Where should you NOT install a feeder, birdhouse, or birdbath?

1. A Hidden Location

Make sure you can watch the birds or other wildlife you're trying to attract.

Place the feeder (or birdbath or birdhouse) within viewing distance from a window or sliding glass door.

2. Within Reach of a Predator

Cats, snakes, squirrels, and other critters attack birds in birdhouses. Many of the same critters will empty your feeder.

Either place the feeder or birdhouse at least 5-8 feet from jump points (squirrels, cats, raccoons, and others can jump that far), or use baffles, entrance guards, cages, weight-mechanisms, or other deterrence.

3. In the Wide Open

Most birds prefer to stop close by and check out the feeder or bird bath before approaching. A bush, half-wall, or tree can serve as a staging area.

4. Over a Place You Need to Keep Clean

Seed, seed hulls, and other feeder debris can fall on a fastidious neighbor's deck or somewhere else equally obnoxious.

Use seed trays or shelled seeds, or reposition the feeder.

Do you have a place to empty out and rinse a dirty birdbath?

5. A High-Traffic Area

A birdbath can easily be bumped if placed near a high-traffic area. High-traffic areas may also scare skittish birds nesting or feeding nearby.

Place your birdbath or feeder in a quieter area.

6. Inaccessible

You'll want to get to your feeder or birdbath regularly to refill feed and clean.

Standing on tiptoe or contorting to one side to add seed to the feeder can be awkward, especially in wintertime.

This article, now revised, was first published in December of 2007.