Bird feeders can be hung from just about anything in the yard, as long as they are kept safely and securely and are elevated off the ground.
A bird feeder is best suited for a sturdy, mature tree branch or a crack or nook in the tree trunk, where it can lean rather than hang. If you don’t have a suitable tree to attach the feeder to, you can use a gutter or a flower pot bracket instead. To attract birds, a bird feeder pole is the ideal option.
In most gardens, the perfect place to hang a bird feeder will present itself: a spot apart from human activity where the birds can thrive without fear of being disturbed.
A bird feeder should be suspended at least four to six feet off the ground, preferably in a shady spot because food for wild birds can spoil if left in the sun for too long.
Whether you have a tree in your backyard or not might make deciding where to hang the bird feeder an interesting challenge.
Wherever you place a finch feeder is probably fine for most other typical backyard birds.
Hummingbirds, in particular, are not likely to share a feeding area with other kinds of birds, so keep that in mind if you decide to hang a bird feeder in one of the locations I listed.
Since hummingbirds can only thrive when left alone, a bird feeder pole placed in full sunlight is ideal for hanging a hummingbird feeder.
The best way to hang a bird feeder is with the included hanging hook or loop; however, if this is insufficient, an additional hanger or chain can be added to achieve the necessary height.
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Mature tree branch
Most birds will be attracted to a feeder if it is hung from the sturdy limb of a fully grown tree.
Birds find a tree with a bird feeder strung amid the leaves to be excellent shelter, as it allows them to eat independently and then quickly flee if they are disturbed.
Nearly every species of bird, with the exception of hummingbirds and orioles, will take advantage of a bird feeder hung from a tree. There is no need for any kind of bracket or hook because there are so many perfectly good natural places to hang things in a tree.
Because finches prefer the protection of trees over that of a bird feeder on a pole, the best place to hang a finch sock is in a tree.
Any type of bird feeder should be hung from the tree at its sturdiest point, which is usually the end of the branch closest to the trunk.
Wire bird feeders for nuts, tube feeders for seed mixes, or open dishes for all of the above bird feed can be hung from a tree using a chain or an extended hook, just like any regular bird feeder for suet.
A bird feeder with a too-small loop for hanging can be used with a chain or a long hook to accommodate branches of varying thickness.
Stub or crevice on tree
Those of you who do have a tree with potential branches may be in the minority. For those of you with a mature tree, I’ll dive into why the branches might be too high.
To keep bears and other common backyard pests away from your bird feeder, you can install a pulley system to suspend it high in a tree and lower it with a single pull.
You should know that your tree has several places in its trunk where a bird feeder can be attached.
A crack in the tree trunk will still work, and a long branch is ideal for a secure hang. The bird feeder will appear to lean on the tree as the hang is pushed up against the trunk.
Nothing to worry about; in fact, it can be a secure method “of sort of” hanging a bird feeder, eliminating the problem of it swaying in the wind and opening up access to the feeder to all birds.
Feeders hung in a tree crook are as stable as a rock and won’t spook your regulars, but they’ll still attract the attention of the birds that don’t come to your feeders
A peanut wire bird feeder fastened to a tree trunk provides excellent stability, which is especially appreciated by woodpeckers.
Replace hanging flower pot
A bird feeder is a great way to put an unused bracket on a fence post or wall to good use.
Put a bird feeder in lieu of your flower pot if you don’t want to deal with the mess. The hook used to hang the bird feeder can easily be slid over the bracket’s convenient groove, so no additional hardware is required.
A flower or plant pot on a hanging bracket might be the perfect solution, but its placement and height from the floor are both factors to consider.
Whatever the case may be, you won’t have to worry about your bird feeders falling to the ground if they’re more than four feet from the ground.
Alternatively, if the bracket is lower than this, it must be unscrewed from the wall or post and reattached so that it is at the recommended height (often 4 to 6 feet off the ground).
If at all feasible, you should hold on to your flower basket so that you can use it to suspend a bird feeder from a bracket higher up.
As a bonus, if you plant flowers that attract insects, the birds that eat insects will be drawn to your feeder.
