I have always taken in my SEED feeders (located in the middle of my large backyard) in early spring, otherwise my winter birds (juncos & white crowned sparrows, etc) would never want to leave and I definitely would have more HOSP. I leave my cage suet/worm feeder up for the bluebirds, which is on my house back deck railing. If I had bears around, though, I definitely would not leave any food/seed around for them!!! I guess a lot depends on what birds you want to feed – I enjoy all birds but definitely will cater to my bluebirds by feeding them. I DO NOT overfeed them, however – only give them a few worms at a time, like a treat, and a little more when they have babies to feed. But I truly believe they need to learn and be able to hunt for themselves.
