Your First Backyard Bird Feeder Station

But follow these 9 easy steps and you’ll be well on your way to a busy backyard bird watching station! And remember, you don't need to do this all at once--start with the first two or three and slowly build up your station.

First, the essentials:

1. The wooden hopper feeder is the workhorse of backyard bird watching. It’s the single most important component of your station and will attract tons of birds.

   Take a look at this list:

   • Cardinal
   • Blue jay
   • Grosbeak
   • Tanager
   • Woodpecker
   • Chickadee
   • Finch
   • Sparrow

   Fill the hopper with any seed except white millet and thistle. I prefer safflower bird seed because grackles, starlings and squirrels tend not to it.

2. Supplement your hopper feeder with a sunflower seed tube feeder. Small birds will often shy away from hoppers, but readily feed from a tube. Contrastingly, larger birds struggle with the tube feeder’s small perches, thus leaving the smaller titmice, finches and sparrows to dine in peace.

   Use the same bird seed in the tube feeder that you use in the hopper feeder.

3. Essential to any backyard bird feeder station is the thistle feeder. Many thistle-eating birds will eat from a hopper or sunflower seed tube feeder. However, most are skittish and easily intimidated by their larger cousins.

   There is good news, though!

   Larger birds don't eat thistle. Thus, a thistle feeder is essential, especially if you want to sustain a population of the American goldfinch. Use a thistle feeder to attract these birds:

   • House Finch
   • Redpoll
   • Sparrow--not so good-looking, though!
   • American goldfinch

   Heck, I've even seen an Indigo bunting poke around my thistle feeder! Of course, you’ll only fill your thistle tube feeder with thistle.

4. The suet feeder is a superb way to attract woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees. Click the link above to learn about your suet feeder options!!

5. Often overlooked, water is a must for any backyard bird feeder station. There’s no sight quite like a bathing songbird!

6. Provide shelter to your feathered friends and you’ll attract more birds to your bird feeder station. Competition for natural cavities is intense as we humans continue to scar the landscape.

   If you add a bird house or two to your bird feeder station, you could attract:

   • House Wren
   • Screech Owl
   • Wood Duck
   • Chickadee
   • Carolina Wren
   • Downy Woodpecker
   • Red-bellied Woodpecker
   • Bluebird
   • Northern Flicker

Supplement Your Bird Feeder Station

Add any of the following components to supplement your station. And remember, this hobby is often an exercise in patience. Sometimes, it can take awhile to attract birds to your new feeder. Don't worry, you'll get the birds, I promise!

1. You’d be amazed at what may appear when you offer fruit from a fruit feeder. Which fruit should you use? Try any of these:
   • Apples
   • Oranges
   • Grapes
   • Raisins

   Which birds may visit this component of your backyard bird feeder stationi?

   • Cedar Waxwing
   • Mockingbird
   • Catbird
   • Red-headed Woodpecker
   • Baltimore Oriole
   • Red-bellied Woodpecker
   • Tanager
   • Downy Woodpecker
   • Hairy Woodpecker

2. Nothing is more attractive to insect-eating birds than the meal worms.

   Tons of birds will eat mealworms including:

   • Bluebirds
   • Woodpeckers
   • Cardinals
   • Blue jays
   • Robins
   • Thrashers
   • Thrushes

3. Offer peanuts! Use a shelled peanut feeder to attract:
   • Nuthatches
   • Chickadees
   • Woodpeckers

   Use peanuts-in-the-shell to attract and isolate the Blue Jay. Though he is a nuisance at times, the Blue Jay is good to have around--clink the above link to learn why.

   As you can see, you have lots of options when it comes to setting up your backyard bird feeder station. Take your time--add one or two components to start with and build up slowly. Explore these pages for common questions and to get solutions.

   And remember...

   Attracting wildlife to the backyard is a great way to decompress. So set up a backyard bird feeder station, sit back with the family, relax and watch the wild birds!
   
   
   
   

   More Great Backyard Bird Feeder Articles

   (1) Select the most effective Cardinal Bird Feeder.

   (2) The versatile Platform Feeder gives great views of birds - Part I

   (3) The versatile Platform Bird Feeder gives great views of birds - Part II

   (4) A Blue Bird Feeder must be placed correctly.

   (5) A Window Bird Feeder can bring hours of enjoyment!
   
   
   
   
   I hope you found this article about setting up a backyard bird feeder station useful. Click here for more great information about bird feeders and bird houses.