Seed feeds a passion for birding at Wild Birds Unlimited
In 2020, during the pandemic, businessman Kyle Odom recalls talking with other business owners who were struggling, having a hard time of it.
“And we were having a hard time keeping up,” said Odom, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Boerne.
“Everybody was at home. The kids were home, and parents are trying to get the kids to look at something other than the TV or a computer,” he said. “They were looking out the windows, seeing things they’ve never really seen before.”
Odom opened this second store in April, with a grand opening the first weekend in May. He owns another Wild Birds Unlimited in San Antonio, on Huebner Road in the Shavano Park area.
“We had a soft opening on April 5. We wanted to be open for about a month, to work out any kinks before we had the grand opening. Fortunately, there weren’t any,” he said.
Two factors make Boerne the ideal place for his store: growth, and open space.
“Everyone knows this area is developing rapidly. Combine that with the countryside we have here,” he said, “and it’s a perfect spot for nature-oriented business of any kind, but specifically wild bird focus.”
Bagged bird seed, naturally, is the store’s No. 1 seller. Of the bagged seeds, their No-Mess Blend is tops. “There are no shells, nothing’s going to fall on the ground or on the pool deck,” he said.
No-Mess Blends include a mix of sunflower chips, hulled white millet and shelled peanuts — foods which appeal to birds that eat at the feeder or on the ground.
As for bird feeders, “our top bird feeder by far has been The Eliminator. It’s a squirrel-resistant bird feeder,” he said. “If a squirrel gets on there, it closes up, so they don’t have a source of food.”
Nuts and berries suet cylinders are a favorite of clinging and perching birds and are a convenient way to offer birds high-energy, high-fat food.
Wild Birds Unlimited customers are almost equally split, he said, between the person who has been feeding birds for years, and the novice who ventures in and says, “OK, where do I start?”
“First, I ask, ‘Tell me about your property. If you want to attract birds, where are you? Are you in a condo with a little courtyard, or are you situated on 12 acres?’” he said.
Then he asks about their goal — What are they hoping to accomplish?
“Do you want to attract just cardinals and hummingbirds, or do you want to attract everybody? Do you also want to attract squirrels and raccoons and other wildlife onto your area?” he said. “It all depends on what they are trying to do, what they are trying to accomplish.”
He services landowners who have large swaths of land “who have a wildlife evaluation, people call them wildlife exemptions they obtain through the county,” he said. “If you’re encouraging wildlife on your property, you get a tax abatement. In that case, they’ll come in and buy big quantities at a time. I expect that’ll begin to happen here.”
Being a new store in a new market, Odom expects to service more of the novice birder — “the people ... who walk in and say, ‘I’ve never fed birds before, what do I do?’
“They’re looking for something new to do, something different, and they’ve started feeding the birds. So now, they want to do it the right way. We’ll help them get there.”
Wild Birds Unlimited, oddly enough, is located off North Main Street next to a business related to birds, 28 Songs Brewhouse and Kitchen — named as such as male and female cardinals can sing at least 28 songs.
“That was purely coincidental,” he laughed. “But it does create a little theme down here.”
WILD BIRDS
UNLIMITED
110 MARKET ST. SUITE 106 830-331-2555 9 A.M. TO 6 P.M.
MONDAY- SATURDAY 11 A.M.-4 P.M. SUNDAY
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