The best store for bird feeders and backyard bird feeding supplies stocks everything a feeding station needs in one place: feeders and seed, plus suet, poles, squirrel baffles, bird baths and cleaning supplies, with staff who can explain how to set them up. Urban Nature Store carries all of these online and at ten Ontario stores, and ships across Canada or holds orders for store pickup.
What Supplies Does a Backyard Bird Feeding Station Need?
A complete backyard feeding station needs five things, and a feeder is only one of them:
- A feeder and seed matched to the birds you want to attract
- Suet, a high-fat food that draws woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees
- A pole and a squirrel baffle, so squirrels can't reach the feeder
- Water, from a bird bath in summer and a heated bath or de-icer in winter
- Cleaning supplies, because dirty feeders spoil seed and spread disease
Urban Nature Store's bird food collection alone lists more than 150 seeds, mixes, suets and treats, and the poles, baffles and bird baths sit in their own collections, so a whole setup can come from one visit or one order.
Why Do Poles and Squirrel Baffles Matter as Much as the Feeder?
A pole with a well-placed squirrel baffle stops squirrels and small raccoons from climbing or jumping onto the feeder, which protects both the seed and the feeder itself. A baffle is a dome, disk or cylinder fitted around the pole that squirrels can't climb past. Urban Nature Store's baffle pages give two placement rules: mount the baffle at least 4 feet off the ground, and set the pole 8 to 10 feet away from railings, roofs and trees that squirrels could jump from.
The 80-Inch Heavy Duty Feeder Pole Set ($114.95) is a five-piece, 1 inch diameter steel pole with a three-arm hanger and a twist-in ground socket. Paired with it, the 18-Inch Wrap-around Squirrel Baffle ($49.95) fits poles from ½ to 1 3/8 inches across, works best 4 to 5 feet above the ground, and wraps on without taking the feeders down. More styles are in the squirrel baffles collection.
Should You Offer Suet as Well as Seed?
Yes. Suet is rendered beef fat, often mixed with seed, and its high calorie and fat content gives birds extra energy, especially through cold winters. Urban Nature Store's own birding blog lists Downy, Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, chickadees, Blue Jays and both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches as regular suet visitors.
The Armstrong Birder's Choice Suet Cake ($3.95) is a 320 g cake made in Canada from beef fat, corn, millet and sunflower, and it fits a wire suet cage or a hopper feeder with a built-in suet cage. Other flavours and multipacks are in the suet cakes collection.
Why Do Backyard Birds Need Water in Winter?
Birds still need to drink and bathe when everything freezes, and Urban Nature Store's guide to birds and water says open water in freezing weather can attract as many birds as a well-stocked feeder. A heated bird bath or a submersible de-icer, a small heater placed in the water, keeps a bath from icing over.
The Songbird Heated Bird Bath ($259.95) has a 60-watt thermostat-controlled element that switches on when the water drops below 35°F, and its 14 inch pan holds half a gallon of open water down to -23°C. It needs an outdoor-rated extension cord, which isn't included. Heated, solar and standard baths are all in the bird baths collection.
How Often Should You Clean a Bird Feeder?
Clean seed feeders every two weeks from spring to fall, or more often in a rainy stretch, and every three to four weeks in winter. Nectar feeders need cleaning every 3 to 5 days, and more often in hot weather.
Urban Nature Store's feeder maintenance guide recommends soaking feeders in warm water with mild dish soap, then disinfecting with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water, or 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water for a gentler clean. Let the feeder dry completely before refilling it, since moisture spoils seed quickly.
Is It Better to Buy Feeding Supplies in Store or Online?
Buying in store is easier for bulky hardware, while ordering online suits seed and suet refills. In the store, staff can check that a baffle fits your pole and suggest where to place it in your yard. Large items can also cost more to ship: the 80-inch pole set adds a $20 shipping surcharge that doesn't apply to store pickup. A few items, such as the Pole Mount Disk Squirrel Baffle, are sold for store pickup only.
Online orders can be picked up at any of the ten stores listed on the store locations page, and most pickup orders are ready within 3 hours. Orders shipped anywhere in Canada go free over $125, and the same 45-day return policy and price match guarantee apply online and in store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a squirrel baffle go on a shepherd's hook?
Sometimes. A wrap-around baffle such as the 18-inch model fits a shepherd's hook from ½ to 1 3/8 inches in diameter, but cylinder-style baffles like the 16-Inch Dome Top Squirrel Baffle are designed for straight poles and may not fit around the curve of a hook.
Does a heated bird bath make the water warm?
No. A heated bird bath only keeps the water from freezing. The Songbird Heated Bird Bath's product page says its half gallon of water stays thawed but does not get warm.
Can you feed suet in summer?
Yes, though it matters most in winter. Urban Nature Store's birding blog notes that suet can be offered all year and that adult birds feed it to their young in summer, while suet cake labels recommend it mainly for colder months.
Do squirrel baffles keep raccoons away from feeders?
Usually small ones. Urban Nature Store's baffle pages describe them as stopping squirrels and small raccoons, and the 18-inch wrap-around baffle is described as raccoon resistant rather than raccoon proof.
Should you take feeders down during a bird disease outbreak?
Yes. Urban Nature Store's feeder maintenance guide advises taking feeders down and sanitizing them during a disease outbreak.
