Birds Of A Feather: Meet The Husband And Wife Duo Specializing In High-Quality Bird Food

FAIRFIELD, CT - What sets Fairfield’s Wild Birds Unlimited apart from other backyard nature stores? For starters, Wild Birds Unlimited of Fairfield — headed by franchise partners and husband-and-wife duo Chris Petherick and Sue Shunta — is founded on a lifelong enthusiasm for bird-watching.

The Fairfield location offers fresh, clean, no-waste seed blends — but it is more than a retailer; it is also an educational hub, providing hobby guides and workshops for local and budding bird enthusiasts.

Chris Petherick shares with Patch how Wild Birds Unlimited of Fairfield came to be, the benefits of creating a backyard bird habitat and how to improve the variety and quantity of birds visiting a particular feeder.

Patch: Wild Birds Unlimited prides itself on its high-quality bird food. What’s the WBU “bird seed difference?”

Petherick: WBU bird seed blends are fresh, clean and contain no filler seeds or grains, hence they are no waste, meaning the birds will eat everything offered in our seed blends. These fillers, such as milo and cereal grains, are not of interest to the birds in this area, so they tend to end up on the ground, rejected by the birds – that’s the difference with our food. In addition, we have a variety of seed blends, allowing our customers to tailor what they feed to the birds they want to attract to their yards. And if you stop into our store, we can discuss these options.

Patch: What are the benefits of creating a backyard bird habitat?

Petherick: There are so many benefits to creating a backyard bird habitat. First and foremost is the opportunity to attract a varied and interesting group of birds to watch on a daily basis. Simply watching their behavior and enjoying the bursts of color and activity can be a pleasant break in a busy day. And of course, there are benefits for the birds, too!

Having access to high-quality food, water and shelter from weather and predators is very beneficial to birds. Nesting birds with easy access to this food, water and shelter will produce hardier eggs, and they can pay more attention to their brood, improving the chance for survival of their young.

Patch: How can Patch readers improve the variety and quantity of birds visiting their feeder?

Petherick: Providing high-quality food, shelter, nesting habitat and access to water will greatly improve your ability to attract a wider variety and a higher quantity of birds to your yard. Different foods and feeders will attract different birds, so tailor your offerings to the birds you enjoy.

In this area, most backyard birds are attracted to sunflower seeds, so be sure the blend of seed you offer has lots of sunflower seeds in it. Certain birds have very specific interests, such as the Baltimore Oriole. To increase the likelihood of seeing one in your yard, you can offer orange halves and grape jelly, two of their favorite foods!

Patch: What about nesting birds? How can readers make their feeders more “nesting-friendly?”

Petherick: Nesting birds will benefit from easy access to high-quality food and water. An added benefit we can offer our nesting feathered friends is food with calcium. The amount of calcium in their natural diet of seeds and insects is often inadequate, and they must seek calcium-rich foods as a supplement. It is important for egg-laying as well as chick development.

Patch: Tell us a little about WBU’s hobby guide. What resources and other information does it provide?

Petherick: The hobby guide provides an overview of our core product offerings and is a nice tool for customers to use as they plan their bird-feeding station, or stations, or consider additions to their existing feeders.

Patch: What advice do you have for Patch readers who might be interested in delving into the world of bird-feeding, but who might not know where to start?

Petherick: One of the best things about this hobby is that it can be as simple or as involved as you want. You can hang a feeder from a tree branch or set up a full pole system that can handle multiple feeders and accessories.

Come see us! Tell us about your outdoor space and we can make suggestions to help you get started. We also have a wonderfully comprehensive book called “The Joy of Bird Feeding,” which outlines how to get started, how much fun it is and is full of pictures of the fascinating birds that may visit your backyard. It would make a great gift for someone looking to get started.

Patch: How can readers take care of their winged visitors during the winter?

Petherick: It’s important to note that birds are very good at taking care of themselves. Our feeding supplements their natural food intake, whether during the summertime or in winter. That being said, providing our feathered friends with a consistent source of high fat and high protein food can be greatly beneficial, especially during periods of harsh winter weather.

The less energy they need to expend in search of food during the winter, the better. Keeping your feeders clean and full during winter time will help the birds better cope with the long nights and cold temperatures. If possible, offering an open water source in winter is another great way to help out.

Patch: Tell us about your “Enjoy Your Birds” series. What other programs or workshops does the store host?

Petherick: As a new store, we are still putting together our plans for store programs. To start, we want to better understand what our customers want to learn about. We just hosted our second program and talked about summer bird feeding – birds to look for, what you feed in addition to seed and tips for attracting birds to your yard this time of year.

We love to see people energized about the hobby and also listen in on the enthusiastic discussions between our guests. Bird enthusiasts are a very fun community of people. We’re working on more programs, both at the store as well as within the community. Stay tuned!

Patch: Patch readers care about their communities and the people that work and live within them. Can you tell us about how you came to be a Wild Birds Unlimited franchisee?

Petherick: I have been a lifelong bird enthusiast, watching birds with my mom as a youngster. As adults, we were customers of the Wild Birds Unlimited store where we lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We know the owner well, and one day, the topic of store ownership came up in our conversation. We looked into it and liked what we learned. After much analysis, thought and discussion, we decided this could be a very interesting, fun and rewarding career. Seventeen months later, here we are!

Patch: How can Patch readers learn more about bird feeding, feeders and other opportunities through Fairfield’s Wild Birds Unlimited location?

Petherick: I’d say to stop in and see us. We love discussing the hobby with our customers, whether it’s their first time in or if they’ve become regulars. By stopping in, you can learn about our seed blends, see the great variety of feeders we offer and just relax for a few minutes.

And don’t worry about where you park — we will carry out your seed out to your car! We also have a Facebook page and a website.

Photo credit: Wild Birds Unlimited of Fairfield