Participant Photo: My main birdfeeder site

My main bird feeder site is three stories off the ground. A wooden pergola supports all feeders. Seeds and shells fall on an easy-to-sweep wooden deck. A large blue spruce, 2 to 3 meters away, provides shelter whenever visiting birds detect a threat. The squirrel-proofing works well except for the dome over the seed log and suet cages. I now use petroleum jelly to make it slippery, which works reasonably well. Dry vegetation provides perches and some shelter from predators. In milder seasons, I grow bird- and pollinator-friendly plants: coneflowers, sunflowers and cosmos. At ground level, I have a brush pile to provide additional shelter and opportunity for insects to flourish.