Bird feeders

[Tara Potter]

Hello! We were in Tobago in April of this year staying at Castara Retreats - absolutely fantastic! I kept dithering about buying one of those bird feeders you see everywhere (you know the ones - made out of coconut shells, 2 tiers - simple but great!). Well I never did buy one and now really regret it. I have 2 options. My prefered option (but not my bank managers prefered option!) is to return to Tobago and buy one. Alternatively I wondered whether anyone would be willing to buy one for me and send it to me on their return to England? Or is this too much to ask?
Thanks
Tara

[Kevin Hampson]

Hi Tara,
You could always get a coconut from Asda and some string, it would keep your bank manager happy but it's not as much fun. I rather liked the bamboo ones for sale at Englishman’s Bay but we have a cat do I don’t think encouraging birds in to the garden is very sporting but I'm sure the cat would not complain.

Anyway I'm going over again in October and if you don't get any offers and can wait that long I'll bring a couple back for you.

Regards

Kevin

[Julia C.]

I saw one I realy liked in Charlotteville. A coconut split in half with the top half being a "roof" suspended with three strings above the lower bowl. Thought it would be really good in the UK, because with a "roof" it would keep the rain out. The guy on the stall wanted $80 TT for it though and I wasn't prepared to pay that much.
On return to the UK I made my own! Took me less than an hour with a saw and a hand drill and some string.
I left the coconut flesh in the lower half thinking the the birds would like it. So far they don't - ungrateful beasts!

[Tara Potter]

Thanks for the offer Kevin - I'll let you know! Maybe I should try to make one myself! I'll give it a go.

[Brian Taylor]

hey julia, maybe your local birds don't like to "eat out exotic"

most of the time you don't see coconut shells, but calabash wich is very durable. sometimes they come with nice carvings on the outside. In my experience they last longer than the bamboo ones in european climate... but who cares since you can come back every year and get a next one....
steph

[Julia C.]

Hi Steph
I've now removed all the coconut from the shell and will be putting boring old bird seed in so I'll see if they like that instead.
Yes the calabash bird feeders are nice, we bought one as a gift for a family member.
As for comming back every year and getting another one...
... we probably won't be back for a while.
We loved Tobago, particularly Castara and will never forget the lovely people we met there. I would never hesitate to recommend it as a fantastic holiday destination, however having been twice we feel we'd like/ought to see some other places in the world. Of course we may regret this decision and decide that Tobago is the best, but we won't know until we try.
I am certainly still addicted to visiting this site and like to keep up with the "news", so you never know we may return sooner rather than later.

[Brian Taylor]

to hear, but we hope that tobago will still be here in a few years time
so we might meet you again and two or three, after you found out, that you can't find anywhere better....
steph