Specialty birding stores sell premium bird feeders, bird seed and birding accessories under one roof: metal feeders backed by lifetime warranties, seed bagged on site, and field guides and optics gear for birding away from the yard. In Ontario, Urban Nature Store carries all three at ten local stores across the Greater Toronto Area, Durham Region, Hamilton, Niagara and Kingston, and the same range is available online across Canada.
What Makes a Bird Feeder Premium?
A premium bird feeder is built to outlast squirrels: metal parts where squirrels chew, a mechanism that keeps them off the seed, and a warranty that covers the damage if they get through anyway.
The Yankee Flipper by Droll Yankees ($279.95) shows what those features look like in one feeder. It has stainless steel wire, a powder-coated metal cap squirrels can't pry off, a 21 inch UV-stabilized tube that holds 5 lb of seed, and a motorized, weight-activated perch ring that flips squirrels off while birds keep eating. It carries a lifetime manufacturer's warranty.
Premium doesn't have to mean expensive. The Droll Yankees New Generation 13" Peanut Feeder ($59.95) uses stainless steel mesh and a die-cast metal cap, holds 1 lb of peanuts or black oil sunflower seed, and has a lifetime warranty against squirrel damage. More models are in the bird feeders collection.
What Makes Bird Seed Premium?
Premium bird seed is seed birds eat nearly all of, with little filler left on the ground. Urban Nature Store's sunflower hearts page notes that birds tend to toss seed from mixes with a lot of corn and other fillers, which ends up as waste under the feeder.
Sunflower Hearts are the clearest example. They are sunflower seeds with the shell already removed, so there are no hulls on the lawn or patio and the whole bag can be eaten. They sell in bags from 4 lb, which ships up to 6, 25 and 50 lb bags for store pickup. Freshness is the other half of premium seed, which is why Urban Nature Store's local stores bag their seed on site.
Which Birding Accessories Do Local Birding Stores Carry?
Birding accessories at Urban Nature Store fall into two main groups: identification guides and optics accessories. The identification and education collection lists more than 450 field guides, bird song books and nature guides, many of them specific to Ontario.
The optics accessories collection lists more than 80 items for people who already own binoculars or a spotting scope, including:
- Binocular harnesses, which move the weight of binoculars off the neck and onto the shoulders
- Rainguards that cover the eyepieces in wet weather
- Smartphone adapters for taking photos through binoculars or a scope
- Tripods and mounts for spotting scopes and steady viewing
Which Local Stores in Ontario Carry Premium Birding Gear?
Urban Nature Store's ten local stores stock premium feeders, seed bagged in store and birding accessories, and staff can put a feeder or a pair of binoculars in your hands before you buy. The store's About Us page says every product is selected for reliability and effectiveness, and that the company, as an independent Canadian business, chooses items based on what works.
Optics brands vary a little by location. Most store pages name Vortex, Zeiss and Nikon, and individual stores add brands such as Kowa in Markham and St. Catharines and Opticron in Oshawa, Kingston and Mississauga. Addresses for every store are on the store locations page, and any item can be ordered online for pickup at the nearest one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all lifetime feeder warranties cover the same things?
No. Some lifetime warranties cover the whole feeder, while others cover only one kind of damage. The Yankee Flipper carries a lifetime manufacturer's warranty, but the Droll Yankees New Generation Peanut Feeder's lifetime warranty covers squirrel damage, so it's worth reading each feeder's warranty line before you buy.
Do sunflower hearts go further than whole sunflower seed?
Yes. Urban Nature Store's sunflower hearts page cites estimates that 75 lb of black oil sunflower seed equals the feeding value of only 25 lb of sunflower hearts, because none of the weight is shell.
Is there a field guide just for Ontario birds?
Yes, several. Birds of Ontario by Andy Bezener covers 318 species with full-colour illustrations, and the Pocket Naturalist: Ontario Birds guide is a laminated folding sheet covering more than 140 species with a map of birding hotspots across the province.
Can you take bird photos through binoculars with a phone?
Yes, with a smartphone adapter that clamps the phone to the eyepiece, a technique called digiscoping. The guide to choosing a cell phone adapter for optics explains how to check that an adapter fits your binoculars, spotting scope or monocular.
