(Part 1 Tube Feeder) TLLG's BACK-STORY of Rain or Shine Feeders

I am posting something today as a follow-up to the entry that I posted on here on hometalk.com (6-28-13). The rain (CB feeder) or shine (WBUSS feeder) feeders that I referred to (in that entry) were procured after much experimentation with other feeders; and that experimentation is what I'd like to share with you today. I do this with the hopes that it might help you in the event that you are new to birding, OR, if you are a seasoned birder it might bring you a chuckle or two!
Josiah Gilbert Holland, an American novelist and poet, once said, "God gives every bird its food, but he does not throw it into the nest," and the quotation is layered with meaning; but since this is not a dissertation, but rather it is a web-post, I am only focusing on one aspect of the quotation, and that is the literal translation.
Since God does not throw food into the birds' nests and since I can't see their nests, I provide food for birds that visit my urban (NYC) garden in a variety of ways; and this HT entry is a pictorial account of some of the ways I have done this in the past (prior to my getting the rain and shine feeders).
Birds in general have only been visiting my garden (that I know of) since the summer of 2012, when a visit by humming birds was brought to my attention by a gardener extraordinaire, Juan V, who saw one of them alighting on a Heuchera plant which was growing at the northeast end of my garden. Juan's discovery prompted me to get special hummingbird feeders, which I documented in an entry on tumblr @ http://thelastleafgardener.tumblr.com/post/2...
Two of the hummingbird feeders are pictured below (photos one and two). They were placed in my garden with another one, but none of them attracted hummingbirds; however, that does not mean they did not visit whilst I was not around. In any event I eventually gave two of the hummingbird feeders to my sister to put in her garden and the other one was given to my mother. To this day these feeders still remain in the box in which I shipped them to my sister as she is evidently not a fan of birds.
My next attempt at feeding the birds was to use a BLING style feeder (pictured below, photo three) that I hung on my bamboo urban hedge (a hedge I plan to describe sometime next week here on HT but if you'd like to read about it now, related posts are @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/search/la...
However, my BLING feeder was never visited, and so I sent it to my Aunt Sandy, who did open the box it came in, and who, with her husband, put it up and they subsequently have enjoyed seeing visiting birds nosh there.
After this I tried an array of feeders which include (in order of my attempts to use):
A (Droll Tube)
B (Clear Dome)
C (Wooden House)
D (Peanut Tower)
E (Yellow Niger)
F (Large All-Purpose Tower)
G (Medium Brown Niger)
H (Recycled House)
I (Small Peanut Tower)
J (Small Niger)
My experience with all of these led me to the rain (CB Feeder) or shine (WBUSS Feeder) feeding system!
Because I have mentioned ten feeders in the paragraph above, I'll just cover a few feeders per a posting as to not overwhelm anyone.
The Droll tube feeder was suggested to me upon my noticing a lone female cardinal visiting my garden. Juan V hung the feeder from a bracket (as seen in picture four). The place where Juan V hung it in my garden was the only place (at the time) where it could hang, which meant I was not able to have a good view of my visiting birds noshing from it (as you might surmise from images five through eight). BUT Cam (my lone female cardinal) would not nosh from there even though those in the know said she would eat from the Droll! What she did do was nosh on the "crumbs" the house finches dropped (the type of bird pictured in images five through eight).
Therefore, I subsequently set the Droll feeder atop a number of places in my garden, including a table, which seemed to delight a number of the wild birds (images nine through twenty) which visit my urban (NYC) garden, beginning with Cam (in image nine), who seemed thrilled by the idea of not having to perch! However, a chickadee seemed to enjoy the Droll tube wherever I put it (evidenced in images twenty-one and twenty two), as did the mourning doves — even in the snow — as you might surmise from images twenty-three and twenty-four)!
I'm ending this series with an image of a rain-soaked sweet house finch, as it is this type of situation that led me to "rain" feeders, but the first one I tried was a dome and I'll report on that in a different entry. Please stay tuned!
