I love to feed the birds. They are a lot of company.   I tried several kinds in Colorado and finally went to a chichen feeder. It's a plan "V" shaped long tray with a bar running across it. The birds seem to love it and the seeds don't end up on the ground. i used a bungy cord to anchore it to the deck. So far up here in Alaska I have just put the food on the deck railing. Haven't made it to the feed store yet. The problem there is that I can't see them from the breakfast table. I've tried the comercial mixes and finally just feed sunflower seeds. I have had a few sunflower seeds sprout up in the spring from dropped seeds. Keep feeding and happy bird watching. bet