For Father's Day, we stayed at a very good bed and breakfast place, The Inn at the River in Weston, WI. We had stayed there more than once before that and were impressed. While we were there, Lynn enjoyed watching the birds that flocked around and at their feeders. She mentioned that she is a bird watcher and enjoyed watching the flights, the energetic ins and outs. The owners advised us to visit Wild Birds Unlimited, which has a store nearby. We did and liked the place.
Lynn bought some new feeders, with baffles. The cone-shaped baffles are important for keeping squirrels and chipmunks out of the feeders. Those mammals confidently climb up the posts, aiming for a feast, but the higher the climb, the more solidly they are surrounded by black metal with no way out. The first climb or two, you can puzzled looks and hear cussing. Eventually, they reach the conclusion that climbing doesn't pay off.
The Inn uses large "logs", cylindrical cakes of seeds and worms, and had lots of birds on them. We have a log but it doesn't get as much attention as two open trays suspended by chains at the four corners. Lynn has been interested in larger birds like doves and crows which are often too big to find a perch and simultaneously reach bird feed. The open trays work for all the birds.
In Wild Birds Unlimited, we saw their large screen tv with a permanent setting to a cam focused on feeders at the Cornell Ornithology Lab.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/
You can see live birds landing, feeding and taking off.
We certainly didn't expect to return from a Father's Day outing with new feeders and ideas.
