Lee Duer became hooked on ornithology after his parents built a special window in their kitchen just for watching birds.  Now, as the owner of Wild Bird Center, he shares his love of wildlife and knowledge of bird watching, also known as birding, with the community.

Air Force service brought Mr. Duer to the area in 1963.   After he left the military, he started his own executive recruiting service.  His career went into a slump however, when the companies who hired his recruits initiated a large amount of layoffs.  At that point he and his wife, Dee, looked into a franchise that appealed to Mr. Duer’s nature-loving side.

Mr. Duer obviously takes painstaking efforts to assure that his customers are happy and leaving with quality merchandise.  With the amount of commercial development surrounding him on that Waldorf stretch of 301, I was curious whether larger stores caused his sales to suffer.  He felt that such stores actually helped his business.  He explained that people often come to his store after buying inferior products from larger retailers.  They become frustrated with the poor quality and turn to Wild Bird Center; not only for its superior products, but also for the knowledge that only Mr. Duer’s many years of ornithology could provide.

He escorted me around the store showing me birdbaths, solar powered chimes, feeders and even handmade birdhouses crafted by a North Carolina artist.  Wild Bird Center also stocks very fine walking-sticks, high-end binoculars and Tilley Hats.  I admitted I’d not heard of Tilley hats.

“You’re kidding?  You don’t know what a Tilley hat is?”  He explained the hat’s superior features and showed me the display.  Clearly I have much to learn about proper headgear and its value in the finer points of birding.

Photos by H. Bartlett for TheBayNet.com.

Mr. Duer happily pointed out quality details on a variety of superior bird feeders he carries at the store.  He takes pride in the quality of his merchandise.

“See this?  This is quarter inch wood with screws not staples.  That really makes a difference.  The trays are removable so they can be cleaned; and there are holes in it to allow drainage, so if it rains it doesn’t ruin your seed.” 

Even the seed display is impressive.  Standing before clear jars containing examples of mass marketed birdfeed from larger retail stores, Mr. Duer explained what birds do and don’t like to eat.   He explained that mass marketed birdfeeds often have grains in them as filler.  According to Mr. Duer, grains don’t really attract birds, but they do attract mice and rats.  Mr. Duer only carries birdfeed in which he’s confident that the product contains just what birds want with no fillers.  He’s even made a handy seed chart for customers who want to attract certain types of birds.

An avid wildlife photographer, Mr. Duer also sells cards bearing hi