Pole with bracket
Bird feeders of all shapes and sizes are best hung on a sturdy metal pole, such as a Shepherd’s hook or a bird feeding station.
Installing a bird feeder pole in the yard is a simple, low-cost, and fast project.
Only a bird feeder pole with one or more brackets can provide you this type of versatility, allowing you to put the feeder in the center of the yard or over by the border beside the fence, where there is natural cover.
Even if you find the perfect area in your backyard to hang a bird feeder, you won’t be able to do it without a bracket.
If you want to attract a variety of birds, including those that like nuts, seeds, and suet, you should get a bird feeding station with at least four brackets for hanging so that you may add more feeders later.
The great thing about utilizing a pole for a bird feeding station is that you can move it to a more suitable location if the one you originally chose is found to be too exposed to the sun or too hidden from the birds.
If you decide later that a different spot would be better for your bird feeder, all you have to do is lift the pole.
Accessible low guttering
If you don’t have a tree in your yard or a bird feeder pole or bracket, how else are you supposed to place a bird feeder?
Yes, you can use the guttering that is probably already installed on your house. A bird feeder hung from a neighbor’s gutter that extends into your property line would be even sneakier.
Providing the gutter is in good condition and shows no symptoms of corrosion, it is fine to hang bird feeders from it.
A gutter that is exhibiting symptoms of age will fall on you, as would a bird feeder that has been filled down with seed mixes or nuts. It’s not a matter of if, but when.
If this guttering fails when wild birds are eating, the situation might be catastrophic.
Never use an old, cracked gutter to hang a bird feeder; even a brand-new gutter can only support one feeder at a time.
If you must put a bird feeder in the middle of the gutter, do so by filling it only a third of the way.
You can probably hang a bird feeder from the eaves if you get up near the gutter. Putting up a hook or bracket so it has something to hang on is also not a simple task.
Hanging bird feeders from a second-story building is illegal, and you should only utilize the gutter on a single-story house or shed for your own protection.
Hook drilled into fence post
Again, there’s no need to go out of your way to buy special equipment to install a bird feeder if you already have the necessary hooks, chains, or other hardware on hand.
Of course, you’ll need a fence in your yard if you want to do this.
Putting up a bird feeder is as easy as screwing a bracket or a small hook into your wooden fence.
A bird feeder can be hung from a crack in a tree trunk in the same way that it can’t be hung from a screw since there isn’t enough room between the fence and the feeder.
The hook on the bird feeder will catch on the screw, whether it’s horizontal or vertical, and will then press the feeder against the fence post until it topples over.
But that’s not a problem, because this feeder doesn’t need to hang and is much more secure on a fence, making it more accessible to birds.
Never try to hang anything by screwing or bracketing it to a fence panel. Only the fence post is sturdy enough to support the weight of a bird feeder, so that’s where you should attach your feeder.
Conclusion
If you have a suitable tree in your yard, you can hang a bird feeder from its branches. Alternatively, you might use a hedgerow.
The strongest section of any branch is at its connection to the tree trunk, so that’s where you want to hang the bird feeder.
A bird feeder can be hung from branches that are too far off the ground if there is a convenient nook or cranny to hook it over. There will be no obvious crack, but the feeder will be slanted because of it.
The birds will be happier with a more steady feeder thanks to this improvement.
If you can’t find a tree, don’t worry; there are plenty of other options in your yard to make a treehouse before you have to shell out any cash.
Rather of letting a flower basket collect dust with wilting flowers or dead plants, you may put it to good use by hanging a bird feeder from it.
Changing out a flower pot for a bird feeder is a simple matter of swapping the pot for the feeder, or if you have a hanging flower basket, using it to suspend the feeder from the ceiling.
If you don’t have a basket to hang your plants from, you may always use the guttering on your house or shed.
Because you’ll need to clean the bird feeders once or twice a week and replace the bird feed before it goes bad, the guttering must be in good condition and within your reach.
It’s possible that even after spending some money, you won’t have access to all of these possible perches from which to place a bird feeder.
A Shepherd’s hook can be used to suspend a single bird feeder from the ceiling, while a bird feeding station pole can be used to suspend numerous feeders at once.
