Disassembled the bird feeders, scraped out the birdseed still stuck in the corners, and scrubbed them clean. Time to pack them away for the summer.

Sometimes people say that feeding birds makes them too dependent on humans for food. I guess it could possibly do that during winter. But the moment the ground thawed – not even down deep, just the top finger’s width or so – the birds here lost absolutely all interest in the sunflower seeds in the feeder. I left it up for another while, hoping that they’d keep eating and I’d have less to clean and throw away, but they really did not. Whatever bugs they find in the ground and the trees are much tastier.

Both feeders are a bit banged up. Just this weekend something (or more likely someone) knocked over the tripod the feeders hang on. The wooden one might need some glue. The metal one I mostly bent back into shape. The sheet metal parts were thinner than I had thought.