Whether you’re someone with decades of experience in bird feeding or are a newcomer just starting out, chances are you’ve thought long and hard about where to put up your bird feeder. While it’s possible to put up a bird feeder nearly anywhere in your yard, there are certain spots that will attract more birds and ensure their safety. If you’re thinking about putting up a new feeder (or moving around your old ones), here are some tips for prime bird feeder locations.
Position it close to or far away from windows
The worst sound in the world is that thump you hear against the window when a bird has accidentally flown into it (fortunately, the few times I’ve heard it, the bird was a little stunned but overall OK). You can reduce the likelihood of a bird colliding with your window by placing the feeder far away from your window or within three feet of it. By putting the feeder right next to a window, a bird will be more apt to notice it and if it doesn’t, it won’t have enough time to pick up speed to get injured. Check out this article for more tips on preventing birds from hitting your windows.
Be conscious of the sun
Most seed-eating birds absolutely love perching in the sun for a quick meal, so it’s good to place tube feeders in an area that gets a lot of sun. However, the exact opposite should be done with hummingbird and suet feeders. These two types are more susceptible to going bad quicker when exposed to direct sunlight, so those should be placed in areas with minimal sunlight if possible.
Feeders should be near some natural cover
This is a very difficult one to accomplish because you want to both put your feeder near a natural cover to provide protection for the birds, but you also don’t want to make your feeder accessible to predators and hungry squirrels. The best cover would be something like a shrub or bush that can’t hide any large predators.
Avoid windy areas
Birds really hate feeding in windy areas and who could blame them (have you ever tried eating at a park on a windy day?). So, if there is a particular area of your yard that gets excessively windy, avoid placing your feeders there.
Place the feeders away from danger
Danger is a really subjective thing to quantify because it’s hard to tell what birds perceive as unsafe. There are a few things you can be sure of though. Birds will avoid areas that are frequently stalked by cats or are constantly being swooped upon by predatory birds. If these are issues in your yard, make sure to put the feeders up high and beneath some sort of cover.
Make sure you can see the feeder
While you should definitely keep all these aspects in mind, don’t forget to put it in a place where you can easily observe it, whether from a chair on your porch or from the window of your kitchen. It’s great to feed the birds because you want to help, but you should also reap the benefit of watching the fun and playful behavior of your backyard buddies.
12 Comments
Thanks for the helpful tips, Timothy! I included some of your advice in my first blog post on thebasicsofbirdwatching.wordpress.com. I think having a bird feeder, a bird bath and possibly some birdhouses are the best ways to attract birds to your backyard. When I’m watching birds at my backyard feeder, I like to keep a pair of binoculars handy, as well as a notebook which I use to keep track of bird species I have seen. In my experience, the best times of day to look for birds at a bird feeder are early mornings and late afternoons, near sunrise and sunset hours.
Hey Leila. Thanks for commenting and adding some of my advice to your site. I look forward to reading more of your blog. Happy birding!
Thank you for all the great information. Keep up the good work.