The term bird feeding stations conjure up in my mind a roadside self-service snack bar, where the birds meet and greet one another and catch up on the latest gossip or exchange notes about cats and squirrels. There's no doubt in my mind that there's generally more social etiquette to be observed at a bird feeding station than our average motorway service station, though.

A good bird feeding station is very simple to construct; it needs little more (in its simplest of forms) a bird table or a bird feeder, and that's all there's to it. However, to push the boat out a little further, a hard-working bird feeding station might have several feeding points at several different heights and each of these may offer slightly different foods. For example, the lowest point might offer a few morsels for ground feeding birds to tempt a Blackbird from the ground. The middle station might attract the most dynamic flyers, the cheeky chappies who jet propel themselves dynamically at the feeder. Then they stop. For just a second. Then they're gone. In a flash. The highest point of the bird feeder station is where the big birds hang out, the Collared Doves, Starlings and Great Tits. They're less afraid for their safety and more afraid that the food will disappear if they relinquish their post, so they won't - they'll keep eating. Munching and rolling that hard to crack Black Sunflower around in their beak until...finally, it breaks. The delight is measurable as a sunflower heart is consumed.

Try to create bird feeding stations in your garden, or, buy a ready-made version here and enjoy bird behaviour at its best (or, sometimes, worst).