This time of year brings with it, not only the holiday season, but snow and ice as well. Snow and ice cause challenges for songbirds to find food by covering seed sources. When these wintery conditions exist, bird feeding enthusiasts notice an increase in numbers of birds using their bird feeders.

This increase in feathered visitors is a welcomed site for many people because natural resource sociologists have found that people benefit from wildlife in their lives. Wildlife help people feel connected to nature. This connection to nature can also have a calming effect on some people.

If you don't have a bird feeding station in your backyard, but are interested in getting into this popular hobby, a little planning and consideration of bird feeding habits can make your backyard habitat more successful. If you begin by considering your interests in bird feeding, you obviously should place the bird feeder in your yard where it can be viewed from a convenient location indoors.

Next, let's consider the birds' needs. Try to put the feeder in a location that is protected from winter winds. If you are placing your feeder on a pole it should be 5 to 6 feet from the ground. There are some bird species, such as doves, which feed on the ground, so you might want to install a ground platform feeder to meet their needs.

Remember learning about food chains in school? Predators will also be attracted to your bird feeders, but for a different menu item. So, feeders should be located within 5 feet of some type of cover such as trees or shrubs for escape from predators and for loafing between meals.

If a hawk begins targeting your feeder, keep two things in mind. First, they are protected by state and federal laws and it is just part of the natural cycle of life. Secondly, the escape cover in your yard will provide protection for most of the birds visiting your feeder. If this situation is especially troublesome, simply remove the feeder from your yard for a few days and the hawk will likely move on to greener pastures.

The type of seed is another important consideration. There are many premixed bird seed sources for you to buy, but what is in the mix will have an affect on how much is actually consumed. Some birdseed mixes contain seeds, such as milo, wheat, oats and rice, which are unattractive to most birds, and most of these seeds will end up on the ground. Doves will consume some of these types of seed, but some you can consider waste.

One way to avoid waste seed is to make your own mixture. A combination of white proso millet and black oil-type sunflower seed will give you the most for your bird-feeding dollar, because these seed types are preferred by many types of birds, and you won't be paying for waste seed.

Keep in mind that a feeding station in an urban area may use 50 pounds of seed or more during the winter months. A feeding station in a rural setting will likely use even more seed, possibly as much as 300 - 500 pounds. Like most commodities, you can save money by buying bird seed in bulk.

Finally, you should keep your bird feeder clean. Once a week remove moldy seed and fecal matter and if you continue to feed birds in the warmer months of the year, disinfect your feeder at cleaning time with a weak bleach solution.