Starter guide
Hang one feeder and turn the view from your window into a daily show.
Bird feeding means putting out seed, suet or nectar so wild birds come to you. One feeder and a bag of sunflower seed is enough to bring chickadees, finches, cardinals and woodpeckers within a few feet of a window, and the cast changes with the seasons. It takes a couple of minutes a day, works from a yard, a balcony or a single window, and rewards you every time you look up from the sink or the desk.
A couple of minutes a day
Day to day, there is very little to do. You top up the feeder when it runs low, knock out any wet or clumped seed, and watch. Birds visit most at dawn and again in the late afternoon, and traffic is heaviest in fall and winter when natural food is scarce. Every week or two you take the feeder down and wash it. The rest is noticing: which birds come first, who chases whom, and which new species turns up after the first cold snap.
Tick these off as you go
Black oil sunflower seed
The one food to start with. Its thin shell and high fat content suit the widest range of feeder birds.
Cheap mixes
Skip any bulked out with red milo, wheat or cracked corn. Most songbirds kick those to the ground, where they rot and draw rodents.
Feeder style
A tube keeps seed dry and suits small perching birds. A hopper or platform lets larger birds like cardinals and jays land comfortably.
Suet
Rendered fat pressed into a cake. It brings woodpeckers, nuthatches and wrens that ignore seed. Use no-melt cakes once days pass 80°F.
What to check on a feeder
It comes apart without tools for washing, has drainage holes in the base, and has metal around the feeding ports so squirrels cannot chew them wider.
How much to buy
Only what you will use within a month or two. Seed that smells musty or shows webbing or mold goes in the trash, not the feeder.
Open one to see where to start. Hummingbird Feeding and Squirrel Feeding can each add their own feeder and food to the kit.
Start here
Open the feeder bird chart, set it to your region, and write down the five birds most likely to show up. Those are the ones to learn first.
Start here
Check when hummingbirds reach your area, then hang a clean feeder with fresh sugar water a week or two before that date so the first arrivals find it.
Start here
Look up whether your town or homeowners association restricts feeding wildlife. If it is allowed, mount a squirrel feeder on a tree or fence at least 20 feet from the bird feeder.
Clean feeders, healthy birds
Expecting birds on day one
A new feeder often sits untouched for a week or more, and visits drop in late summer when wild food is plentiful. Neither means you did something wrong.
Expecting a tidy yard
Hulls and droppings collect under the feeder. Rake the area every couple of weeks or put the pole over a bed you do not mind mulching.
Underestimating squirrels
They jump about 5 feet up and 10 feet across, so a pole needs a baffle and open space on every side.
Overfilling in wet weather
Seed at the bottom molds before birds reach it. Half fill the feeder until you know how fast it empties.
Buying red nectar or adding dye
Hummingbirds find the red on the feeder itself. Dye adds nothing and may harm them.
Adding feeders too soon
Each one is another thing to wash. Run one well for a month before adding a second.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology runs the two most useful free references: a species guide that shows what each bird looks like and eats, and Project FeederWatch, whose learning pages cover food, feeders and problems in detail. If you want your watching to count for something, FeederWatch participants log their feeder birds from November to April and the totals feed real research on winter bird populations. The National Audubon Society has local chapters across the US that run bird walks and are happy to answer a beginner's feeder questions.
Free guides and a winter count
A feeder and a bag of sunflower seed are all you need to begin, and both are at the top of the list. The recommended lines solve the problems that show up in the first month: a pole puts the feeder where you can see it, a baffle keeps squirrels from emptying it, suet brings in birds that seed does not, a brush makes washing quick, and a sealed bin keeps mice and damp out of the seed bag. Seed and suet are the ongoing cost, usually $10 to $25 a month for one feeder. Hummingbird and squirrel gear sits behind its own switch because each is a separate setup with its own food.
Compare the options on each line, then set your tiers and check out from the cart. Clicking a card selects it there, and clicking the selected card again takes that line out. The Hummingbird Feeding and Squirrel Feeding lines stay out of the kit until you switch that add-on on.
It holds a few days of seed, keeps it dry, and gives small birds a perch at a height you can watch from indoors.
Kingsyard Metal Bird Feeders for Outdoors Hanging, Tube Bird Feeder
4.5(2.4K)
$14.99
iBorn Bird Feeders for Outdoors 14" 6 Ports Chew-Resistant, Copper, 1PK
4.5(3.6K)
$19.99
Look for one that comes apart without tools, has metal around the ports and drains at the base.
It is the single seed the most feeder birds will eat, so one bag is enough to find out who lives near you.
Wagner's 52023 Black Oil Sunflower Seed Wild Bird Food, 5-Pound Bag
4.7(2.8K)
$10.98
A 5 to 10 pound bag lasts one feeder about a month. Bigger bags cost less per pound but only pay off if you can keep them dry.
A pole lets you put the feeder exactly where the view is best, clear of branches squirrels can jump from.
FEED GARDEN 63'' Bird Feeder Pole, 5-Prong Base Shepherds Hook for Outdoor
4.5(4.8K)
$17.08
ANIDEER 84" Shepherds Hooks for Outdoor, Heavy Duty Bird Feeder Pole with 7 Prongs Base for Hanging Lantern, Hummingbird Feeder, Plant Baskets, Shepherds Hook for Bird Feeders for Outside, 1 Pack
4.3(4.5K)
$21.99
Ashman Black Shepherd Hook 92 Inch, 1/2-Inch Thick, Solid Metal Single Piece Hook, Super Strong, Rust Resistant, Hanging Plant Baskets, Wind Chimes, Lanterns, Heavy Bird Feeders & More (Pack of 1)
4.7(2K)
$44.99
Push it at least a foot into the ground so a full feeder does not lean.
