I always bought hull-less sunflower seeds because the hulls/shells make a mess on the ground. The birds love them, I got a great variety of birds, even ones that don't typically eat seeds, such as bluebirds. But I did have bluebird houses so maybe that's why. I love the acrylic birdfeeders that suction cup onto your window so you can really watch them up close. For a birdfeeder to hang on a hook, I'd get one by Droll Yankees, they last forever. Also, you might try putting a hummingbird feeder up, they are such fun to watch. Don't buy the hummingbird food with the coloring, just make sugarwater.

Hopefully the link will work. Having the screened bottom helps with our summer rain. (Squirrels will find you once the feeder goes out.)

Woodlink Small Hanging Platform Bird Feeder https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZUOG0M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-wrcFbPA84R3C

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I should add that I would prefer to shop online.

We love watching the birds on our feeder. We have a pole mount feeder with a copper roof, if fits in well with our woodland setting. We buy our seed locally at a wild bird specialty store. I think the sunflowers that the chipmunks steal and bury, which then bloom raucously,wherever, are a delight.

Make sure there are no bushes or shrubbery for cats to hide in or your neighborhood cats will consider your feeder their buffet.

If you do end up with squirrels, you can always get one of these, lol.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GBEwHArSX/

😂 That squirrel!

fwiw, wild birds unlimited has online shopping.

Thanks, funky. I should have added that WBU does offer online shopping. They will also do curbside pickup for birdseed I know. I use their No-mess Blend without millet a lot which doesn’t have much if any germination.

I will chime in that I also shop at Wild Birds Unlimited, locally and online. Highly recommend them, the employees are very knowledgeable.

And for fun, if you want to start small, would some teacup feeders look adorable in your garden beds?

I haven’t a feeder, but wanted to share this with you: we have a fountain just outside the kitchen window. It’s fairly noisy and all the little birds love it, even the shyer bluebirds. Fun to watch them splash, drink and bathe. Highly recommend for fun birdwatching .

I agree, for pest free birdwatching the best thing is moving water; they will come for that. I can't recall what kind of birdbath you have, but if you add one of these it will keep the water moving and the birds coming....

https://www.wbu.com/product_videos/drip-or-mist-video/

And for anyone who feeds birds and has tried to keep the squirrels out, I think you will really enjoy this video. It is very funny and informative. Make me appreciate the pesky things...it is really worth the watch:

If you put seeds in your feeder you will only get seed eaters, not wrens nor bluebirds, robins, catbirds, thrushs etc. But get 2 feeders and put some fruit of mealworms out for those birds.

We have the feeder pictured above from Wild Birds Unlimited and also a thistle feeder. The little yellow finches love the thistle seed. We also have a bubbling rock fountain which really attracts so many birds. I think the no mess blends are best to avoid sprouting under the feeder.

At our old house, one day the feeder disappeared. We lived in a very wooded area on a 2+ acre lot. I found the feeder about a week later way back in our woods apparently carried off by a raccoon!

We have to bring our feeders in every night and put them out every morning because coons will take them away. We've found that putting seed on the ground does help keep squirrels at bay, but ours is on our patio so it's easy to sweep up. Also there are birds that are ground feeders who appreciate it.

We don't use feeders at all from mid-spring through mid-fall due to bears in our area. But the birds so appreciate our support in the winter.

Love that squirrel spinner! We have a 'barn' with a lever that prevents the squirrels from getting at the food, but even at that, we needed to add a baffle as they managed to find a way around the lever without it.

It's something like this one:

I swear by Squirrel Buster feeders by Brome. You can buy directly or on Amazon. If you purchase, but sure to register on the site (it's automatic if you buy directly). I've had 4 feeders for over 2yrs and they've replaced the clear plastic interior part two times (for free). I have 2 each: Classic, Peanut and Squirrel Solution 150.

I buy shelled peanuts and unshelled Sunflower chips. Even if you buy unshelled, pieces will still fall to the ground. Birds that like to ground feed will help get these up, but some will remain. DH says the edge of our deck stays a mess, even though I have them on hooks hanging out a bit, but I don't care. I can sweep it off. I buy at our local Wild Birds Unlimited store. If one near you, pay to join the Daily Savings Club (it isn't much, but annually) for auto discounts, rewards and sale notices.

As I was sitting here, we just had a hawk swoop in to catch his breakfast. He left empty handed.... this time. They don't hang around 365, but in spurts. I'd rather them get the squirrels that come to feed beneath the deck. LOL

ETA: WBU BarK Butter. I started buying about a year ago. The birds love. Especially our woodpeckers. It lasts longer than the peanuts, so costs less. I don't see the "log" feeder online that I have. I can post a photo if you'd like. I bought it in the store.

