Setting up bird feeders - need tips

Bad idea to put a nest box on the feeder pole. No bird wants a bunch of visitors to its bedroom/nursery...

Best advice is to give it time. Put out some black oil sunflower seeds and the cardinals will find it. Once that happens, other birds will come. That is, assuming the rest of your yard is an inviting place. Birds need shelter, food, and water. You need trees or shrubbery for shelter. Food is more than just bird seed...birds rely on insects especially this time of year while they are raising young. Your feeder is just a quick easy snack, the real food is caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, etc.

If you don't have the shelter or insects, you may not see much action until the natural food sources dwindle in winter.

Sidenote, my birds LOVE peanut butter suet. Get the no-melt/year round kind from Amazon, tractor supply, etc. It will definitely increase the variety of birds that visit.