A 9-year-old corrected my feeder placement, now I'm eating crow (or seed)

I've always hung my tube feeder high on a hook near the porch, thought it was perfect. But my neighbor's kid, Leo, walked over last Tuesday and asked why I never get goldfinches when his yard is full of them. He pointed out the feeder was too close to the glass, and that's why birds kept getting spooked by their own reflections. I moved it 8 feet farther out into the open, near the cedar brush, and within 3 days I had a whole flock of goldfinches working the thistle sock. Anybody else had a kid or newbie spot something you missed for years? What was it?

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coleman.gray21d ago

Buddy of mine had the exact same problem with his bluebird house. He'd faced it south and everything, but a young girl at his kid's school picnic pointed out the pole was in the shadow of his shed all morning. He moved it about 20 feet to the east and had a nest within the week... kids just see the obvious stuff we've looked past for years.