placing your birdfeeder so it'll attract the most birds

Where you put a birdfeeder can make a huge difference in the use it gets.

You can apply the very same rules as a fast-food place opening for business;  the all-important - Location, Location, Location. The main difference, however, is you should always place a birdfeeder in a location where you can see the activity. If after a while you do not have any birds stopping by, it’s probably for one the following reasons:

 

·       Visibility, for you and them. If birds can’t see a new feeder, they won’t come to it.  So make sure it can be seen from above. It sometimes helps to tie a bright ribbon on a new feeder. Often, feeders themselves are brightly-colored enough.

·       Pick high traffic areas. Put a feeder where birds go anyway; a special tree, near a birdbath etc. At my house, lots of birds hang out just past a certain corner (for the shade, I suspect). We hung a feeder there and it’s almost always busy.

• Ease of use. Don’t make birds work too hard for their food. Some people make the mistake of putting the wrong kind of food in a feeder. For instance, putting nut pieces in a regular feeder (birds can’t get them out).
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• Placing a birdfeeder in an area that offers little or no safe cover is a recipe for failure.  Try to locate a feeder within 5-feet of cover, such as shrubs or tall (2 ft.+) vegetation. That way birds can quickly escape if a predator appears.
• Offer a wide variety of food. Some birds eat a one kind of seed; others eat another kind; still others eat something else. So if you offer a wide variety of food, you’ll be able to attract a wider variety of birds.  Of course, whatever kind of seeds you offer, it absolutely needs to be fresh and nutritious, or any birds will simply go elsewhere.
• Proximity to water. Whenever possible, place a feeder near some water. It can be as big as a lake or as small as a birdbath – either will increase feeder activity.

• Also avoid placing a  birdfeeder near other animal activity like dog runs, dog houses etc. 
• Make a good attempt to keep seed in your feeders but remember; just because a feeder is empty doesn't mean that you absolutely have to fill it. Birds will just eat elsewhere, but don't leave it empty too long.   
  

It can sometimes take a few weeks for both people and birds to discover they have a new place to eat in the area. Just like a new fast-food place may put out eye-catching banners and signs; a new birdfeeder might get noticed sooner if you put a brightly-colored ribbon on it for a few days. After the birds discover the feeder, and (hopefully) enjoy the food that’s in it, just remove the ribbon.