Oh that beautiful cardinal would devour some sunflower seeds, either whole or shelled.

I have 7-8 feeders around my yard and the newest one I bought on Amazon and is working out well. It's a green platform feeder w/ screen botton so it doesn't hold water. It's about 12"X12" or maybe slightly larger.

I buy Wagner's Best Variety Premium bird seed from chewy.com Many birds love it

and yes many different varieties. Chewy ships free over $49. and it comes to my door in 1-2 days.

Thank you for helping out the birds in your area.

I agree with mr1010 about the large platform tray feeder, if I had only one to buy again.

Wow, thank you all, for the tips and recommendations! I'll start with a platform feeder and see how that goes. We do have a lot of critters in our area, so I'll keep that in mind when making my selection.

Speaking of critters, for the last two years we have had nesting robins in the same tree that cardinal was on, right outside my kitchen window.. The first year, the newly hatched babies were eaten by something, maybe a raccoon or a cat, the nest was knocked to the ground and empty. Then last year, a red-tailed hawk ate the eggs, I heard the robins screeching and saw the hawk fly away. I was once again heartbroken to see an empty nest!

Is there anything I can do to make a safe area for the robins to nest? We have raccoons in our area, feral cats, foxes, weasels, etc, along with hawks and owls. I, too, am in SE Michigan. Thank you!

I suspect the Robins have figured out to make their nests in another, nearby, safer place and won't try that tree again. l know how you feel and am very sorry.

Cardinals are so pretty. We do not have them here in Colorado so they seem rather exotic to us. If you have a Wild Birds Unlimited store near you, I highly recommend them. Their customer service is excellent. While their feeders are a bit pricier, I have found them to be worth it in the long run. The tube feeders are well-constructed, easy to clean and they have a guarantee that includes replacement parts. And they have all sorts of other feeders and accessories.

Since you are going to be putting forth the effort, I would also recommend adding a suet feeder.

Relatively low cost and maintenance. They are great for attracting the insect eaters vs seed eaters. I have year round bluebirds that feast on the suet and sunflowers meats. Saw my first ruby crowned kinglet on the suet today.

I know, it was terrible seeing the empty robin's nests, the first time in particular since the eggs had already hatched. Even my teen sons were sad, and they generally don't care about anything except food and girls.

I'll check to see if we have a Wild Birds Unlimited store near us, thank you! We have plenty of pet stores nearby and there's always Amazon...can't go wrong with Prime next-day delivery, though it would be nice to be able to see the feeder construction in person.

I know nothing about suet feeders, but am willing to do the research! We've often heard woodpeckers on trees in our yard and it would be nice to get a better view of them.

Our house backs to a creek and there is a glorious blue heron who often visits. I need to get into the habit of bringing a camera (or at least my phone) when I take a walk...would love to capture a snapshot of that beauty!

What a beautiful bird picture!

juliet799 quit spamming these threads. You've been reported. all of your posts link to your business. that's not allowed here