Tube Bird Feeders - Start Attracting Birds with Tube Feeders

One of the most common bird feeder types are tube bird feeders.  They are popular for a lot of very good reasons.

First, they are generally inexpensive.  They are simple in constructions, and made of inexpensive materials, so tube bird feeders are not as costly as many other types of feeders.  They are also drop dead simple to use.  Generally, you just hang them up, with the only complicating factor being the need to keep them away from the squirrels.

If squirrels are a problem in your area ( and where are they not a problem?) then you may want to use a squirrel proof feeder.  In this case there are two common approaches to squirrel proofing a feeder.  One is to use a baffle, typically at the top of the feeder, that is supposed to keep the squirrels from climbing down the feeder by simply limiting their access from the top.  In actual practice these are not as effective against a determined squirrel as you might hope, as they can often either climb around it or jump to a spot under it from the mounting pole or a nearby roof or tree.  The other problem is that often the baffle is made from plastic, which will quickly get chewed away by a squirrel.

The other common approach is to cover the tube with a wire mesh or screen to keep the squirrels out.  The downside of this approach is that it keeps some types of birds out as well.  And the ultimate weapon in keeping squirrels out are tube feeders that have moving parts that either swing down under the weight of the squirrel, or some even activate a motor that will swing the squirrel around until it flies off.  Not harmful for the squirrel, but keeps him off nonetheless.

There are a couple of other common variations on the tube feeder that you may be interested in.  The first is the thistle feeder (or what’s known these days as the nyjer bird feeder.)  These tube feeders use a special seed, which is commonly referred to as thistle seed, but is in reality niger seed, which is a small seed that is favored by the American Goldfinch.  These very attractive birds are quite active and a favorite around the feeder as they will flock to a feeder, but they are attracted to the smaller nyjer seed.  The tube feeders used for nyjer seed will often have slots instead of holes, as that will control the flow of the seeds much more effectively.  This will also keep larger birds from dominating the feeder as well.

If you find that a tube feeder is working well in your yard, you may want to step up to a triple tube bird feeder.  A triple tube feeder has a few advantages over the standard feeder.  Because of the fact that it has a larger number of tubes, it will hold a significantly larger amount of seed.  This means you don’t have to refill nearly as often as with a single tube feeder.  Another advantage is that as we saw with the nyjer feeders, different bird species like different types of seeds, so with three tubes you can use three different types of seeds, and in fact some come with a tube configured for nyjer seed.  And finally, with that many tubes you simply have room for more birds to flock to the feeder.

Check out the variety of tube feeders one the market, and you are sure to find one that will work in your back yard.

Tags: thistle feeders | thistle feeders | nyjer feeders | nyjer feeders | bird feeders | bird feeders | tube feeder

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