We receive a substantial number of requests for bird feeders with large capacities of seed and for good reason. People now live very active lives and bird populations are at a healthy level. Feeders holding a lot of seed can last several days without refilling and have become very popular. Matter of fact, our best selling line of feeder is our largest capacity feeders. Yet each model has varied seed quantities and capabilities with the smallest holding ten pounds of feed and the largest thirty. Due to their varied designs though, each produce different results to meet the needs of most birders.
When looking to purchase a large feeder, first ask yourself what you really need. Is this your first large feeder? What are your actual feeding needs? What birds do you wish to attract? Also, and very important, where will you set it up and do you have the capability of doing so correctly?
If you are erecting a large feeder for the first time because you have a single hanging feeder in a tree, you may not need as large a feeder as can be purchased. For our customers in this category, we steer them to our "smallest" large feeder for one simple reason, they probably do not have the bird population to consume the feed fast enough. Seed that sets in a feeder too long may become stale, rot or begin to sprout. Rain, melting snow and even humidity can affect seed in a negative way and once it goes bad, your birds will not eat it.
The next question to ask yourself is what are your actual feeding needs? If you are home daily or throughout the day a smaller sized feeder will be fine. If you travel for work or are away for extended periods of time, a larger feeder may be needed to keep your birds well fed. If the bird populations are low or high a feeder to meet this population is the best choice.
One of the most important questions to ask yourself is what are your actual feeding needs and what birds do I wish to attract? If you already have a healthy population of feeding birds, going big on a feeder is a natural and correct step to take. But, not all big feeders are designed the same. To the casual observer, our line of large feeders look pretty much alike but this is absolutely not the fact. Keep in mind, even a large feeder can accommodate or discourage larger birds. Our most popular large feeder is one that has an ample feed platform allowing the larger, clumsier birds to land and feed in relative comfort. When you look closely at our largest capacity feeders, you would notice the feeding area around the base is the smallest of all since it needs to accommodate an overly large hopper. This is good if you wish discourage the largest birds like Blue Jays and Mourning Doves and attract more small birds such as Chickadees and Cardinals. But, if you desire a feeder to feed everyone, a more open feeding area surrounding the hopper is a better choice. An excellent question to ask of any large feeder is; what birds does this feeder cater to?
Lastly, and of great importance, where will the new feeder be set up and are you capable of doing so correctly? A huge feeder needs an appropriate location in order to garner as much enjoyment as possible from the investment. Big feeders are designed to be the pinnacle feeder of the yard and need an appropriate location with an excellent, open view. Since these feeders receive tremendous traffic, a substantial number of birds tend to congregate in the nearest cover. The view should be as open as possible to include bushes, hedges, brambles and other vegetative locations allowing you to watch your birds as they peacefully rest or interaction with one another.
As feeders get bigger, they need very stable posts for mounting. In the case of our largest feeder, with an unreasonable amount of wet heavy snow, the whole set up can weigh over 135 pounds. This feeder weighs 20 pounds, holds 30 pounds of seed and its roof is capable of loading up on 85 pounds of frozen snow and ice producing a seriously top heavy feeder. To compound this issue further, bring on some gale force winds to test the supporting post plus the ground its set into. An incorrectly set post can possibly topple over with great force doing damage to anything in its way and probably damaging the feeder at the same time. Keep these thoughts in mind when purchasing and setting up a new feeder for the first time and do not short cut the supporting structure.
With all that said, there is no other feeding station as enjoyable as a large pinnacle feeder. They receive great amounts of bird traffic and typically are a flurry of action from morning to night. All this wonderful activity at your feeder tends to attract even more birds and does so from a great distance. Birds feed by sight and the more birding action you have, the more you will receive. Setting up a large feeder is truly an investment in your love of nature and we encourage you to take the time to pick the right feeder for your feeding station. Ask lots of questions and a good reputable company will guide you in the right choice.
