I guess I will give the feeder thing another try. I also hung one in a tree right over my garden.
What a mess. Then I had seed in my shed and attracted every mouse in the area who bypassed the seed to gnaw my plants to perdition. Maybe if the feeder is in the middle of the lawn out back in the yard I won't attract mice, won't grow weeds I can't mow. We have a pond so the birds drink and bath in the falls regularly. Might be able to manage a heated dog dish in winter. We'll see. Thanks for all your work on the article. Great with pictures for examples.