Be sure to
use fresh food and keep feeders clean. Moldy or infested food is neither
appealing nor healthy.
Place
feeders at least 4-5 feet above ground height to discourage predators.
Either right next to a window or very far away from it will minimize the
chances of a bird flying into a window.
After putting up
a feeder, it may be months before
you have a visitor; it sometimes takes that long for birds to find and
feel secure about using a feeder. There may also be long times in the
summer when the feeder is not used because birds have other sources of
food .
Hummingbird nectar need not be red. A red feeder or a red ribbon tied
around the feeder will do. A dilute solution (5:1 water to sugar) is sufficient.
A weaker solution is fine but a stronger solution may cause sugar crystals
to form on a bird's bill, creating the potential for bacterial infection.
Feed
regularly. Although birds can usually find other sources of food, they
are more likely to visit your feeder regularly if the feeder is usually
full. See Hummingbirds.net
Bird
predators such as Sharp-shinned Hawks may visit the feeder and prey upon
the other birds. Research has shown that the survival rate of birds who
have an accessory source of food from a bird
feeder is greater than those who do not have such access even though the
predation rate is higher. In other words, starvation
is a greater risk than predation.
Finally, there
is no magic menu; different seeds and different mixtures of seeds attract
different birds.
Below are links with lots more information.

A Simple Tray Feeder
All
about backyard bird feeding All
about feeding birds
Backyard Bird Feeding
Bird
feeding basics
Bird
Feeding Chart
Bird
Feeder Location Experiment
Bird
Feeder Placement
Buying
your first birdfeeder?
Care and Feeding of Baby Birds
Choosing
Bird Food
Easy
To Make Bird Feeders
Essay
on bird feeding
Essentials
of Bird Feeding
Family
Fun- Make a Bird Feeder
Feeding
Birds- general information
Feed
the Birds Day- RSBP
Feed
the Birds - song from Mary Poppins
Feeding
birds in the U.K.
Feeding
Wild Birds
Food
for birds, food for thought
How
to Build a Bird Feeder
Index
of Birds by Diets
Milk
Carton Bird Feeder
National Bird
Feeding Society
Pine
Cone Bird Feeder
Presentation
of Bird Foods
Project
Feeder Watch
Recycle
for the Birds
Suet
Information
Suet
Recipes
Types
of Feeders
What
to Feed Birds
What
to feed the birdsu
Winter
Bird Feeder Survey
Wild
bird feeding preferences
Winter
Bird Feeding Quiz
A
Celebration of Birds|Aviaries & Zoos |Banding/Ringing|Backyard|Birdwatching|Books|Careers
|Chat|Checklists|Conservation|Ecobirding|Endangered|Extinct|Fascinating
Facts|Famous|FAQs|Feathers|Homes|Geography|Identification|Lectures|Learn
to Birdwatch|Migration|Names|Organizations|Ornithologist|Photography|Rehabilitation
|Science|SITE
MAP|Songs and Calls|Teacher