I had my feeder out for a few weeks before the birds started coming to it. What kind of feeder do you have? I have a flat tray feeder for the blue jays and I put up a suet feeder which the chicadees really like. So does the woodpecker. I attract birds to my garden all summer by putting in plants that will provide food for them in winter. The finches especially like the rudbeckias. Once they find your feeder though they will always return to it. We also have hawks in the area but luckily we have a row of evergreens the small birds go to when the hawks are around.

How has the snow cover been? Most birds will move south the deeper the snow gets, even if its just temporary. The few birds I've noticed that are not impacted by snowcover are woodpeckers and juncos.

I wouldn't think Hawks alone explain your decline. In my experience, Woodpeckers are one of the most sensitive species, when it comes to open feeders and predators. I assumed it was because they don't seem to fly as swiftly as the other species, so they are more vigiliant.

I live in South Central Pa, and I have an abundance of birds at my feeders and in my yard (tufted titmice, house/purple/gold finches, juncos, downey/ hairy/ redbellied woodpeckers, blue jays, cardinals, nuthatches, european starlings, chickadees, white throated sparrows, house sparrows, carolina wrens, and more that I can't think of right now)

I use a variety of feeding stations and feeds (suet, woodpecker cakes, boss, safflower, nuts/berries mix, and nyjer)

One time I bought bad seed. I had 50 pounds of nijer they wouldn't eat. Also had sunflowers seeds once that had holes in the shell. Bugs had eaten the seed. I am sure you know what you are doing, but it is a possibility if you can't figure out what is wrong. Some places don't move their seed very fast. I get mine at a feed store with lots of bird feeding customers.

Thanks everyone. It has been extremely cold and a lot of snow here lately but warming up some now. I live in scPA and it's been unusually cold and I believe the birds went further south but hope they'll return. I do see a few returning now. I'm also thinking of putting up another feeding station. My one feeder is about half way down now so I know the birds are biting at least! Squirrels don't like that feeder cause it's hard for them to get at. I have woodpeckers, though. Are they very territorial and keeping other birds away possibly?

I have a Hairy woodpecker that eats at the suet feeder with the chicadees all the time. Marg

The woodpeckers that I get are not territorial...it's quite common for me to have a hairy or downey on one side of a suet feeder and a nuthatch or carolina wren on the other side.

Where in south central Pa are you? I'm in Cumberland County.

We have been noticing this year our feeders are not emptying as fast as previous years. I did see a lot of birds when it was snowing. A group of about 10-15 juncos, a half dozen mourning doves, the usual cardinals, chickadees, tufted titmice and a few finches along with an occasional woodpecker. The last couple of days it has been quiet out there. I asked my husband to check to see if the feeders were empty in the back. I could see there is still sunflower seed in one feeder and one was empty. He said the back feeders weren't empty but he filled them all, so we will see. I just ordered a heated pet bowl to use as a bird bath for them and I'm excited to see if they take to it.

I have seen black crows in the yard this year for the first time in 30 years. I have no idea why. We do see an occasional hawk but none of late. There have been a group of 4-6 crows roosting in a neighbor's silver maple trees on some days. They would fly off and circle and land again in the trees repeatedly. Then one day I looked out the window and three of them had landed in our yard on the ground for a bit. That's a first. I keep hearing them in the neighborhood every once in awhile. I wonder what has suddenly attracted them to our neighborhood. I also wonder if they have any effect on small bird populations?