Solar bird feeders sounds like technology run amok. What could be the need for solar power on a bird feeder. Solar bird baths at least typically run some type of water fountain, but do you need solar power for a bird feeder?

The idea behind a solar bird feeder is a simple one. The bird feeder is usually a traditional feeder. It may look like a platform feeder, or some of the more ornate feeders are small pedestals that can also function as a bird bath. There is another model that is a pole mounted feeder shaped like a lighthouse.

The key difference then is a small light, usually and LED light that provides some type of landscape lighting. This is often mounted higher than the traditional solar spot lights, which are often used to light a walkway or some other low area.

These feeders have solar panels that spend the daylight hours charging the batteries on the unit, and at night the batteries run the landscape lights. This is a nice feature to add to your backyard landscaping.

A solar bird bath typically has a completely different reason for being solar powered. One common feature of bird baths is that they will have a moving water fountain as part of the bird bath. This is an attractive feature because we like the sights and sounds of moving water, and that movement is also attractive to birds as well.

One of the obvious advantages of solar power is that with the built in or attached solar panels there is no need to wire the fountain to the power system of the house, which makes the installation a lot less expensive, and gives it a lot more flexibilty, as it doesn't need to be near the house. One other simple advantage of solar power is that there is no ongoing operating expense, after you buy the bird bath the power is free.

Here's a video that shows how the solar panels are often removable allowing them to be placed in direct sunlight. For any solar powered device the amount of sunlight that can fall on the panels is critical, although probably less so for the solar bird feeders than the solar bird baths, since the bird baths are running continuously during the day.

Give one of these solar units a try, I think you will like the change it brings to your backyard.