Without one, squirrels and raccoons climb the pole and empty a feeder in a morning.
Forever song Squirrel Baffle for Bird feeders Pole, Squirrel Proof Cone.
3.9(782)
$9.99
Garbuildman Squirrel Baffle for Bird Feeder Pole, Outside Pole Mount Bird House Guard for Outdoor Shepherd’s Hook, 19 Inch Diameter, 1 Pack
4.3(4.1K)
$20.89
Mount it 4 to 5 feet up the pole, and keep the pole 10 feet from anything a squirrel can launch from.
A wire cage holds a suet cake so clinging birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches can feed from it.
More Birds Suet Cage Bird Feeder, Fruit and Suet Feeder, Single Cake Capacity ,Black
4.6(5.7K)
$8.27
More Birds Double Suet Cake Feeder, Weather Guard, Steel Construction
4.7(2.9K)
$14.68
Cedar Double Suet Cake Tail Prop Suet Bird Feeder with Hanging Cable
4.7(596)
$31.00
Suet is the high-fat food that draws insect-eating birds, and it matters most in cold weather.
Choose no-melt cakes for warm months. Plain or nut varieties attract more birds than fruit-flavored ones.
A long brush reaches the bottom of a tube feeder, where damp seed cakes on and mold starts.
16 inch Long Bottle Brush Cleaner for Washing Wine/Beer/Sport Well/Thermos/Glass, Hummingbird Feeder and Long Narrow Neck Sport Bottles
4.4(5.5K)
$6.99
Long Handle Bottle Brush, 17 Inch Bottle Brush Cleaner, 2 Pack
4.6(1.2K)
$14.95
An open seed bag in a garage attracts mice and pantry moths within weeks and goes moldy in damp air.
IRIS USA Dog Food Storage Container, Up to 10 lbs, Clear/Gray, Made in USA
4.5(85.1K)
$16.98
Vittles Vault Vittles Vault Bird Seed Storage Container, Up to 35 Pounds
4.3(154)
$28.15
Audubon Woodlink Galvanized Steel Rustic Farmhouse Bird Food and Seed Locking Storage Bucket Bin with Scoop, Holds up to 16.5 Quarts or 25 Pounds
4.4(432)
$56.99
Any clean, lidded metal or thick plastic bin you already own does the same job.
Hummingbirds drink nectar, not seed, so they need their own feeder with small ports sized for their bills.
Hummingbird Feeders for Outdoors,16oz Leak-Proof Dish-Style Nectar Feeder Built-in Ant Moat, 5 Feeding Ports, Wide Mouth Easy Clean, BPA-Free Plastic Gifts for Women Mom
4.3(329)
$9.99
Mini HummBlossom Hummingbird Feeder, 4 oz, Rose, red, 5"" x 5.5"" x 2.4""" (433)
4.6(965)
$23.99
A small saucer-style feeder is easiest to clean and leaks least. Pick one with red on the body so no dye is needed.
Ants follow the hanger down to the sugar water and foul it. A small water-filled cup above the feeder stops them.
Ant Moat, Ant Guard, Ant Moat for Hummingbird Feeders, Hummingbird Oriole Nectar Feeders Parts, 4.2 OZ, Metal, Red
4.6(669)
$5.99
Vintage Glass Ant Moat for Hummingbird and Oriole Feeders Large Capacity Guard for Nectar Feeders
4.7(1.8K)
$16.99
Skip it if the feeder you choose has a moat built into the top.
Homemade nectar is plain white sugar dissolved in water, and a feeder goes through a fresh batch every few days.
Use the white sugar in your kitchen if you have it. Never substitute honey, brown or raw sugar, or sweeteners.
A feeder of their own, mounted on a tree or fence, gives squirrels an easier meal than your bird feeder.
Squirrel Feeder with Metal Drainage Bowl, Squirrel Feeders for Outside, 8.5" Removable Bowl Easy to Clean/Refill, 2 Squirrel Corn Cob Spikes for Various Food, Tree/Fence Mount,Notebook(Brown)
4.6(494)
$13.99
MIXXIDEA Wooden Squirrel Feeder Box, Sturdy Squirrel Feeding House with Thickness 1.5CM Wood, No Assembly Required, for Backyard Outside Garden (1 PCS)
4.4(530)
$20.89
Kingsyard Squirrel Feeder Box for Outside, Recycled Plastic Squirrel Feeder Box with Corn Cob Holders, Easy to Refill & Clean, Weather-Proof (Brown)
4.7(207)
$35.99
Squirrels prefer corn and nuts in the shell, which cost less per pound than the sunflower seed they would otherwise take.
Kaytee Ultimate Backyard Wildlife Food for Wild Squirrels, Rabbits, Chipmunks, and More, 8 Pounds
4.6(11.8K)
$8.78
Wild Delight Crunch N’ Nut Squirrel Food with Corn & Whole Peanuts, 8 lb
4.5(943)
$15.39
Put out only what is eaten in a day so leftovers do not draw rats overnight.
If birds hit a window near the feeder, decals on the outside of the glass make it visible to them.
Bird Collision Deterrent Markers (Small-scale DIY, 3 Light Grey Rolls)
3.9(35)
$61.99
They only work spaced about 2 inches apart across the whole pane. One or two stickers do nothing.
