This Mini Bird Feeder Is Like a Cute Cafe for Birds on My Deck

I’ve never considered myself a bird person. But a few years ago, when I spent a few months in Vermont, my sister-in-law’s Bird Buddy bird feeder — and all of the birds it attracted every single day — was the highlight of my long-term stay. I’ve held off on getting a bird feeder in my Brooklyn apartment for a few reasons (mainly, my fear of attracting rats and my lack of an elevated-enough outdoor space). But recently that all changed when I had the opportunity to test the Umbra Bird Cafe. That, combined with the fact that I live on the second floor, meant I was ready to try it.

This little, easy-to-use and modern bird feeder is a true delight to have on my deck — and I find myself looking out of my front window a lot more often, just like I did for those few months I lived in Vermont. 

The Umbra Bird Cafe is a bird cafe made of durable plastic with a steel cable looped through it. It measures 9 inches by 9 inches by 8.46 inches. It’s shaped like a little house with a roof-like lid, a rectangular gray square body with clear plastic panels that function like windows so you can see how much seed is in your feeder, and a little trough at the bottom where birds can land and feed. You fill the bird cafe by lifting the lid off the top of the cafe (the loop is attached to the bottom of the bird feeder, not the lid) and by pouring seed in. It then spills out into the ridged trough on the bottom of the bird feeder where birds can land and eat. (They can also sit on top of the bird feeder’s lid, as well.) You simply pop it back on and hang the steel cable wherever it makes sense for you to do so. 

The bird cafe is just $40 and does not come with birdseed. When researching the best kind of seed, I learned that there is a lot of conflicting information about what wild birds might like to eat. I ended up getting a typical Northeastern wild birdseed blend from Chewy, and it worked for me, but you should definitely do research to find what types of seed make the most sense depending on where you live. 

If you’re looking for a low-effort bird feeder that’s incredibly easy to fill, refill, clean, and hang, as well as tell when it needs a refill, this is a great bird feeder to buy. I like that it looks like a little modern house and that it’s solidly constructed. When I received the bird feeder, it was already put together in the box, so there was no assembly required. That’s a big plus for someone like me who is really, really bad at putting together furniture. 

But the main reason I like it is because it’s just so lovely to see birds hop on and off of the feeder whenever I’m working from home or looking out onto my deck. I might not be a birder myself, but I’ve been lucky enough to see a northern cardinal or two. I’m holding out hope that I’ll soon see a blue jay. And so far, I haven’t seen any rats, so I’m counting that as a win, too. 

Buy: Umbra Bird Cafe, $40