I also use the Squirrel Buster and the no-mess seed blend and get most of the usual variety of birds - chickadees, wrens, titmice, 3 different woodpeckers, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals. They also enjoy the suet feeders but the robins come for the mealworm buffet.

We only feed birds in the winter. Black Oil sunflower seeds. We have a huge variety and yes they love my running bubbler. Winters we have a plugged in dog dish so they get water all the time. #1 son made ours in boy scouts.

I don't know if I have anything to add to what has already been suggested, but it makes me happy to see so many others providing food, water and shelter for the birds. We are also Wild Birds Unlimited customers, but I buy dried meal worms in bulk on Amazon or at Exotic Nutrition. I started buying them when I finally got bluebirds checking out our yard, but many of the birds enjoy them, especially during nesting season. The variety and constant traffic have provided a lot of enjoyment , especially during our time at home.

Oly, I loved that video!!

Zalco, me, too! I hope others will watch it. That guy is amazing. He's the one who several years ago invented the "glitter bomb" which was a fake package used for baiting porch pirates. When they open the package, their car or house and they become doused with glitter. Very funny. I probably should post it on the Sat Video thread, but here it is. He is a genius! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoxhDk-hwuo

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

Oly, that video is so funny. I had seen it a couple of weeks ago. His narrative is hilarious. I’m glad you posted it. I had no idea he was the same guy who did the glitter bombs.

Just wanted to thank all for the very helpful input! I'm still mulling this over and at this point not quite sure what I want ... but I'll eventually get something to feed the birds, and this thread has been a huge help to move me forward.

You have received some excellent advice above. I have been feeding birds for more than 40 years. The first thing I learned was don't cheap out:

Don't buy cheap cutesy plastic-y feeders. A high wind or squirrel can knock it to the ground and break it easily. Wild Bird Unlimited is great. So is Woodlink. Buy the good stuff.

Don't buy cheap seed. Cheap seed attracts cheap birds - sparrows will overtake the area and drive off the pretty songbirds. Never buy wild birdseed mix cause it's mostly ground corn, which when it's on the ground it attracts mice, rats, coons, and all other kinds of varmints.

Decide what kind of birds you want to attract first. Then find out what they eat and buy an appropriate feeder for that type of food. Feeders are not one-size-fits-all.

Lastly, carefully chose the location for your new feeder. Hang it where you can see the birds from inside the house, but make sure it's in a fairly open space. Birds won't use a feeder if a cat can hide very close by and pounce out on a bird unexpectedly. And definitely hang it higher than 5 feet off the ground. Cats can jump a lot higher than you think.

in our area, birdfeeders attract rats. so that's a no-go for me. :(

we get anna's hummingbirds all year around so I feed them in the winter. it requires maintenance (a dirty feeder can kill them), but it's worth it because the entertainment is SO delightful!

I was thinking about getting a water feature to attract birds! that would be so fun.

Arcy, that’s such a pretty winter scene.

I literally took this picture a minute ago. We have two feeders. The one in the edge of the photograph is the one pictured way up this thread. It is 100% squirrel proof. The other one… Not so much.

I've flagged the spam, but will say that we opted not to hang a feeder after creating the vegetable garden, not wanting to encourage birds to flock to our small yard.

Jojo, that squirrel appears to be saying, "look what I can do!" Little stinker.

Birds will eat the bugs that eat your vegetables.🐛

https://www.thespruce.com/birds-you-want-in-your-yard-4163989

We have had wrens come and nest under the eaves for the past couple if years, and I do enjoy having them around.

Olychick - Another thank you for posting that marvelous video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Am sending it on to my 11 year old DGS, who will like the story and love the building of the squirrel-course.

Sable

careful with window bird feeders. I used to keep my hummingbird feeder right outside mine. they often fight, and when they do they sometimes lose control and bump into the window. I had to move it.

chickadee2_gw thanks for your suggestion! and a reminder to not use pesticides or it could kill the animals that eat the bugs. (ditto for rats and mice, which can poison owls and hawks.)

Re: wrens. I have them in my yard too. They are insect feeders, so birdseed isn't going to be appealing to them unless it gets buggy. If you like wrens, maybe figure out if you have room for a wren house. Needs to be well away from the house so it doesn't get taken over by house sparrows. And if you don't have a squirrel problem, you might fast get one if you start putting out seed. Seed can get messy but if you rake/clear out the area from time to time, should be ok. A birdbath might be easier to maintain . . . and the wrens would like that too. Niger thistle feeders are easy to maintain, less hulls and attract finches . . .