Multi-purpose, species-discriminating bird feeder for...

Animal husbandry – Confining or housing – Birdhouse

Reexamination Certificate

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Reexamination Certificate

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06321686

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel multi-purpose, species-discriminating bird feeder. More specifically, this invention relates to a multi-purpose, species-discriminating bird feeder that permits smaller birds, such as bluebirds, to enter and exit the bird feeder, while preventing entry of larger birds, such as robins, grackles, and mockingbirds, and that provides a weather-resistant feeding environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain larger species of birds, such as robins, grackles, and mockingbirds, are voracious eaters. Bird feeders and bird houses that permit access to birds of any size also permit intense use by often aggressive larger-sized birds. The larger birds frighten the smaller birds and monopolize the food source. Accordingly, there is a need for a bird feeder that limits access to species of birds of a relatively small size, such as bluebirds.
Conventional bird feeders often dispense or present food on some type of platform. Some platforms are open; others have roofs. There are generally two types of platform feeders with roofs: fly-thru feeders and enclosed feeders. Known fly-thru feeders provide unwanted access to the food by larger, less desirable birds and expose the food to inclement weather. Many known enclosed bird feeders prevent bird watchers from watching the birds feed and/or make it difficult for birds to access the food.
Mealworms are an extremely attractive food to bluebirds and some other species, such as Carolina Wrens and Catbirds, that are usually not attracted to more conventional bird foods. To provide a satisfactory experience for bird watchers who watch these birds feed, the mealworms must be protected from moisture and from consumption by larger birds. Generally, bluebird feeders on the market today are of the enclosed type of feeder. These bluebird feeders often include round openings on opposite sides of the feeder, through which relatively small bluebirds may enter the feeder. One such bird feeder has a roof, a base, and four sides, two of a transparent plastic material, such as Plexiglas, and two of wood. Round openings are bored through the two wooden sides. The openings are designed to simulate a nest box and are sized so that bluebirds can enter the interior of the bird feeder (where the food is stored), and larger birds are kept out. Bird watchers can watch the bluebirds feast through the two Plexiglas sides.
In this type of bluebird feeder, the positioning of the openings for entry and exit make ingress and egress difficult for the bluebirds. Bluebirds take a long time to find their way into this type of feeder. One researcher observed a bluebird circling an enclosed feeder repeatedly over a span of approximately seven hours after discovering the feeder, trying to find its way into the feeder to get mealworms that it could see through the Plexiglas sides. Even worse, when bluebirds feeding inside the feeder see a predator, such as a cat, the bluebirds become excited and agitated and have difficulty finding their way out of the feeder. In their haste to fly to safety, the bluebirds may harm themselves, mistaking the Plexiglas for an exit or misjudging the positioning of the exit opening. Also, because those feeders do not keep the worms in a confined space, if the openings are low enough to the platform, larger species of birds can reach the worms by sticking their heads through the openings. Thus, improvements to both known fly-thru feeders and enclosed feeders are desirable.
The difficulties suggested in the preceding are not intended to be exhaustive but rather are among many which tend to reduce the effectiveness of conventional bluebird feeders. Other noteworthy problems or needed applications may also exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that such bird feeders appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a bird feeder which will obviate or minimize difficulties of the type previously described.
It is a specific object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that is convertible from an enclosed feeder with a small ingress/egress opening (particularly suited to bluebirds and other small bird species), to an enclosed feeder with a larger ingress/egress opening (particularly suited to slightly larger birds), to a fly-thru feeder that accommodates even larger birds, to a platform feeder that accommodates all birds.
It is another object of the invention to provide a bird feeder with ingress/egress openings easily seen by birds; consequently, birds can see the food from outside the feeder and see an escape route from inside the feeder.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that has adjustably-sized ingress/egress openings to permit only birds or mammals of certain size access to food contained within the bird feeder.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that enables a bird watcher to watch the birds feed from multiple viewing angles.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that is durable, easy and relatively inexpensive to construct, and aesthetically pleasing.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that may present a variety of different types of food including live food, such as mealworms, in a manner that prevents the live food from escaping.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a weather-resistant bird feeder that offers a dry environment in the interior portion of the bird feeder to preserve the bird food, yet still allows bird watchers to watch the birds feed and allows birds quick access to, and exit from, the interior portion of the bird feeder.
It is still an additional object of the invention to provide a bird feeder that is easy to hang from a wall, tree, or fence post. This is a particularly desirable feature for a mealworm feeder, because these feeders are mostly used during bluebird nesting season, when bluebirds prefer open situations, such as fields, and have traditionally nested in cavities in trees and fence posts.
An embodiment of the invention which is intended to accomplish at least some of the foregoing objects includes a base, a top, and a plurality of sides that extend between the base and the top. At least two of the sides include an upper side member and a lower side member. The upper and lower side members are at least partially spaced from each other to provide an ingress/egress opening so that birds of a selected size may enter and exit an interior portion of the bird feeder, while birds larger than the selected size are prevented from entering the interior portion of the bird feeder. Each upper side member is manually selectively adjustable so that a size of the respective ingress/egress opening between the upper side member and the lower side member may be at least one of increased and decreased. The bird feeder preferably includes vertical supports to which the side members are slidably mounted.
In a preferred embodiment, the bird feeder includes a back wall and three sides formed by upper and lower side members. The bird feeder further includes two vertical supports, each having two grooved surfaces with grooves that extend along the length of the grooved surfaces. The back wall also has two grooves on the back wall surface that face the interior of the bird feeder, one adjacent each side of the back wall. Each back wall groove extends from a top of the back wall to at least the base of the bird feeder. The vertical supports are mounted to the base so that one of the vertical support's two grooved surfaces faces a groove in the back wall and the other of the vertical support's two grooved surfaces faces a groove in the opposite vertical support.
In this preferred embodiment, a lower member, an upper member, and a spacer may be slidably inserted into opposing grooves to form the remaining three sides of the bird feeder. The spacer may be sl

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