How to hang a bird feeder high in a tree

Initially it can be difficult to reach the branch you wish to hang a bird feeder off high up in a tree, but it only needs to be done once then its a breeze thereafter.

How to hang a bird feeder high in a tree is to initially use a ladder the once or climb, after that the ladder can be stored away. In addition, a bird feeder could be hooked on a branch higher up with a 20 foot clothesline or swimming pool pole - or better still mount a pulley system to access the bird feeder whenever.

You can hang bird feeders high up in a tree, which is especially vital when that tree is often frequented with common backyard birds.

Reasons to hang a bird feeder high up in a tree is of course to keep bears out of bird feeders, as it remains hidden yet can be kept out of sight of other wildlife.

On the subject of bears, you can use one of my techniques to tie a length of rope between two trees in order to keep bears and nuisance animals well off your bird feeders.

Personally I don't believe a bird feeder can be hung too high providing its within range yet remains visible to additional visiting birds to the yard.

I will suggest a solution to hanging bird feeders high in a tree where you can access it when you need it - be it to clean out or replace the bird feeder food.

Skip my solutions involving use of a clothesline pole or swimming pool pole then because they would have to be used every time - which I'd admit there are risks involved.

Instead, you can throw a length of rope over the branch you intend to use, then pull the bird feeder up and down with the rope before fastening it to an accessible branch - all while undoing the knot for whenever you need bird feeder access.

With the same tree branch in sight, I can suggest use of a pulley system as the best way to hang bird feeders higher up in a tree.

Pulley systems come on a wheel where wire can threaded through, then similarly to anchoring rope tied to a lower tree branch - the pulley system can't jam or can it cause wear and tear on the tree branch in use.

You can hang a bird feeder in a tree if it remains visible yet accessible to all birds. But in following any of my instructions, please make sure the hanging bird feeders are secure.

Ladder is all you need

When it comes down to it you only need access to ladder to hang a bird feeder high up in a tree, providing your able to or a family member can climb it.

And remember this, the ladder will only need to be used once when following instructions I outline below - rather than using it every time your clean or change food.

Ladders are the only thing you need to a hang a bird feeder on a tree branch, though to be fair that may not be possible to many of you.

I don't ask you to go out an buy a 20 foot ladder just for the sake of hanging bird feeders on a high location - but what you can do is borrow a ladder on occasion from a neighbor or why not ask a relative.

Later on a ladder will become useful for mounting a pulley system or by swinging over a length of rope - or better still steel wire - over a thick, mature branch only the one time.

Ladders will be difficult to use on a dense tree with many branches, thus a more athletic member of the family can climb the tree by themselves; or why not get a young one to climb the tree only once to setup a pulley or get a length of rope over a branch.

It is obvious to suggest a ladder although it may be needed in the end if only to setup the bird feeder higher up the tree the one time.

Reach high with clothesline pole

Do you hang your laundry on a length of clothesline stretched out the length of the yard? Well the clothesline pole - which could be up to 10 feet tall - can be the solution for hanging bird feeders high up a tree.

Clothesline poles tend to be made with a fold on the tip to be sure the clothesline can be threaded through, while preventing it constantly slipping off.

Now imagine hooking a bird feeder on its hanger or chain used to hang - which would be hooped over this clothesline pole thread in a safe and secure way - in the process you'd lift up individual bird feeders in place higher up into a tree.

I'd admit to hook a bird feeder over the tip of this clothesline pole wouldn't be plausible, because the bird feeder will become unhooked which can lead to it crashing to the ground.

What you can do then is fashion a kind of hanger or hook that can allow you to pick up a fully loaded bird feeder with food on the ground - to be lifted up and over a tree branch.

Bird feeder will need to be lifted up and hooked over a branch - which would have to be a short branch to get the feeder over the end - at the same time the clothesline pole must be able to be pulled away when the feeder is hooked on.

I wouldn't say this is the best way to hang a bird feeder in a tree but it certainly gives you an idea what is needed if you are currently struggling to reach so high.

Borrow swimming pool pole

Similar to hanging a bird feeder high in a tree with use of a clothesline pole, could you just so happen to have a swimming pool pole to hand.

Now a swimming pool pole doesn't have any kind of hoop or hook on the end we can use this time - so therefore you'd have to make your own hook.

Hook will be made in a way to position the swimming pool pole vertically or horizontal which won't cause the bird feeder to fall.

