Persons have long used bird feeders, birdbaths, and the like to attract birds of various types to their homes, both to view the birds and to feed the birds out of concern for their welfare in the event that food is scarce, as in winter. Different types of feeders have been developed, which each dispense foodstuffs that are preferred by a selected variety of bird that a person might desire to attract. For example, seeds, grains, suets, and nectars are common foodstuffs that can be dispensed by a selected type of feeder.
Seed dispensing birdfeeders are perhaps the easiest and most popular way of attracting a myriad of wild birds to a particular location for viewing. This is especially so in the winter months when food is scarce. Typically, seed feeders are suspended from or supported by a pole or post or hung from a tree branch so as to elevate the feeder above the ground and are built to hold and protect the seed from the elements.
There are a variety of seed feeders that have been constructed to attract various species of wild birds. One popular type is the tube feeder. Tube feeders are hollow, cylindrical tubes, often made of plastic, and have multiple feeding stations spaced along the length of the tube. Typically, feeding stations include a feed port and an adjacent perch, such as a radially extending post, positioned below the feed port to provide the feeding bird with a place to alight and then obtain seed through the port while the bird stands on the perch. Feeders intended for gold finches, however, who like to feed while in an upside down position, are made with the perch positioned above the feed port. Other birds such as nuthatches, and some varieties of woodpeckers, also like to eat upside down and will do so if a suitable bird supporting structure is available to them.
Thistle seed is attractive to finches and can be effectively dispensed with a tube feeder having a plurality of feeding stations. However, thistle seed is also attractive to other birds as well. Since thistle seed is one of the more expensive seeds on the market, when a consumer wants to attract gold finches using thistle seed it would be advantageous if other birds could be prevented from also consuming the seed. At other times, however, the consumer may want to use the feeder to dispense other types of seeds without concern for the type of birds that are able to feed. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to the consumer to have a feeder with an adjustable feed port assembly that can be configured to allow birds to feed in either an upright position or an upside-down position.
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