Feed birds, not bears

#MiddleburyCT #Birdfeeding #Bears

Wild Birds Unlimited owner Michele Sanford stands next to the section of her store that offers birdseed unpalatable to bears, along with a “bear-proof” bird feeder stand. The stand, foreground, sits on a circular base, so the bear simply knocks it over instead of bending the pipe. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Creaking noises fill the air as the metal pole bends down towards the ground, bringing the bird feeder within reach of a hungry black bear with its two front paws gripping the pole. Once the bird feeder is on the ground, the bear knocks the top off and proceeds to lick the seed out of it, making for one happy bear and one dismayed homeowner left to deal with the bent pole and destroyed bird feeder.

The best way to avoid situations like this is to take DEEP and Audubon Society advice and take in your bird feeders from late March to late November. They advise to feed birds only in the winter and say birds don’t need supplemental feeding during the months food sources are plentiful.

Despite this, some folks want to keep their bird feeders out year round. And now there is a way to feed the birds without attracting bears. Michele Sanford of Wild Birds Unlimited in Watertown explained that when you put out seed treated with hot pepper, the bears turn away from it, but the birds eat it as eagerly as they do untreated seed. “It’s been a game changer for many people,” she said.

The seed is available by the bag and in the form of seed or suet cylinders, suet cakes, stackables, and Jim’s Birdacious Bark Butter BitsTM. Sanford said the hot pepper seed wasn’t initially intended for use where there are bears; it was developed to keep squirrels from eating bird seed. Now it serves a dual purpose, keeping away both squirrels and bears.

One type of untreated seed also can be fed, provided it is mixed half and half with a hot pepper mix. That is safflower seed, which tastes bitter to bears. A really hungry bear will eat safflower seed despite its bitter taste, but not when it’s mixed with hot pepper seed.

“Using hot pepper seed diligently and not mixing it except with safflower seed keeps the bears from being rewarded at your feeder,” she said. “You will see less visits and less destruction.” She said when she used hot pepper products at home for two years she saw no evidence of bears.

Sanford has grouped all the hot pepper seed products and safflower seed together in her store, along with a special bird feeder pole developed by Wild Birds Unlimited. The pole, shown in the photo, sits on the ground held upright by a ring of pipe that connects to the pole. Should a bear come along, it will just knock over the pole rather than bending it.

Sanford, who worked as a mental health technician for more than 30 years, opened the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise in 2018. It was a change of career path for her, and this month she celebrates five years in her new career. “Every day, I love coming to work and sharing the joy of bird feeding,” she said.

She offers free consultations about feeding birds during active bear season in an effort to educate people on bear habits and behaviors at bird feeders and how to maintain safety for both the community and the bears. To arrange a free consultation, call the store at 860-417-2236 or email wbuwatertown@gmail.com.

The store is at 1142 Main St. in Watertown, across from Adams and Marshalls in the Verizon/Supercuts plaza. Hours are Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; store is closed on Mondays.