You can go to a park or out in the woods or woodlot with some sunflowers. Hang a can on a twig or put sunflower seeds on a picnic table that doesn't get used often. Next day, go to where the seeds are and just stand quietly with your hand out (with seeds in it) where the 'feeder' was the day before. It usually only takes a few minutes for chickadees to land on your hand. The pictures you see were taken after only a few minutes of waiting for the birds to get used to me. I removed my feeder, then stood, leaning against the tree where the feeder was. I put some seeds on my hat and just stood still. After a few minutes of birds taking seeds off my hat, I shook those seeds off and held them in my hand. It only took a few minutes and I had several eating from my hand. A neat picture is: pinch a sunflower seed between your lips and hold your hand flat, like a platform, under your chin. The chickadees will land on your hand and take a sunflower seed from your lips. Looks like the birds are kissing you - so a neat picture. I also enjoy pinching a seed tightly so the bird has to peal away the hull and eat it while on your hand. It's interesting to see how they do it and how proficient they are at it. Al

Thanks for the great thoughts. Yes, I do have plants on my balcony....two blueberry shrubs (first year shrubs though, so no berries this year. I know birds LOVE them, no? ;-) All the rest are flowering plants or herbs....though no flowers out at this time, but surely I have greenery. And in the Fall I understand my blueberry plants will turn color and my Wisteria I think as well? Anyway that's a good idea to just set some seed and water out though....I have 6' open weave (very open in fact) trellises all along the balcony railings, so there's really no place to 'set' seed or water right now, except on top of a table or on the balcony floor. That might be next to impossible for getting the birds' attention. My initial plan was to get feeders etc that can be affixed to the railing and/or by utilizing hangers affixed to the railings, and then suspending the feeders from those. Anyway, I DO also have some wire pot holders that hang from the side of the balcony and so they face outwards. Maybe I could remove the pots from the holders, and put some kind of dish or receptacle in there to see if the birds come. Course, the receptables will have to be sorta narrow...the pot holders are only about 8" wide....but maybe a plastic soup container filled with peanuts in the shell would be the best best. Bluejays (which I HAVE heard in the area) should easily be able to pluck out some peanuts from that. And if I see that works, then I can augment my collection, since once one bird comes (esp loud Jays), the others will follow. I've also heard cardinals in the area.... Tx!

Using one of those very low-tech "seedbells" from a hardware store or supermarket, I managed to lure cardinals, turtle doves , chickadees (I think)and, of course, sparrows to my windowsill. I hung the bell from one of those wrought iron arms/brackets (I screwed it into the wall) one uses for hanging baskets. I now have a terrace, but my cat is allowed outside and I'm worried that he would launch himself off into space after abird, so I'm not feeding them. I also think it takes a little time for them to figure out the feeder.Give it a couple of weeks, and then perhaps you will have regulars.

They are constantly checking their territory for new food sources, so one or two of them blunder into the feeder and start eating, other birds see them eating and it's been discovered.