Store Tour
Entering the Wild Bird Center is similar to going into a neighbor's backyard. The stone path leads both right and left. The redwood fence is all around and the mural over the back fence is the much like the view in houses along Blossom Hill. In fact the artist sketched the hills behind the center while on the roof of the store.
Trivia: The muralist, Wolfgang Heinritz, always paints three "secret" items into his murals: A wolf's head, a charicature of himself and just for fun, a naked lady. See if you can find all of them. We will be delighted to move boxes around to speed your investigation.
Birds know the difference between seed and, in fact, specific seed, in specific feeders, bring specific birds. Mixes in hopper feeders attract many different species. Tube feeders are best for single seed, but many people use our all-purpose Birdwise Blend (with shells) or Patio Mix (without shells) in tube feeders with great success. Platform or flythru feeders feed the whole crowd, including squirrels.
Along the seed wall you'll find peanut and suet feeders designed to attract chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches as well as finches and jays (yes, squirrels like it, too). If you really don't want squirrels, consider Hot pepper suet, caged suet and peanut feeders or woodpecker only models. Suet comes in a large variety of flavors, including fruit, peanut and insect. For people with little time, or with children helpers or for folks with limited dexterity, we have a selection of seed blocks or cakes in seed and nut mixes. These are low mess, easily presented cakes that make feeding birds a snap.
Moving along the feeder wall, you will see window feeders that bring the birds right up to the window. There is nothing like having a meal with a titmouse, hummingbird or grosbeak. Nyjer or thistle feeders follow. Many different styles are available from ones with perches or those with mesh that allows the goldfinches to swarm. To your right are the 20#/25#/40# and 50# bags of a variety of seed types as well as blends. When you come into the store, ask for our Seed and Feeder Preference Chart to see which of your backyard birds likes what seed and out of which feeder.
The Droll Yankee tube feeders hang over the large bags of seed. We are an authorized service center for Droll Yankee. They come with a lifetime warranty and attract the perching songbirds that many people enjoy in their yards. Mixes with millet as the main ingredient are better presented in hopper or platform feeders, which are the feeders now in front of you.
Continuing along the back wall you will see all our restrictive feeders and all the baffles and cages designed to keep the squirrels and larger birds at bay. Whether by access restriction (cages) or by weight restriction (spring drop) these are feeders that come under the category of "build a better mouse trap" and they will come. None of our feeders hurt squirrels. One spins them off the perch but I think some of them like the ride until they get so loopy they give up.
As you peruse the back wall, don't forget to look at the hummingbird feeders on your right. We have basic easy to clean, easy to view feeders as well more decorative feeders that still must adhere to the easy clean, easy view criteria.
Next are all the hardware accessories. Shepherd hooks, deck brackets to clamp or screw on, branch hooks, in ground supports for poles and posts or patio bases. Bird baths that clamp of screw to a deck railing or fence. Bird baths that hand or are mounted on a stake. Any scenario has a solution.
You are now in the Kids' Corner and a favorite of our little customers and their parents. Books on birds, nature and how to make things for your back yard are next to a complete selection of plush Audubon Birds that make the authentic call of the bird! The designers have been pretty true to the color of the bird presented. It's fun to add to your collection and we have several young customers with very large collections. Looking for a woodworking project - there are feeder and birdhouse kits for ages 6 and up, and our wide selection of puzzles is very popular with all ages.
In the book section, you'll find a complete selection of field guides to help identify the birds you have coming to your feeders. We also carry books on specific subjects such as hawks, hummingbirds, bats, nest and nestlings, birding hot spots. We also carry many nature novels.
As you continue around the store, next stop is our nesting box selection. We have a large selection of houses/boxes all built to the proper specifications for specific species. Check out the hole size plaque to see the possibilities of the birds you can attract to your yard. Important things to consider when choosing a nest box are ventilation, drainage and some form of clean out. All of our houses are serviceable with a few having decorative features.
As you look towards the center of the store, you will see displays with bags, purses and guidebook holders. Check out the Identiflyer, a sound player that emits authentic bird songs to help you learn to recognize and to attract birds to your yard. A wide variety of song cards are available from raptors, to ducks to songbirds. In this area you will also find an ever-changing selection of nature clothing: t-shirts, cardigans and matching T's, seasonal sweatshirts and, of course, our socks! We are famous for our selection of socks. Have you ever tried FoxGlove Gardening Gloves? You are in for a treat. Not only do they come in great colors, they are great for gardening because you can "feel" what you are doing as they fit very snugly. They are also great for birding in the fall and winter because they add just enough warmth. After gardening, try our Awakenings Hand Cream. Your hands will never feel better.
On the other side of the sock display is our hat display. We proudly sell Wallaroo hats, most of which are UPF50 sun protective. They come in many different styles and colors. Almost all are adjustable to fit most sized heads. We also carry soft visors in prints or paper mesh.
You are now back to the front of the store and turning to the right towards our optics cabinet. John has chosen some wonderful birding optics in all price ranges. John enjoys working with individuals to help them pick our the best pair for their need and we understand that it is a big decision. We encourage you to come into the store so you can closely examine each pair and even take them outside and test them. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays are the best times to find John for an in depth look at what binocular is best for your situation.
Check out the spectacular woodcarvings by Redding artist, Gordon Stennett, as well as our tiles, Mexican glazed turtles and frogs and other gift items. The spinner between cabinets has post-it notes, magnetic lists, playing cards and other stationary items
In the window is a lovely display of our new offerings from Joan Baker. The line includes painted glass panels, vases and photo frames. You will find some beautiful bird, hummingbird, butterfly and flower designs. It's right in the front window. Want to use your lovely vase for something other than flowers? There is a tall candle insert that fits into the vase. Best part is that there is no wax residue and it's easy to change back and forth.
Wes Picotte of Santa Barbara makes spectacular tubular windchimes. Come in and ring them all. All at once if you like! We also carry a selection of specialty chimes from Woodstock.
It's important to be able to see what the temperature is outside. There are window mounted thermometers and ones that can be hung on the fence, but still visible from inside.
Soothing music and bird songs are very enjoyable to listen to. Many teachers and massage therapists visit our CD tower to choose from our great selection. Next to the CDs are our flour sack dishtowel display and Henry's vegetarian dog biscuits. (These have Sage's stamp of approval). This is the area where Julie keeps all the cards and stationary up to date and colorful with lines like Leanin' Tree, Tree Free, Lang, Making Tracks and many cards by local artists.
One last department is on or near the front cash/wrap. : Jewelry. Thanks to our great employee, Babs, we have just the right piece of jewelry with a nature theme. We carry designs by Wild Bryde, SueB, Far Fetched, Bamboo and Zarah. Julie also orders Zulugrass in lots of different colors changing with the season. Come into the store for a demonstration on all the things you can do with Zulugrass. The fact that it allows the Masai women of Kenya, an economic stream that allows them to stay within their community group using a renewable resource is right in my book.
We hope you have enjoyed this store tour and hope to see you in the store soon.
Freddy, John and Sage Howell and the entire staff of the Wild Bird Center, Los Gatos look forward to helping you pick out just the right gift for someone, including you, as well as answer all your bird feeding questions.