I have to give some props to one of my new blog supporters.

You may have noticed a new supporter on the side of the blog, Credit River Outdoor Creations. This is actually someone I know--his name is Todd and he's been our mechanic, well since we moved to Minnesota in 1996. We know nothing about car repair and needed someone we could trust. I chose him because when I walked into Amigo Service Center for an oil change, I looked around the waiting room and saw bird houses, a birding calendar on the wall, and some birds painted into the decor. I told Non Birding Bill, "These are bird people, we can trust bird people."

Over the years we've gotten to the know the staff and recently, Todd told me that he started a little birding business selling a bird feeding pole system and a seed storage system. When he described the pole system he was selling, I recognized it right away:

It's the Plymouth Pole system--it was always one of my favorites when I worked at the bird store and a tough one to find. I've installed it at my mom's and at Mr. Neil's and show it my City Birds/Country Birds book. When the pole system is set up correctly with a raccoon baffle, it works really well to keep any manner of critter out of your feeders. It works because the feeders are above five feet and if you put a raccoon baffle on it and the pole is mounted a good 10 feet from a tree, fence, your home, or lawn furniture, it will keep squirrels and raccoons from climbing the pole. And a note, if you're short like me, use Easy Lift hangers to hang your feeders on the pole system, it makes it a cinch to get them down.

So, if your looking for a good sturdy pole system, check out Todd's site--he's a good guy and I appreciate his support for the site.