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Step 1
Learn something about the birds in your area. There are countless print and Internet resources available to help you understand which birds are native to your area, and which birds are most commonly attracted to yard feeders. Knowing what birds you are trying to attract is key.
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Step 2
Make sure to carefully consider the placement of your feeders. Obviously, you want to place your feeders as close as possible to a large window where you can easily observe the feeding birds, but making sure to place the structures high enough off the ground to make the birds feel safe and comfortable is just as important. It’s also important to place the feeder on as extended and thin a tree limb as possible. This cuts down on the ability of cats to sneak attack the birds while they feed.
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Step 3
Remember that aggressive hunting cats, whether yours or the neighbors’, can end the activity at a feeder quicker than anything. If you do own cats that roam outside, try to keep them inside or at least in the garage during the key feeding hours of the early morning and late afternoon when bird activity is the highest.
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Step 4
Use more than 1 kind of feeder. Different birds like to feed in different ways and on different food. A good way to attract a large variety of both native wild birds and passing songbirds is to hang both a standard bird feeder with perches for the birds to sit on and another “sock” feeder, which is simply a sack filled with finch and songbird thistle. Only the smaller songbirds with tiny beaks enjoy and can get at the thistle through small holes in the “sock,” which you can purchase at any pet store.
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Step 5
Spread some feed on the ground. While most birds eat almost exclusively while elevated on a structure, some others, particularly morning doves and some daring robins and blue jays, love to eat feed that has fallen from a feeder directly off the ground.
