A bird field identification book has pictures of different birds and will help you find the names for the birds you’re likely to see and the time of year you’re most likely to see them.

When you want to attract a particular bird species and keep it coming back to your backyard, what you do will be determined by where you live, and the time of year. For example, on any winter day, you are likely to see a cardinal at a sunflower feeder in Virginia, a goldfinch at a thistle feeder in Massachusetts, hummingbirds at a nectar feeder in southern California or a noisy Blue Jay in your backyard in Alberta.

One of the better guides we found is the Sibley Guide to Birds

Feeder Selection

You can start simply with a piece of’ scrap wood elevated a few inches above the ground. Add a few holes for, drainage and you’ve built a platform feeder. It won’t be long before the birds find it. This will give you a chance to see what birds are in the neighborhood before you expend a lot of money on a unique bird feeder.

Any wood or plastic feeder can be effective when mounted on a pole with a plastic or metal baffle, if the pole is at least 10 feet or more from a tree limb or trunk (squirrels can jump great distances).

If you must hang a feeder, select a tube protected with metal mesh. Most plastic “squirrel-proof ” feeders, despite manufacturers’ claims, almost always eventually succumb to the squirrels.

Placement

Pick a location that is easy to get to. When the weather is bad and birds are most vulnerable, you may be reluctant to fill a feeder that is not in a convenient spot near a door or an accessible window. Also, pick a site where discarded seed shells and bird droppings won’t be a cleanup problem, e.g placing a hanging feeder from a tree over your perennial garden is a bad idea, as pretty near every dropped seed will germinate. There’s nothing more unsightly than scraggly sunflowers growing in your delphiniums!

If you’ve seen squirrels in your neighborhood, it is safe to assume they will visit your feeder. Think long and hard before you hang anything from a tree limb. Squirrels are incredibly agile, and any feeder hanging from a tree is likely to become a squirrel feeder. In the long run, a squirrel-proof feeder or any feeder on a pole with a baffle is the least aggravating solution.

Here’s a great review we found on the Brome 1024 Squirrel Buster | The Ultimate Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Durability

Most wood, plastic, ceramic and solid metal feeders keep seed dry, but water can get into the feeding portals. Look for feeders with drainage holes in the bottoms of both the feeder hopper and the seed tray.

The maintenance required to keep your feeder clean varies according to the type of feeder. A thistle feeder for goldfinches should be cleaned about once a month depending on how often it rains. Feeding hummingbirds requires cleaning at the very least weekly, but preferably two or three times a week. Sunflower and suet feeders need to be cleaned only once a month.

Food Capacity

The ideal feeder capacity varies with your situation, and the types of birds you want to attract. If you feed hummingbirds, big feeders are not always better. One hummingbird will drink about twice its body weight (less than an ounce) a day. Early in the season, hummers are territorial and won’t share a feeder. A sixteen-ounce feeder can be wasteful, or even lethal, because artificial nectar (sugar water) can ferment in the hot summer sun. A two-ounce feeder is more than enough for one hummer. Increase the size of your feeder depending on your location and how many hummers you see in your yard.

In reality there are so many different species of birds you can expect, & when it comes to bird feeders there really is no “one size fits all”.

The ideal way for feeding is to have a variety of unique bird feeders, each having it’s attributes tailored to the unique needs of these different species.

Our #1 Pick For Buying All Types of Bird Feeders is Amazon