Create a bird feeding station for birds' winter needs

Feeding birds is a great way to brighten a dreary winter day. There is always something happening at a bird feeder! And winter is an especially important time of year to offer birds a nutritious diet. They need a high-energy foods to thrive during cold weather.

In warmer months, adding a bird feeder is an easy task: just add a new shepherd's hook or a new 1-inch pole specifically for the feeder. But that won't work in winter. You can't drive a shepherd's hook or a pole into frozen ground.

Don't give up, though. You have plenty of options.

In fact, you can create a bird feeding station on your existing pole or shepherd's hook. A feeding station serves as a one-stop location where many different species and congregate to eat different types of feed. You can dedicate a feeder to a specific type of seed or to a seed mix. Don't forget a suet feeder. Suet is high in fat and calories, and is essential for nutrition on those cold winter nights. 

Here are a few ideas that you may wish to consider to make your backyard birding experience more enjoyable.

Attachable hangers. Additional hangers can be placed on an existing shepherd's hooks or 1-inch poles. With a turn of a thumb screw, you have a new arm on which you can hang a new feeder. No tools are necessary.

Easy-to-install arm attachment

I have a friend who created a complete bird feeding station by adding two of these hangers to an existing double-arm shepherd's hook. He now has four feeders in use: a caged tube feeder meant exclusively for smaller birds, a peanut feeder for chickadees and sparrows, a suet feeder for clinging birds and a hanging platform feeder for cardinals. Each feeder has different kinds of food: safflower, striped sunflower, peanuts, suet and a seed blend that contains black oil seed, fruits and berries. 

Baffle protects feeder from unwanted guests

Hanging feeders. If you have a tree in your backyard, consider hanging a new feeder from a sturdy limb. The feeder can be hung from a metal hook or lashed around the limb with a tree-safe wire. (Both types of products are available at The Bird House.)

Squirrels can be defeated with a baffle. One kind is a dome, the other looks like a witch's hat. The feeder hangs inside the baffle. The dome or the "hat" are slippery and broad—so much so that the squirrel can't get a grip. An additional benefit to this arrangement is that the feeder is protected from rain and snow.

(Remember to place the feeder at least 7 feet away from another tree limb. Otherwise a squirrel can leap horizontally, bypassing the baffle. The feeder also must be at least 5 feet off the ground to keep the squirrel from jumping up to reach the seed.)

Seed catchers. You can attract a wider species of birds by affixing a seed catcher to your existing tube feeder. The seed catcher is a flexible mesh screen that is slipped onto the feeder. No tools are required.

Mesh screen catches spilled seed

A seed catcher substantially reduces the amount of seed wastage. Perching birds sometimes will eject seed from tube feeders if they don't want that particular kind of food. The seed catcher keeps that seed from reaching the ground. At the same time, it gives larger birds such as cardinals a new opportunity to feed. The seed catcher has one more advantage: Because less seed falls onto the ground, squirrels have less seed to claim as theirs.

Double up. If you have a Droll Yankees tube feeder, it's a simple matter to hang a suet feeder beneath it. The company has a special attachment that screws onto the base of the  tube feeder. The suet feeder is then hung from a hook on other end of the attachment. This product works only with Droll Yankees tube feeders, however.

Squirrel-resistant feeder on deck-mounted pole

Rail-mounted poles. Let's suppose you don't have a pole or a shepherd's hook to spare. Maybe you have a railing on your deck or perch that will serve the same purpose. You can attach a metal arm directly on the railing. Just add a bird feeder and you're in business. Some arms can be affixed with a single clamp. Others are screwed into the railing.

Thwart squirrels from reaching a deck-mounted pole. Several types of feeders have seed ports that close automatically under the weight of the squirrel. The Squirrel Buster line of feeders is a popular brand. Droll Yankees feeders have perches that drop or fling squirrels onto the ground. Other types of feeders are surrounded by cages that allow small birds to enter but block squirrels.

In winter, approximately 35 species of birds can be seen at feeders in Pennsylvania. Don't let minor obstacles prevent you from creating a multi-purpose feeding station. There are options. Take advantage of them, and you'll find a greater diversity of birds—and more of them—in your backyard this winter.