Much the same as a platform feeder, a hopper or house feeder is among your best bets for quickly attracting the largest amount and variety of birds to your backyard.
Hopper feeders for the most part, resemble a small house filled with birdseed (non-GMO of course). This variety of feeders can also come in other shapes and sizes like, lanterns, mini-gazebos and multiple level units.
Maintenance
One of the main benefits of a hopper feeder is the amount of seed they can hold at any given time. Most hoppers can hold enough seed to last you a number of days, which gives you some flexibility and a lower maintenance feeder option. This can be appealing for those of us with busy summer schedules at the cottage, campgrounds and out-of-town excursions.
While hopper feeders tend to do a very good job protecting seed against the weather, in the event your seed does get wet you will have to thoroughly clean the feeder to protect the health of your birds. These feeders are not as easy to clean as a tray feeder, so be sure to devote some time to doing the job thoroughly if your seed does in fact get wet.
Types of Birds
You should by all means accumulate quite the selection of birds to your hopper feeder(s). Species spotted “hopping” include (but not limited to) finches, jays, chickadees, sparrows, cardinals, titmice as well as grosbeaks and buntings.
Tips
In addition to attracting a wide collection of birds to your backyard, these feeders also are very appealing to our furry friend the squirrel. With the ease of access to most of these types of feeders, squirrels can quickly do away with your bird’s seed. Be sure to pick up a proper squirrel baffle or other protection system to protect your seed and your birds.