Up and down Whidbey Island, seedy arrangements are carried out daily in hundreds of backyards, where movement in the undergrowth marks regular deposits of goods. And somewhere, someone is watching closely, taking notes and photos. None of this action is illegal or unseemly — it’s simply folks filling birdfeeders and watching the feathered diners.
Birdwatching (birding to the dedicated) is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States with sales of feeders, guide books, binoculars, spotting scopes and other accouterments climbing into the billions of dollars.
Whidbey Island’s varied habitats — field, shoreline, forest — and location along migration routes, supply islanders and visitors with year-around birdwatching. With a steady surge in sales of feed and feeders for backyards and balconies, birding on Whidbey Island is big business.
Initial investment
can be “cheep”
Feeders come in a wide range of types, sizes and prices but getting started in birding doesn’t require a hefty bank account. At Whidbey Wild Bird on SE Pioneer Way in Oak Harbor, the least-pricey feeder costs less than $4. It’s a kit that converts an empty 2-liter plastic bottle into a hanging feeder.
“Add about 50 cents of black-oil sunflower seeds and you are ready to attract birds,” Phil Sikes said.
He and wife Lydia opened the store last year and they have been “delighted” with the welcome, and customers, they have received.
Their store carries every imaginable bird accessory: field guides, CDs of bird songs, bird baths and cleaning supplies, roosting pockets for winter protection, bird houses along with feeders and feed.
The store carries bird feeders that are artistic with molded metal vines twining around, functional plastic and wood and one towering metal structure that holds several feeding stations.
Whidbey Wild Bird’s selection of feeders may outstrip other stores’ stock but the new store hasn’t shot down sales at Ace Hardware or Skagit Farmers Supply.
“We have strong sales all year,” Ace Hardware’s floor manager Cheryl Wieldraayer said. Ace carries standard wood, metal and sturdy plastic feeders in tube and tray arrangements.
“Some of our customers have been regular bird feeders for years,” Wieldraayer said.
Buying quality
in quantity
“The most common question we hear is ‘Why are the birds throwing seed on the ground’?,” Lydia Sikes said. It’s a simple question to answer and Lydia delivers an animated discussion on seed and feed.
Birds, like people, prefer certain foods. Some birds go wild over fruit, others find sunflower seed irresistible, she said.
“You see birds sweeping their bills though feeders, or picking through seed bit by bit and tossing what they don’t like,” Sikes said. In most cases, she said the birds aren’t wasting food, they are discarding what’s useless to them.
Bags labeled “wild bird seed” contain many seeds that birds in the Northwest simply won’t eat, she said. “Probably 75 percent of wild bird seed isn’t the right feed.”
At Whidbey Wild Bird, Skagit Farmers Supply and Ace Hardware it’s easy to escape generic mixes. Each store carries a selection of single seeds and seed mixes that appeal to certain birds.
“I feed blackoil sunflower seed only,” Wieldraayer said. “Practically all birds love it and squirrels will glean it from the ground.” Wieldraayer said she particularly loves watching chickadees crack the seeds between their toes.
Whidbey Wild Bird also stocks a Pacific Northwest blend that’s particularly appealing to local birds.
All three stores carry several types of shelled feed. These cost more than unshelled feed but the advantage is birds eat everything.
“These are seeds birds here will eat, so there is no unwanted seed and no shells tossed on the ground,” Sikes said. No waste means no rats are attracted to feeding areas, she added.
Finches and pine siskins love thistle, a thin, black-shelled seed that many people fear will sprout and take over lawns and flowerbeds. This seed is sterile, so there’s no need to worry about feeding what many tiny birds crave. Many seed companies have relabeled thistle as “niger” or “nyger” to reduce thistle fears.
Suet, a high-fat feed, helps birds survive winters. Woodpeckers and flickers love suet. Rendering suet from beef tallow is a slow, smelly process. Prepared suet cakes fit neatly into metal baskets ready for hanging. The cakes come packed with seed, nuts or fruit. Skagit Farmers Supply carries the widest selection of this food.
All ages enjoy watching birds
Birders maintain life lists where they carefully record particulars of each species spotted and identified. Others focus on songs, shorebirds, raptors or even owls.
“Lots of folks enjoy simply watching birds, that’s why they have feeders,” Phil Sikes said. The “sport” attracts toddlers as well as those who are house or hospital-bound. It’s a great pastime for anyone who isn’t physically able to tramp about in woods or stand on a beach.
Whidbey Wild Bird offers discounts on new feeders to people who donate their old feeders. The store cleans and makes any needed repairs then gives these feeders to schools, Whidbey General Hospital’s oncology clinic and nursing homes.
“This gets kids interested in science and people can just sit and watch the birds feed and fly,” Phil Sikes said.
While birds might take a few days to find a new feeder, once they are attracted they will return, and may bring flocks of hungry friends.
