Feeder Grove
Get Inspired
Located west of our Great Hall and viewable from inside, the Feeder Grove observation area has undergone a breathtaking transformation. Through this renovation, the overall space and each of its features have been intentionally designed to attract and support both local and migrating birds. The resulting sights and sounds are sure to captivate already avid birders and ignite greater curiosity and learning in novices.
The Feeder Grove observation area seamlessly complements the other two elements of The Barbara Stover and Susan Bell Birding Academy. Knowledge and skills gleaned from The Birding Academy educational programs can be applied and built upon in real time as learners watch birds interact with the grove’s environment and each other. If curiosity sparks around particular birds, their behaviors, or their habitat, learners can visit the nearby Birding Resource Center to investigate further.
Viewing Feeder Grove
Visitors have a clear view of Feeder Grove from the large windows inside our Great Hall, the adjacent veranda, and a soon-to-be accessible boardwalk connecting the main entrance of the Visitor Center to the Dragonfly Trail. There will also be two livestreaming cameras in the near future, allowing bird lovers to view Feeder Grove remotely from anywhere, any time!
We ask that visitors stick to the viewing options listed above rather than entering the Feeder Grove area. The stone walkways are intended solely for volunteers and staff to refill the feeders. Respecting this space keeps the habitat healthy and encourages more birds to visit – meaning there will be more birds to see!
Transforming the Space
Center leadership, including our Director of Conservation, collaborated with other experts to redesign, renovate, and enhance the Feeder Grove observation area. Stone Oak Landscapes created new hardscaping, including two water features and regionally sourced stones. Our conservation team selected plants for the space based on aesthetics and bird benefits, arranged them, and planted them alongside our land steward volunteers. Dan Panetti, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Mequon, provided expert guidance in selecting ideal feeders and seed to ensure we’re responsibly offering food to our avian friends.
Bird Friendly Habitat
The observation area provides valuable habitat for birds by supporting their needs for food, water, structure, and space.
Food
The grove includes both native plants and feeders to support the diverse dietary needs of different birds year-round. Together these sources provide a variety of nuts, seeds, fruit, nectar, and insects.
Native Plants
Our knowledgeable conservation team and staff horticulturalist carefully chose and arranged an array of native plants that offer fruit, seeds, and insects to visiting birds. Shrubs such as serviceberry, pagoda dogwood, and black currants provide nutritious berries in the spring and summer. Crabapple, with its late summer and early fall fruit, supplies fall migrants with fuel for their journey. Seeds from witch hazel, sky blue aster, common groundsel, and wild bergamot feed wild turkeys, American Goldfinches, and a variety of sparrows. Wild columbine, wild bergamot, and prairie phlox flowers contain nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. These and additional pollinator plants such as butterfly weed and foam flower increase the overall insect load, providing meals for swallows and other insectivores.
Feeders
The featured feeders offer food to our resident and migrating birds as responsibly as possible. They attract a wide array of non-invasive birds, prevent wasted or unsafe food, and minimize unwanted seed sprouting among the grove’s native plants. The feeders include modular components, allowing us to adapt food sources based on how birds’ needs change with the seasons. The feed is mostly free of shells and highly desired, so if any falls on the ground it will be quickly eaten, leaving no mess behind. The squirrel baffles, in addition to the spacing of feeder poles, prevent squirrels, chipmunks, and other rodents from accessing the bird food. In addition to these overall measures, each feeder has its own unique features and benefits:
Cylinder Feeder – Holds a waste and mess reducing seed cylinder made of shelled seeds, nuts, and fruit.
Peanut Feeder – The fine mesh prevents mess, reduces overuse by House Sparrows, and offers viewers more time to observe visiting birds.
Finch Feeder – Designed to hold Nyjer, a small, oil-rich seed that does not grow if it falls from the feeder and is not favored by invasive House Sparrows, ensuring it’s available to other species.
Suet Feeder – The squirrel proof wire cage holds suet cakes, a blend of rendered beef fat, mealworms, nuts, and calcium that provide birds with a boost of fat and protein.
Branch Feeder – Includes cups for grape jelly and leaf cutouts that hold oranges for fruit-loving birds.
Tray Feeder – Provides openness and safety to birds while protecting them and their food from the elements. The openness also grants onlookers a clear view of birds and their behavior.
We thank Dan Panetti, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Mequon, for his expertise and generously supporting Feeder Grove by providing feeders and ongoing bird seed donations.
Water
Two dynamic water features entice birds to take a drink or bath, as they are especially attracted to moving water. Each winter, our staff places a small heater in the bubbling rock feature, providing rare open water to birds through Wisconsin’s winter. The flowing feature includes multi-colored, intentionally laid stones (some from our very own beach!). These stones slow down the flow of water, providing an appealing shallow pool. This feature flows nine months out of the year, as it must be drained in the winter months. The dry stone channel towards the back of the observation area captures rainwater from the Visitor Center roof, feeding a small pool and flowing into the adjacent wetland area.
Structure and Space
Birds need structures where they can rest, hide from predators, and seek shelter from bad weather. The Feeder Grove includes several conifers, white cedar and hemlock, which provide year-round coverage for birds because they do not lose their foliage in the winter. Shrubs also provide good structure. The pagoda dogwood’s whirling layers of branches offer especially good perches from which birds can see the feeders while feeling secure. Equally important, open areas allow birds to fly around, watch for predators, and access shelter. This is why we opened up the space by removing pre-existing dead and dying vegetation.
Bird Blind
We’re supporting our youngest birders, the children in our Nature School, by offering a new way to experience Feeder Grove: through a bird blind! The custom-made, sculptural bird blind provides an excellent teaching aid accessible from the outdoor Garden Classroom. This helps students learn how to respectfully observe birds and their behaviors without disturbing them.
The Birds of Feeder Grove Kiosk
Coming soon to our Great Hall, the Birds of Feeder Grove digital kiosk will enrich the viewing experience by providing education on 16 bird species that frequent the Feeder Grove observation area.