About FeederFolk

How FeederFolk Started

I didn't set out to build a birding website. Like a lot of people, I started feeding birds on something of an impulse — a cheap feeder, some seed, and the vague plan to see what shows up. It didn't take long to become something I actually paid attention to.

The information I wanted wasn't hard to find, but good information was. A lot of what I came across online was recycled from other recycled sources, rarely credited, and almost never explained well enough to be useful. I kept having to piece answers together from multiple places — and even then I wasn't sure how much to trust what I was reading.

FeederFolk is the site I wished existed when I was starting out: honest about what works, specific enough to act on, and willing to say "it depends" when that's actually the right answer — instead of flattening everything into a top-ten list.

What This Site Is For

FeederFolk covers the practical side of feeding and attracting birds to a home garden, yard, or balcony — for people who want their setup to actually work, not a hobby that turns into a chore. The guides focus on:

• Choosing the right feeder type and placement for your space
• Picking seed and suet that attracts the birds you actually want to see
• Keeping squirrels, raccoons, and other pests off your feeders
• Attracting specific species you haven't managed to see yet
• Cleaning, maintaining, and knowing when to take feeders down
• Adjusting your setup as the seasons change
• Setting up birdhouses and nest boxes the right way

Every guide on this site is aimed at a real decision someone is trying to make — not at covering every possible angle of a topic so it can rank for more search terms.

What You'll Find Here

• Feeders

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  Which feeder type works where — tubes, hoppers, platforms, suet cages, and more.

• Squirrel Proofing

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  Baffles, weight-sensitive feeders, pole placement, and tactics that actually work.

• Attracting Birds

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  Species-specific guides for cardinals, chickadees, hummingbirds, goldfinches, and others.

• Food & Seed

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  Seed mixes, suet types, what to avoid, and what actually brings more birds.

• Seasonal Care

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  What to do in each season — from fall prep to spring deep-cleaning.

• Birdhouses

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  Hole sizes, mounting height, cleaning between seasons, and building your own.

How Guides Get Made

Each guide starts from a question someone is actually trying to answer. Here's how I approach putting them together:

• Check primary sources first. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, university extension publications, and state wildlife agencies are the starting point — not an afterthought used to add credibility at the end.
• Compare multiple recommendations before settling on one, especially for anything product-related. If authoritative sources disagree, the guide says so.
• Prefer specific and actionable over general and safe. "It depends" is sometimes the right answer — but only when the guide explains which variables actually matter and why.
• Separate what's established from what's debated. Pest-control tactics especially have more folklore than evidence behind them. I try to be honest about which is which.
• Update when information changes — seasonally, when a reader catches an error, or when better research becomes available.
• Label affiliate links clearly. They're formatted and placed separately from editorial mentions — never buried in the main text.

I don't claim to have personally tested every feeder or visited every climate zone. What I can do is tell you what the evidence points to and where the real trade-offs are.

Sources I Lean On

When something on this site contradicts common internet wisdom, it's usually because it's been checked against one of these:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology — allaboutbirds.org is the most authoritative free resource on North American bird behavior, identification, and species-specific needs.
• National Audubon Society — audubon.org covers conservation priorities, species ranges, and habitat guidance at a national and regional level.
• State and provincial wildlife agencies — for local feeding regulations, nuisance wildlife rules, and species that don't show up in national guides.
• University cooperative extension services — land-grant universities publish practical, research-backed guides on wildlife, gardening, and pest management that are often more useful than anything written for SEO.
• Peer-reviewed ornithology literature — cited when used; I try not to summarize findings I haven't actually read through.

Mentioning these organizations here doesn't mean FeederFolk has any official relationship with them. It means their published material is what I consult when I need a reliable reference.

A Note on Affiliate Links