Carolyn & Jim,
I'd been feeding grocery store seed for years until you opened your store, then I switched to your seed the first week you were open. I had so many more birds I set up another feeding spot in a holly tree.

Now your seed has spoiled my birds! Last time I was in, I mentioned to you that I had forgotten to tell my daughter to pick up the mixed bird food at Backyard Birds, and she bought it with the groceries instead.

I have one large metal cylinder feeder that holds about a gallon of food and the birds will empty that of your seed in about a day and a half. Normally, the chickadees will root for the sunflower seeds and knock the rest on the ground for the ground feeders like doves and cardinals.

When I put the grocery seed in the bird feeders, there were as many birds around at first, but you would think I had filled the feeders with pebbles!The seed sat in the feeders significantly longer than your seed does. What appeared to happen was the chickadees pulled out a few sunflowers (the big heavy-hulled ones), and then took off without bothering to root for more, and the seed just sat there. It also smelled funky -- it said something about "seeds and fruit" on the bag, and it smelled like cheap perfume with an artificial "fruity" additive. I let the grocery seed sit there for a week, at the end of which I gave up, dumped the contents on the ground and started over with your seed. The birds are back!

The kicker: it's not a savings, either! Your big bag is more economical than the smaller bags the groceries carry.

Anne, Whitehouse, NJ

Jim,
The Bluebirds are here! I set up my box Friday evening after work, and by 9AM Saturday we had a pair at the new house. We were amazed since we had only seen a few birds this year, and only briefly. They spent most of the day perched around the yard and flirting with the new nest box. We saw them a few times Sunday and again Monday morning. We are hopeful that they will begin nest building soon.

I attached a few pictures and will let you know if we have success. Thanks for your guidance.

A Bluebird lover:

Our Bluebirds were on our house waiting patiently for you to put up their box, Jim!
          -Karen & Mary, Cokesbury

A Chickadee lover:

Regards, Kevin & Katie R. Flemington, NJ March 2008

Jim and Carolyn, Here is the Indigo Bunting we saw under my feeders last week!  What a week for birdwatching!  Besides the usual goldfinches, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, etc. we saw the Baltimore Oriole and hummingbirds.  We also had Rufous-sided Towhee, a pair of Cardinals, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.   On Sunday we saw two Scarlet Tanagers in our tree line that we were able to view with binoculars.  Life is good!  I am also watching our bluebirds feeding their five babies ... they really appreciate the mealworms from Backyard Birds!  See you soon,  Debbie, White Twp, NJ