Hummingbird Feeder alongside Heuchera Plant flowers. Details on Feeder @ http://thelastleafgardener.tumblr.com/search/humming+birds AND Details on Heuchera plant @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/search/label/Heuchera%20%27Marmalade
Hummingbird Feeder in my garden: Details on Feeder @ http://thelastleafgardener.tumblr.com/search/humming+birds
My "BLING" Feeder was featured on TLLG's FB Page @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=370503789665667&set=a.355589574490422.73015.247917655257615&type=1
Food from the Droll tube feeder was ULTIMATELY enjoyed by many a bird as evidenced from the photo-ops @ http://pinterest.com/thellgardener/my-birds-their-feeders/
This image of house finches partaking in food from the Droll was featured in a "story" @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/01/another-year-over-and-new-one-just_10.html
This image was included in an entry within TLLG's Blogger Pages @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/07/oh-where-oh-where-has-my-sweet-cardinal.html
This image was included in an entry within TLLG's Blogger Pages @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/11/god-gives-every-bird-its-food-but-he.html
This image was included in an entry within TLLG's Blogger Pages @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/11/god-gives-every-bird-its-food-but-he.html
Cam was enthused to have the Droll feeder atop a table in my garden as opposed to where it had been hanging! Her enthusiasm "earned' her a role @ http://vimeo.com/46157152 AND a spot in TLLG's Banner @ https://www.facebook.com/TheLastL
My sweet gal, a house finch also enjoyed having the Droll feeder on the table as opposed to where it had been hanging! Story @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/01/another-year-over-and-new-one-just_13.html
Mourning Doves will eat from any place but this guy/gal seemed happy (view One) with the Droll on a table @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/11/god-gives-every-bird-its-food-but-he.html
Mourning Doves will eat from any place but this guy/gal seemed happy (View Two) with the Droll on a table @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/11/god-gives-every-bird-its-food-but-he.html
It looks as if the house finch was pretty happy with the feeder arrangement @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=412042782178434&set=pb.247917655257615.-2207520000.1372796446.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.n
The male house finch also loved the new locale for the Droll @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2012/11/god-gives-every-bird-its-food-but-he.html AND INFO ON FINCHES IS @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/search/label/Finches
The tuft titmouses are SOOO sweet. Details on this "loner" (View One) at the tube feeder @ enjoyed the tube @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/01/another-year-over-and-new-one-just_17.html AND details on tuft tit
The tuft titmouses are SOOO sweet. Details on this "loner" (View Two) at the tube feeder @ enjoyed the tube @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/01/another-year-over-and-new-one-just_17.html AND details on tuft tit
A grainy photo but enough detail to see a downy woodpecker enjoyed the Droll tube from a tray @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/01/another-year-over-and-new-one-just_17.html
A "lone" chickadee (View One) uses the Droll's perch as a launching pad @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=433369373379108&set=pb.247917655257615.-2207520000.1372786253.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%
This image was featured in a tribute to he dearly departed Starr Saphir @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/04/thinking-of-starr-saphir.html
Featured in a story @ http://www.thelastleafgardener.com/2013/03/waiting-for-spring.html
The Mourning Doves enjoying a picnic in a nor'easter storm @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=467963703253008&set=pb.247917655257615.-2207520000.1372783640.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-prn1%2F53571
As I stated I'm ending with this image an image of a rain-soaked sweet house finch, as it is this type of situation that led me to "rain" fedeers but the first one I tried was a dome and I'll report on that in a different entry.
TheLastLeafGardener
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • TheLastLeafGardener TheLastLeafGardener on Jul 03, 2013
    Thanks for your kind words @Robyn. Pls let me know how your BLING feeder (sliced bread) works out!
  • Sherry Knott Sherry Knott on Jan 01, 2015
    Where can I purchase the glass jars you used for your hummingbird feeders? I don't know what they're called & have searched everywhere I can think of. I have 2 beautiful chandeliers I picked up at a junk store I want to use these to make stunning hummingbird feeders :-)
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    • Sherry Knott Sherry Knott on Jan 20, 2015
      @TheLastLeafGardener Thank you so much for your reply and your help. Please allow me to offer condolences on your loss. It is hard to lose a friend and loved one, and seems harder during the holiday season. Prayers for you and all those who suffered this loss. I finally did find some websites that carried those glass jars but they were soooooo expensive it wouldn't be worth it for me to make what I envisioned so, being the up-purposer (is that a word?), I am currently working on a different sort of plan for my chandelier hummingbird feeder. Hoping it works out. Eventually, I WILL find a way to make something work. I always do! Hubby and I love our birds, too (we live on a big farm with our home literally in the woods on 3 sides and a big field in front), so we have all sorts of wildlife here--including predators, unfortunately, but we are also blessed with many birds. Two days ago, we counted 44 red-breasted robins feeding in our sunflower patch right along with our "girls", seven free-ranging (cooped at night) Rhode Island Reds. They were so beautiful & I have never seen so many at once! What a sight! As a fellow gardener, bird lover & wildlife freak I am going to "Like" your facebook page! I also do creative artistry so I'd like to invite you to visit my artwork page at https://www.facebook.com/whatknotts. Thanks again! Sherry
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