The Jester Bird Feeding Station is an example of a pole system available from BestNest. (Notice the 2 side arms on this pole.) The Brome BirdsUP Versa Pole System is available from Brome & Duncraft, plus there is a variety of pole systems to consider at the Duncraft link.

Everyone selects and positions their feeders in their own way, but as a feeding station takes shape, we all eventually need to organize, or even re-organize as our feeders increase and our primary water feature shares a part of our seasonal menu for birds. A feeding station is a very personal creation made up of a variety of feeders to provide the foods that attract and benefit the birds you wish to see and study, usually at home. but potentially also at work or school. Feeding stations tend to evolve over time, and organizing your feeders helps to make a feeding station more attractive.

How many feeders do you have? Perhaps a sunflower seed feeder, a smaller nyjer thistle seed feeder, and a suet feeder as year-round feeders, with a water dish or birdbath. Then, from mid-spring to fall the addition of a hummingbird feeder and an oriole feeder will bring a well-rounded feeding station into the realm of 5 feeders and a water basin. And if you live in areas of the sunbelt where one or more a hummingbird species are resident throughout the year, a hummingbird feeder may be standard throughout the year. That’s quite a spread of feeders, and you may have one more specialty feeder that you add in season; perhaps a peanut feeder.

At that point the question becomes: Where do you position these feeders, and is there a better, more organized way to “manage” and “present” your feeding station? Again, that is a personal question, but it’s always worth considering, and part of the presentation is a matter of how your feeding station looks to neighbors, visitors, and others who pass by. Even if you have a beautifully kept yard, your feeding station can enhance the look of that area of your yard, or it can detract from its beauty. And sometimes it’s just a matter of organizing and improving the existing look of your feeding station.

That’s where a pole system might be the answer to simplifying and improving your feeding station, and often it’s the last thing that comes into play as a bird feeding station grows over time. A pole system will also reduce the area occupied by a feeding station, and it will help to organize your feeders in all the right ways. Plus, it will facilitate an easier option to keeping the area under and around your feeding station cleaner, and easier to keep clean on a regular basis.

A pole system is usually composed of a single center pole that is anchored securely into the ground, with a number of arms extending in a variety of directions from the center point – the pole. The number of arms you need depends on the number of feeders you use, and going back to our list of feeders, it may be 3 to 6 feeders, depending on the season and your personal interests, plus a hanging water basin if you wish to provide water as part of a pole-based feeding station.

A pole system with 4 arms spreading out from the top is fairly popular, but if you add 2 more feeders during spring and summer, the answer to that may be to select a pole system with 4 arms at the top, and the option to add 2 arms on the sides of the pole. Or you could add 2 shepherd’s staffs to position one on each side of the pole. Either way, you will appreciate the improvement a re-organized feeding station can make in your yard – and it is pretty easy to do.

To find the right pole system for your interests, there are a number of excellent pole systems available, so it’s just a matter of choosing the right one for your yard. And there is always the option for do-it-yourselfers to build your own feeding station with a wood base and hanger parts screwed into wooden arms. Again, it’s all a matter of personal taste and function.

If you are interested in organizing or re-organizing your feeding station, or adding a new one at your workplace, we found some excellent examples of pole systems in the birding marketplace. In no particular order, we provide the following list of feeding station pole systems for you to consider:

From BestNest: Jester Premium Bird Feeding Station w/Feeders, Brown, 7'3.5" at BestNest.com

From Brome: BirdsUP™ Versa Pole System – BROME US (bromebirdcare.com)

From Duncraft: Tubular Pole Sets & Shepherd Staffs – Duncraft

From Wild Birds Unlimited: APS Hanging System | Wild Birds Unlimited (wbu.com)

However you organize the feeders in your feeding station, it’s all a personal choice, and it’s all about enjoying the birds you wish to attract and benefit during this exciting period of fall migration. Enjoy the birds you encounter day by day, and especially appreciate the birds that find your feeding station.

Share your backyard birding experiences and photographs with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com