Top 5 bird feeding stations
Also known as bird poles or feeder trees.
Bird feeding stations are, if you never seen one before, great for hanging lots of different types of bird feed and bird feeders and attracting a large variety of birds. There are lots of different types of feeding station and each one can be tailored towards the birds that you want to attract.
Birds have different eating styles depending on the type of food they eat, so decide what birds you want to attract and choose the appropriate feeder. Once you’ve done this you can plan your bird feeding station around this. The good thing about feeding stations is that you can have more than one type at a time. Don’t worry - I’ll quickly walk you through them now.
the four main feeder types:
Seed feeder
A seed feeder will attract loads of different types of birds to your garden, including House Sparrows, Blue Tits, Greenfinches and Siskins. The seed feeder is a really common type of feeder and comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes. They’re suitable for any free flowing seed mix, including sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts.
Ground feeders
Some birds, such as blackbirds, thrushes, wrens and robins, prefer to eat from ground level rather than a suspended bird feeder. Sprinkle feed on a patio, lawn or use a ground feeding table, sit back and watch them come. The best feeds to use for this are grated peanuts, suet nibbles, meal worms or even grated cheese
Nuts and nibble feeders
These feeders are a lot like the seed feeders, the main difference being the feed is surrounded by a metal mesh. This is perfect for feed like peanuts because it prevents the birds from getting too big a piece and choking. You can expect to see tits, woodpeckers, nuthatches and any other species that cling coming to this style of feeder
Suet feeders
Suet feeders come in all shapes and sizes, some are made for suet balls and others for cakes so make sure you check before buying your feed. Suet is animal fat and is very easily digested and metabolised by many birds. This high energy food is very important during the winter. You can expect to see woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, jays, and starlings coming to this feeder.
GardenWild’s Top 5 Bird Feeding Stations
A snap shot of our favourite feeding stations, either in our own gardens or our clients’.
No. 5 | RSPB, Signpost wooden feeding station
Pros: Old fashioned signpost look | Made from wood | Includes standing bird table | RSPB
Cons: Only suitable for flat surfaces | Not stable in wind
Price: ££
Key features:
Easy to move
Easy to set up
Old fashion style
I really like the old fashion look of this bird feeding station. Strategically placed in the garden it could easily end up being a feature. It would be very at home at the corner of a garden, looking over a small fence. The only downside to it is the stability problem. At some point there is going to be a gust of wind that will blow it over and the last thing you (or the birds) need is to be going out and picking it up 5 every minutes. One of our clients has the same feeding station and he's fixed it to his fence. However the RSPB website does suggest, if you're going to get this it's worth getting the " table stable " which make your feeding station "less likely to blow over in high winds." I still think this is a really nice bird feeding station and well deserving of it place in our top 5.
No. 4 | Simply Wood, Deluxe Bird Feeding Station
Pros: Good in strong wind | Two feeding trays | Red wood
Cons: Tricky to assemble | Quite chunky
Price: ££
Features:
2 Extra Feeding Trays 200mm x 200mm
Height: 180cm
FSC Highest Grade Redwood
The best thing about this bird feeding station is that it’s really solidly made! Which, once you realise how many flimsy alternatives there are out there, you really start to appreciate. I would suggest this feeding station to someone (like me) who really likes to “get the job done”. It’ll be a faithful feeding station, come rain or shine, for years and I would know because mine has. Plus it will withstand the wind which is another massive selling point! We’ve had clients who’s bird feeding stations pretty much blow away in the wind. Ours managed to stay upright during yellow storm conditions. The station is a bit thick/chunky for my taste and it took me a little while to decide where it was going to go in the garden, but I managed it and it’s been there ever since.
No. 3 | Green Jem Wild Bird Feeding Station
Pro: Ground spikes | You can decide on the height | Handmade
Con: No attachment for birdbath/ground feeder | Can have a rust problem
Price: £
Features:
Brown hammertone finish
2 metres in height
3 part pole system
This one is the opposite to number four. I really love the leaf design, the colour, and with the feeders attached it looks perfect… not the most stable in the world… It’s alright, but it won’t withstand gale force anything… even with the ground spikes. In our client’s garden it’s been cable tied to the fence. Which looks actually looks really good!
No. 2 | Kingfisher Bronze Copper Effect Solar Powered Bird Hotel
Pros: Eye catching | Everything you need in one | Includes solar powered garden light
Cons: Light weight | A bit of a struggle to construct
Price: £
Specs: Small Chalice 15 cm diameter, 1 meter stem | Medium Chalice 20cm diameter, 1 meter stem | Large Chalice 25cm diameter, 1 meter stem
Features:
Bird Bath
Bird Feeder
Garden Light
Built in Planter
Technically this isn’t a bird feeding station, it’s a bird hotel. The difference is that you can’t hang bird feeders off it but there are various sections for different kinds of bird food. I’d never seen one before this winter. One of our clients has one in their garden and they say the birds love it, and it looks really good too! This kind of feeding station (or hotel… or whatever it is) would look really nice in a traditional garden. If the look, you’re going for is traditional English garden, then this is the one for you.
No. 1 | Harrod Arched Top Bird Feeding Station
Pros: Beautiful design | Every feeder in catered for | Squirrel proof fixing hooks
Cons: Self assembly required | Price
Price: £££
Features:
Inserts 30cm into the ground
Squirrel proof fixing hooks
Holds 3 feeders
We have a client in north Leeds who has this bird feeding station and it’s, hands down, the best feeding station I’ve ever seen! It’s my all time favourite, because it manages to seamlessly blend into a border, flower bed and still (some how) manage to be a feature. The squirrel-proof hooks are a really good idea as well, because squirrels will quite happily smash a feeder to bits in search of the contents. And our clients have never had any trouble with wind knocking it over, because you can stick it so far into the ground... Don’t get me wrong, this is an “aspirational” bird feeder for me. I wish I could afford this feeder in my garden… one day!