eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Well then, where were we? Ahhh yes, hanging and mounting feeders. Last time I ranted about hanging feeders, this time I’ll nag about mounting feeders...

Obviously, this post isn’t directed towards those amongst us who work in the trades. (Recently, I visited a friend’s house, (he works in a lumberyard), and discovered a masterful job of birdhouse construction and mounting. The finch house was perched proudly atop a 12 foot pole, which was anchored in a couple of feet of concrete.) Nope, my friend and his ilk have no need for advice from me concerning mounting a bird feeder... No, instead I write this for the more “mechanically-challenged” reader such as myself.

First understand that you have several choices for a fixed mount... You can use a deck-mount pole system, or a ground-mount pole system, or a post mount, or you could even push a junker ‘64 Chevy Impala into your back yard, place it up on blocks, and rivet feeders onto the side of the thing... Your call... For the sake of brevity and for the sake of being circumspect, let’s just say that you want to mount a feeder on a post. What exactly do you do? Some thoughts...

• First things first... The following suggestions are going to point you towards hand tools, (and perhaps even power tools). Always read and follow the tool manufacturers’ safety instructions, and always wear eye protection! And just because you don’t own such tools doesn’t mean that you can’t get the job done... Friends and family are wonderful things! Now onward...
• Just as in the case of hanging a feeder, the first thing you want to do is choose a good location for your birdfeeder. As in the last post, use the “Six Rule” as a minimum. (The feeder needs to be at least six feet away from the ground, vegetation, branches, tree trunks, etc.)
• Next, select a post type. (Remember that if the post is going to come in direct contact with the feed, it cannot be pressure treated.) As for length, you’ll need to be the judge of that. Suz and I plan on at least 24”, (usually 30”) of the post being underground, and we also take into account the hole that may have to be drilled into the top of the post to seat the pole. Depending on the application, the wife and I usually opt for a 6’ or 8’ pressure-treated four by four.
• Once you’ve decided on the appropriate post length, you’re probably going to want to cut it to fit. Use a square (or a sheet of paper if you don’t have a square) to uniformly mark off the cut line on all four sides of the beam, and then hack away. Don’t worry if you’re a little off... You can always /plane/sand/”Surform” to square and flat.
• If you want to mount the feeder directly on top of the post, as in our home-made crow feeder below, visit your local home center, hardware store, or lumberyard. The pros there will probably recommend alarmingly large screws of the "deck", "galvanized", or "stainless" variety. Use those screws in conjunction with a scrap support block, a small platter of AC plywood, weather-resistant glue, and some trim, and you’re off to the races!
  
  
  
• But if you’d rather plant the pole directly into the top of the post, boring a plumb hole into the end of a post is probably the most intimidating part of the project... But it really doesn’t need to be. Check out the photo below.
  
  
  All that needs to be done is:
  1. Find the center of the top of the post.
  2. Clamp the post in the true horizontal.
  3. Secure reference sticks on the top and side of the post.
  4. Using a slightly oversized bit, bore the hole using a traditional bit and brace or a power drill with a spade bit. Be sure to have a helper continually update you as to your orientation to the top and side reference sticks! (In the photo you’ll notice that the bit is slightly askew to the right. I’ll have to cant the brace back towards the left a tad without messing up the horizontal.)
  
  
• There... That wasn’t so bad. Now go dig your hole in the dirt! Suz and I like the old fashioned, manual, two-handled post-hole digger. (Obviously, we take precautions concerning gas lines, electrical wires and septic plumbing!) Once you have your hole, drop your post in and orient it “just so” such that it fits in with your yard and home. Fill the hole back in a few inches at a time using a simple torpedo level on all sides of the post to keep it perfectly upright. (The secret to filling in the post hole is to only fill in a few inches and then pack down the soil with something akin to a broom handle. Once you’ve really got the fill packed solid, and the post re-leveled and re-packed, then put in a few more inches of soil, and start the process again.)
  

So there you go... A plumb, square feeder post for the ages!



(Sorry, this is kind of a long-shot photo, but hopefully it will give the reader a sense of the symmetry between the deck and the feeder pole and post...)

See you by the feeder,

Alan