The Birdhouse Nature Store

THE BIRDHOUSE NATURE STORE

home of the famous “Right Stuff” bird feed

82 Main Street, Brighton

613-475-9510

BIRDFEEDING HAS BECOME BIG BUSINESS – MAKE SURE YOU FEED “THE RIGHT STUFF” AND NOT THE WRONG STUFF!

In Birdfeeding Workshops that I conducted back in the days when I used to work at Quinte Conservation, it was my belief that one should strive to feed only high-quality mixtures. Budget mixtures attract only budget birds; high quality mixtures promote an attractive mix of colourful winter birds. It has been almost 25 years since I presented those workshops around the Bay of Quinte area, but that belief still holds true today.

Bags of so-called mixed bird seed that are sold in big box stores are manufactured by companies who strive only to capitalize on a popular and growing hobby, and to make a fast buck; they have little interest in offering a well balanced and nutritious mixture. Their interest is in moving product as fast and as cheaply as they can to an unassuming public.

You may pay a little more for high quality mixed bird feed, but you reap untold benefits in the end, by ensuring that your feeder clientele is well fed and healthy, and will return day after day to sample the menu that you prepare for them. And, isn’t that the main reason we feed birds? No, we don’t feed birds because they need us and we feel obligated to do so; we feed birds because we want to see them in our backyard, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Feeding birds DOES NOT interrupt migratory habits, nor do birds become dependent on us. We are just another stop in many that birds make in their daily search for food. So, let’s do it right!

Many years ago, one-time owner and proprietor of The Birdhouse Nature Store when it was located in Wooler, Connie Crowe, worked at developing a mixture that would satisfy the needs of birds and she did this by carefully taking note of which species ate what food. She knew that many of the commercially packaged bird feed mixtures contained few sunflower seeds, but lots and lots of millet and fillers that remained scattered and uneaten on the ground. This uneaten food would attract rodents and become a breeding ground for bacteria and, ultimately, disease. And, guess what? We, as consumers, paid for this waste! Connie meticulously tested different seeds in her backyard property and noted what was, and was not eaten, in what proportions and eventually developed the recipe that still exists today – The Right Stuff.

The Right Stuff became a hit! In taking over the store in October of 2017, new owner Bobbi Wright and her staff understood that you don’t fix what isn’t broken. Today, The Right Stuff is as popular as it was when Connie developed it. Hand mixed daily from prime sourced, fresh ingredients, with much pride and love for the process by the staff who love the birds they’re mixing it for.

Closed Mondays

Open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-5pm

Sundays 12-4pm

THE BIRDHOUSE NATURE STORE website