Top tips
If you haven’t fed birds in your garden before, I think the best way to start is with a simple hanging feeder containing sunflower hearts or a high-energy seed mix.
It will need to be hung out of reach of cats, and in a place where birds will feel safe visiting it. Dangling from a tree branch is ideal, especially if that gives birds ‘stepping stones’ down from higher branches.
An alternative is to fix a hanging basket hook to a fencepost, but again think about how the birds will make their way to the feeder in stages, and where they will be able to beat a quick retreat to if they feel threatened. I often get contacted by people who can’t work out why no birds visit their feeders, but moving it to a better location often solves the problem.
Do bear the following rules in mind to ensure that your efforts are really helping rather than a hazard to birds.