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Where To Place A Bird Feeder: 5 Favorite Locations

Written by Garrett Hayes

Last updated on Mar 27th, 2024
Bird feeder

Nurturing friendship with birds offers many different benefits.

Here are a few...

You do the environment a favor by creating a wildlife-friendly space in your backyard. Aside from providing hours of fun observing them, they also effectively control insects, weeds, and small rodents. 

However, some people think that putting up a bird feeder, placing birdbaths, etc., would be enough. What most bird lovers are unaware of, knowing where to place bird feeders is as essential as choosing the kind of feeder you need to have.

Let's find out how to do it right and make your garden a haven birds can't resist.

Man wearing a bird feeder hat
"I'm not bored. Are you?"

Different Options Where To Place Bird Feeders In Your Garden

A significant part of attracting birds to your yard includes knowing where to put a bird feeder. Having the correct feeder and bird seed is essential if you want more garden birds to come to your space. The quality of bird food also counts.

But without a better feeder placement, your chances of succeeding in this endeavor are least likely to happen. Check out the best bird feeder location and find a well-suited one for your needs:

1. Backyard Fences And Garden Sheds

Sometimes, people don't know where to put a bird feeder, such as window feeders for finches and juncos. 

Many experienced birders recommend that it's best to hang such a feeder on walls. Some would also hang such a seed feeder on their backyard fences.

Relatively, a hopper feeder mounted on a post comes as a comfortable alternative for birds reluctant to use tube feeders. Such fences and garden sheds can come in handy for a tube feeder or a suet feeder.

2. Windows

A window feeder typically comes with a suction cup so users can attach it conveniently to windows. 

Some standard feeders come with adapters, allowing you to use them as window feeders. Suet ball feeders and tray feeders generally include such adapters.

However, some birds fly towards their reflections and fatally collide with windows. You can prevent such accidents by placing window stickers near your bird feeder. It would at least signal the birds to avoid a hard surface. A clear window bird feeder would make a good food station for this matter!

3. Trees

If you enjoy attracting birds, such as a house finch, purple finch, and Northern cardinal, hanging bird feeders from tree branches makes an excellent choice. It's what most people do when they use hopper feeders while using a squirrel baffle to keep such pests from reaching the feeder.

You can research on the internet if you want to build the best squirrel-proof bird feeder that actually works in order to protect your avian buddies.

It is not unusual for new birders not to know where to place a bird feeder appropriately, such as a hanging bird feeder, for instance. Try placing feeders where some shrubs or trees are nearby, as they can provide birds some natural cover. Trees are also best for hanging a tray feeder.

You can effectively lure timid finches to your garden by hanging a Nyjer feeder on a deciduous tree. Try placing a catching tray at the bottom of this feeder to avoid seed wastage.

4. Deck Hangers

A deck hanger can be suitable if you wonder where to hang a bird feeder to safeguard it from pests and other mammals. 

Suspending your hanging feeder from deck hangers keeps the seed clean and dry and protects it from squirrels and raccoons.

Aside from hanging your feeders at least four feet above the ground, you may also enclose suet in a coated metal cage. It can be your best option in outwitting the squirrel.

5. Ground

Ground feeders can be a tray or merely a raised piece of wood with bird seed on top of it. This feeder type is best to have if you're attracting ground feeding birds. You can have an old hollow log in place and use it as a ground-level feeder.

A mourning dove, house sparrow, junco, and towhee forage their natural food from a platform feeder on the ground and would rarely search anywhere else. 

Using platform feeders is way better than merely scattering the seed on the ground since that may also attract pests.

Black-oil sunflower seed is the best bird feed to offer feathered friends frequenting your platform feeders. Various bird seed mixes, including safflower seed and peanuts, are likewise top choices at feeders.


Considerable Factors On Where To Place Bird Feeders

Landscape

Look at different areas around your garden from a bird's perspective. Check if the food is easy to see, and think about how you can maximize the wildlife potential in your backyard. It should be more than merely a mass of brambles or some few trees and shrubs.

The benefits of having hedges could be significant, as much as an existing fence with the addition of some trellis and climbers. You can use these for hanging feeders and native trees and shrubs; then, you can start planning your overall garden design.

Keep your landscape growing and changing by following your creative instincts.

You may also choose to diversify the kind of plants in your space. Seeing your backyard should make you forget that you are in your garden but more like in actual, vibrant wildlife.

Visibility

Placing feeders out in the open will also encourage more birds to come and visit your garden. When it comes to successful bird feeding, it's a thoughtful consideration to have a bird feeder where wild birds can easily spot it.

You can build an effective bird feeder pole system so that your avian guests will always feel safe and at home in your background.

You don't only find a spot where various bird species can see your seed feeders, but choose a location you'll also be comfortable watching them feed. The center of your lawn or patio can be an optimal feeder placement that will attract more birds.

Accessibility

You can lure more birds to a bird feeder that is easily accessible. Such convenience should also be available to you, not just the birds. 

Place the feeder in a way that allows easy inspection so that you will know when to replenish the bird food and when it's time to clean it.

Where to put a bird feeder, especially during winter, matters a lot as that assures the birds of dependable access to a food source.

Safety

Position your bird feeder in such a way that will discourage unwelcome visitors, such as starlings, squirrels, and sparrows.

Place your bird feeder near a shrub where they can hop safely from there and fly away without the risk of being attacked by predators.

Plants such as holly, hawthorn, and dog rose are best for providing these birds a safe refuge. Squirrel-proof feeders can also deter small mammals or baffles above or below the bird feeder.

Secondary Feeding Station

Many birds live in an area, and seeing larger birds in your feeding area could deter the small birds. 

You may prevent this from occurring by having secondary feeders in place. Place them on windows, trees, fences, and even ground level.

It will also help to ensure that the primary and secondary feeding stations are clean and have diverse seed mixes. It will give our avian friends countless opportunities to a more developed habitat within your garden.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best bird feeder location?

Location is everything when it comes to bird feeding. It can be tricky not to know where to place bird feeders. No bird will go to it if you happen to place a feeder in the middle of an open and featureless plot.

The best feeder position is a conveniently visible spot with foliage nearby. Having good vantage points will allow the birds to check out the area or hide from predators. Further, the location should not be around busy areas since human activities may scare some birds.

What should your hummingbird feeder contain?

Hummingbird feeders containing fuchsia, geraniums, and honeysuckle are attractive to hummers. The red color attracts these bird species, as they relate red to being an excellent food source. 

You may also get these birds hooked on sugar water. These birds' dependence on nectar for their energy source is why you shouldn't miss having nectar feeders. Try preparing a homemade solution by mixing sugar and water to mimic natural nectar and put it on a supplemental feeder.

Read Also: Where to Hang Hummingbird Feeders

What's the recommended distance between your house and the bird feeder?

At least sixty feet away is appropriate if you worry about where to put the bird feeder from your house. It's unnecessary to place the bird food too far from your home as that would keep the fun out of bird watching. However, inappropriate feeder placement, such as having it too near, can expose your home to other uninvited creatures that benefit from feeders.


Conclusion

Having a clean bird bath, a bird house, and the appropriate feeder and bird food increases your chance of attracting these creatures. Learning where to put bird feeders and supplementing their needs make your garden an irresistible spot for any passing backyard bird.

You might also want to consider having a bird feeding station than a single feeder, allowing multiple birds to feed concurrently in various feeders. Likewise, an assortment of feeders also means varying feeder placement.

Moreover, myriad feeder styles at different heights will encourage diverse species to visit and even stay in your garden. It gives you the most beautiful opportunity of a front-row seat to a fun bird-watching experience.

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