Creatures of Habit

In the stores, we hear it all the time.  “The birds don’t like the new feeder I bought.”  You know that old saying in retail, about the customer always being right?  Well in this case, they probably are right!  The birds really don’t like the new feeder.  They typically don’t like any new feeder, especially a new feeder in a new location.  Wild birds, much like most of us, are creatures of habit.  They do not like change.

The large feeder in the photo above is the most visited feeder in my yard.  I put the small tube feeder next to it and filled it with Cole’s Special Feeder bird seed just like the other one.  Then I waited.  And waited.  The new feeder is only three feet away from the birds' normal feeding station - you would think that at least one would hop over and give it a try!  Three days and no action on that feeder.  Oh well...I’m sure they will try it before long, and maybe one or two already have and I just missed it.
 
The point is that the new feeder is...well, new, and the birds (being creatures of habit) will continue to feed at the old feeder and will be very slow to accept this additional food source.  Keep this in mind whenever you add a new feeder, move an old feeder or even when you change the food to one that looks different.  Give the birds some time to adjust.

I have to say that I wrote this with the full knowledge that it will cost me.  My wife Nancy reads this blog and I’m sure I will soon see some new healthy green food thing on my dinner plate.  I can hear her now, “You said it yourself...even the birds eventually try new things.”