I’m supposed to be the bird feeder guy. I’m embarrassed to report a failure of great proportions. My least favorite feeder. the one that was gifted to me. It was supposed to keep the squirrels out. It had a cage contraption the moved up and down. When the squirrel landed on it, the cage went dowdward blocking access to the food. The birds hated it and were confused by it. I took the cage off and now use it like a regular bird feeder. It holds a lot of feed. Because it holds so much it’s hard to determine if the birds like it because it takes so long for the level of seed to go down. It always looks full so I neglect it, but that is just an excuse.

We’ve had rains recently and things have been damp. I checked the feeder this afternoon and was surprised to see moldy seed. It’s not that I caught it early either, there was mold up and down the thing. To make matter worse and to my horror, thick, hardened seed started to sprout. My bird feeder looked more like a terrarium with plants growing on top and on the sides. I had neglected this feeder for far too long with dire results. Moldy seed can upset the sensitive digestive systems of the little birds. By my inaction, I jeopardized their lives.

I removed the feeder and added suet to the cage to mitigate the disaster. Then I removed the embedded seed and washed the feeder in the sink outside. the feeder now is completely taken apart and cleaned out. If I use this feeder again, fresh seed in nominal amounts will go into it. The more seed I put the less likely I am to replenish it and it needs looking after weekly.