride and joy would be an understatement. I derive a lot of enjoyment from maintaining my feeder yard, and the joy of watching the daily clientel interact with each other is very relaxing. We need that in our lives. It is more than just a hobby with me; it is a release valve when deadlines are looming, and the window is a big screen onto the natural world that changes programming by itself every day, and year by year.

So if you are considering following my example and going into bird feeding in a big way, go for it. You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, and I will be right there cheering you on. Watch this section of the NatureStuff website monthly for updates on the exciting pastime of birdfeeding, and for photos taken from our feathered “Wing Inn Restaurant and Bar”.

 (Photo credits and descriptions of photos can be seen by "mousing over" each photo. )

Got questions about birdfeeding? Send an e-mail