Any bird watchers on the OT?

Thanks for the input

I enjoy watching British birds.

For christmas my wife got me a cheap plastic bird feeder you stick on a window. She said put it on the backdoor. I was like, yeah birds are going to come feed 10 feet from us (with a dog and kids running around no less). Sure enough, about a week later there are birds feeding like it's a golden corral in livingston parish

I caught Terd looking at my bird over the divider at a urinal once.

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frickin birds

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It is actually pretty fascinating seeing birds mate

Depends where you are on what you will get. In an urban area, the best you can likely hope for are cardinals, and maybe the occassional migrant. If you out up hummingbird feeders, that will get you some good bird watching.

In a suburban or rural setting, you'll likely get a lot more birds. And the more variety in your feeders, the better. Some birds will come to the hanging feeders, others prefer platform feeders. Cardinals and sparrows will eat just about any seed, while woodpeckers and blue jays prefer sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc.

You won't see a warbler or the other insect eating birds unless you put out some mealworms or something of that sort. Well, they may come around, but not to your feeders.

Also, what you have in your yard plant wise makes a difference. Little cover will not get you many birds. Thrashers and rushes prefer some dense, low cover, like shrubs. Almost any bird, and especially cardinals and mockingbirds, like to have something they can duck off to quick.

ETA: I've been an avid birder since I was 6, and that was 22 years ago. I've been all over Louisiana and seen some cool stuff. There are some pretty easy areas to get to to see some really cool birds that you may never see in your backyard, if you ever decide to branch out.

Thanks for the informative reply
I live in a rural area. Lots of forest and ponds around.
The spot I'm looking to set up is about a half acre field in front of my house that has 4 or five young trees and some bushes. Not really anywhere I could hang up a feeder though, besides my porch. Are there standing feeders that I can put out in the grass?

Basic supplies:
- simple bird feeder + seed (platform feeder stocked with black oil sunflower seeds is cheap and will attract a wide variety of birds)
- Merlin app (free, easy for a beginner to navigate as it assumes you know little to nothing about birds ;) )

Also consider getting:
- binoculars (8 or 10x35 will do)
- water source (birds that don't care about seed may be attracted to water)

I have seen about 100 species of birds from my couch/back porch with little more than the above supplies.

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Are there standing feeders that I can put out in the grass?

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Yes, check out the pole feeding systems from Wild Birds Unlimited for ideas (they are expensive but you can probably DIY cheaper). Easier to keep squirrels out of a feeder on a pole than tree too.