As my project to build a backyard bird studio gets underway, the first step is finding a bird feeder, because they’re not going to just show up on their own and twitter, “Hey, we’re here!”  (Of course, this presupposes that you have a location for the feeder; if not, then you’re SOL.)

My mom had bird feeders out back when I was a kid.  It’s not complicated, you just dump seed in one and that’s it, right?  Unfortunately it’s not quite that simple.  As seems to be the case with just about anything these days, there are more models than you can shake a stick at, each one designed for a different use, ranging from general to specific.

If you don’t believe me, check out the Home Depot site – search “bird feeder” and you get over six pages of results, with prices ranging from cheap to downright insane.  So yeah, it’s not as simple as just buying the $19.95 special and going for it.

Some online research revealed the following:

– Tube Feeders: essentially hollow tubes with multiple feeding ports, these keep seed out of the elements and tend to attract smaller birds, such as finches, nuthatches, and chickadees.  Such a feeder can use small to large or mixed feed, depending on the port sizes.

- Hopper Feeders: your classic bird feeder, often looking like a little house.  The seeds come out from a gap between the walls and floor and spills into a small tray, where the birds can get at it.  Tends to attract a larger range of birds, as well as larger birds like jays & cardinals, although finches and chickadees may still use it as well.

- Tray Feeders: probably the simplest kind, it’s just an open tray filled with feed.  No protection against the elements (although seed isn’t expected to last long before being eaten), and it attracts probably the largest range of bird species, including large and ground-feeding birds.

-Thistle/Suet Feeders: both are built for a specialized food type that attracts a certain type of bird.  Thistle seeds are very small and attract finches and the like; suet blocks attract nuthatches, woodpeckers, chickadees and the like.

So what one is “best?”  Depends on what kind of birds you want to attract.  Personally, I opted for a hopper feeder, since it seems to cater to the largest cross-section of bird species, many of which I know to either live locally or transit through the area.

I ended up buying mine from Wal-Mart, for the whopping price of $10.  It’s a mid-sized feeder in the style I wanted, fairly nice looking, and made out of recycled decking materials, of all things.  I’m a recycling nut to begin with, so that, combined with the great price, settled it for me.

Recycled Gazebo-style Bird Feeder

I also bought a steel pole to mount the feeder on, and I am considering a squirrel baffle.  The baffle is really just a plastic cone that mounts to the pole, beneath the feeder.  It’s size and shape prevent squirrels from climbing up the pole and reaching the feeder – if you’ve ever had a feeder before, then you know how quickly a squirrel can ravage it, eating all the seed and chewing up the feeder itself.

The pole I bought is a 5′, 4-piece unit that assembles without tools; you simple drive the bottom post into the ground, put it all together, and the feeder sits right on the top.  As a bonus, it has two arms that can hold other feeders, perches, etc.  And best of all, it’s a “Pennington Birding Essentials” brand unit.  For obvious reasons, that makes me smile!  Price: $15

Pennington Birding Essentials Feeder Pole Plus

If you’re looking for more information on feeder types, check out the feeder pages at both the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.