With that in mind if you use what is a plastic hook to store your swimming pool pole on, then detach it from its mount and temporary stick it onto the end of your pole.

You could tie the hook on the end temporary with use of duck tape of a length of rope.

I understand a swimming pool and therefore a swimming pool pole isn't available to you all - although a cheap to buy pole just maybe an idea.

However I wouldn't suggest you go out and buy anything at this time as I have better solutions for you to come other than use of a 10 or 15 foot clothesline or swimming pole pool.

Anchor rope over branch

What I believe to be the less fuss, less hassle way to hang a bird feeder high up in a tree is with a 20 foot length of hard wearing rope.

It is possible to use plastic coated clothesline or there's an option to use hard wearing steel wire - at a thickness that can't lead to cutting through the tree branch.

How to hang a bird feeder on a tree at any height off the ground would be by anchoring the rope over a tree branch where in a location your happy with.

Now you'd only need access to this what... 10, 15 or 20 feet high branch... only the once.

Climb it free-hand, use a ladder, hook over the rope using a clothesline pole or swimming pool pole - then you can hoop over the rope to then be sure it can't end up slipping back over the branch in the process.

What you get now is say a 20 foot length of rope in total - with 10 feet up to the bird feeder on the branch - then an additional 10 feet hanging back down to the ground.

The additional length that comes back to the ground is what is used to pull up and down the bird feeder that will always be connected to the end of the rope - or wire of course.

Rather than keeping it hanging which will see the bird feeder fall to the ground, simply tie it to a lower down branch or swing it around the tree trunk to secure.

What you do every time you wish to clean or replace the bird feeder food, is unfasten the knot over the branch or trunk to slowly lower the bird feeders to the ground.

Access with pulley system

For a little under twenty-bucks you can get yourself what is a versatile, yet practical pulley system that would be used to access a bird feeder high up in a tree - every time you need to access it.

So what is this pulley system... well is an heavy-duty, made in metal wheel on a mount that allows you to thread what must be steel wire through it. This wheel will turn around when you pull at the wire as it spins to prevent fraction.

Similarly to anchoring a rope over a branch to lift up the bird feeder in place to then tie a knot to secure - this pulley system practically works the same way.

First you'd need to find a safe way to mount this pulley block high up on a tree branch.

You must have safe access to the tree branch to mount the pulley system on, so you can find a way to hang the pulley - or keep it stable by fastening it with a meter of clothesline. And while your up there don't forget to thread the length of wire over the wheel.

With up to 20 feet of wire to use, or more if needed or possibly far less - you can overlap your hands to pull up the bird feeder to the height off the ground want - all while you must undo the wire knot to slowly bring the bird feeder back down to the ground.

Pulley systems that remain hard wearing but made in plastic with rope can be used, although the mechanism are more complicated thus prone to jamming.

In my proposal, you'd thread a length of wire over the metal pulley wheel the once, to prevent any issues of jamming.

Conclusion

I know I'm not being much help to you when suggesting the use of a ladder, and while it can be useful - it can be a pain to always get out to clean or change bird feeder food.

With that a ladder may not be able to be lifted up in and among tree branches in what is a densely populated tree.

What I ask you to do then is tie a hook or use a default hoop on the end of a clothesline pole to lift up bird feeders off the ground - to then slot over an accessible yet visible tree branch far higher off the ground.

Similarly, a swimming pool pole could be used although you'd have to mount a hook on the end - although I believe you will also have to when using a clothesline pole.

Ideas coming up next can only be achieved if you can access the branch you intend to hang a bird feeder off.

It can be done with a ladder just the once or why not use a young person to climb up the tree to swing a length of rope over the branch just the once.

You'd then end up with is anything from a 10 to 20 foot length of rope that is hanging down on both sides of the tree branch.

What you do now is tie the bird feeder onto one end to lift up the feeder to the desirable height up in the tree while using the other end. To keep the bird feeder securely hung, you'd tie this rope around an accessible branch or the tree trunk lower down.

Better idea than that is to somehow hang or stabilize a pulley block system under a branch to allow you to pull up the bird feeder in place, while carefully bringing back down to you on the ground.

Secure the metal pulley system with use of a tall ladder or climb the tree only the once; all while threading the wire through the pulley wheel which will hang the feeder off on the end.

Share this article: