Pick out a section of your yard for the bird feeding station that is visible from indoors. It should be close to bushes or trees so that the birds can take flee to safety if danger should come around. Place the feeders for smaller birds in a separate area from the feeders for larger birds. Doing this will let the smaller birds to eat in peace and not have to compete at the same feeders as the larger, intimidating birds. Goldfinches, hummingbirds and other small birds will thank you by visiting your yard more often.
Some people let the sunflower seeds sprout, growing a natural sunflower jungle for the birds.
Others with a more manicured garden area, may not relish the thought of pulling out spouting plants. These people should look into seeds that are already shelled. For instance, shelled sunflower seed and peanuts can be bought as whole seed or broken into smaller pieces. The cost per pound will be greater but you will not be paying for shells and thus will be getting quite a bit more food per pound. An added bonus of shelled seed is that you will not have the mess of discarded shells.