For The Birds
Inviting Northern Michigan’s plentiful bird species to your yard can provide hours of entertainment for homeowners (not to mention the family cat).
Stylish birdfeeders and birdbaths can be found locally at several spots, but the hotbed of bird supplies is Sturgeon River Pottery in Petoskey, on U.S. 31 near Bay Harbor.
“We are the headquarters for wild birding enthusiasts in Northern Michigan,” according to owners Steve and Karen Andrews, on their Web site, www.sturgeonriver.com.
The store offers dozens of handmade and tubular bird feeders, plus hummingbird and oriole feeders. All the feed for wild birds is sold on-site too.
If you’re not sure whether that’s a blue jay or a robin at the feeder, you might need a new prescription. But if there are interesting new bird species visiting your feeders and birdbaths, Sturgeon River also carries a line of books offering identifications, feeding and housing tips.
To attract a wide variety of birds to your yard, the best seed recommended by the Sturgeon River is black-oil sunflower seed. Then give the birds something to wash their meal down with by placing a decorative birdbath in the yard, too – a chance for a sip and a dip. Birdbaths are also known for attracting a wider array of bird species than seed alone, and it can serve as the centerpiece of a garden (check out the very cool designs at Bondurant downtown Petoskey).
Finally, find a nice spot in the yard and sit back and wait for the show to begin. Expect to see black-capped chickadees, cardinals, finches, blue jays, hummingbirds, orioles and of course plenty of robins, the state bird.
Plus, it’s cheep entertainment.