Britain’s wild bird population is facing challenges. But innovative engineering combined with strategic IP protection starting to make a real difference?
We spoke with Dick Woods, owner of Finches Friends about his mission to save wild birds and how Albright IP has helped secured his ground-breaking designs.
A personal tragedy sparks a unique solution
For Dick Woods, the journey to becoming a champion for wild birds began with a heart-breaking discovery in his own garden.
“About 10 years ago, we had around 50 greenfinches tragically die,” said Dick. This devastating event led him to investigate a problem that has far wider implications than most bird lovers realise.
“In the UK, we’ve lost six million wild birds over the past 20 years due to disease that’s transmitted through garden bird feeding. A truly frightening statistic, and one that’s completely manmade,” explains Dick.
Transmission of disease is at the point of feeding. Parasites left behind by infected birds spread rapidly in the damp, unclean conditions typical of traditional bird feeders.
Drawing on his background as an engineer and research from the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), Dick set out to redesign bird feeders from the ground up.
Engineering solutions that save lives
Finches Friend products address three critical flaws in conventional bird feeder design.
“The key to safe bird feeding is encapsulation,” said Dick. “This means keeping food as if it were in the bag for as long as possible to protect it from the damp – conditions where parasites thrive.”
His designs also incorporate weather protection at feeding points and feature components that are easy and quick to disassemble, making regular, cleaning simple and convenient.
It’s a comprehensive approach to a problem that most bird feeding enthusiasts aren’t even aware of. The company offers five products across three distinct designs:
- Hanging feeders featuring encapsulated food storage, carefully designed perches, and rain guards. These feeders have a full UK patent.
- Peanut feeders that also have encapsulated food storage, which keeps food dry and ensures nuts are fed through in age order with separate feeding and perching grilles to reduce the transfer of disease.
- Window feeders that include encapsulation and improve on the typical open tray design with protective features and proper perching spaces.
Strategic IP protection with Albright IP
When it came to protecting his innovations, Dick turned to Albright IP, continuing a relationship that spans many years. “I am a real relationship person. I need to work with people I know and trust,” he said.
Working closely with Patent Attorney, Director Frederick Noble, Dick has successfully secured a full UK patent for his hanging feeders and is at various stages in the patenting process for his other products, with applications spanning the UK, EU and North American markets.
“With Freddie and Albright IP, it’s been such an easy journey. I can simply trust them to do what needs to be done, and we can have honest, black and white conversations,” added Dick.
He particularly values the ability of patent attorneys to handle a diverse range of inventions.
He said: “It never ceases to amaze me how patent attorneys can deal with something like my fairly simple products one day, and then complex electronics or technologies the next. Albright IP has stepped in to protect my ideas, and I have been able to leave it all in their very capable hands.”
Looking to the future
While commercial success is certainly welcome, Dick’s primary motivation remains the welfare of wild birds. Now approaching his late sixties, he hopes to leave a lasting legacy through Finches Friend, which he runs as a family business alongside his son.
“I started the business, initially, because someone had to make a change,” he reflected. “The main ambition is to leave our wild birds in a much better place than when we started.”
With another version of the hanging feeder already in development and plans to expand patent protection, the partnership between Finches Friend and Albright IP continues to demonstrate how thoughtful engineering combined with strategic IP protection can address significant environmental and human behavioural challenges.
To learn more about Finches Friend and their innovative bird feeders, visit www.finchesfriend.com
If you have any patent, design or trade mark queries, please contact us via email, by telephone: +44 (0) 1242 691 801, or using the form below and we will be happy to advise and guide you.
