Coexistence Under the Feeder - Can We Learn from It?
At enormous expense, frankly, my wife and I feed a menagerie of wild animals outside our front window. Twice a day, we replenish the food supply for them. Our guests regularly include:
A mated pair of mallard ducks that have been visiting us now for 14 years.
At least 2 dozen crows, who noisily arrive each morning and afternoon.
An ever increasing batch of gray squirrels, right now with the next generation added. An occasional white squirrel, too.
Four small red squirrels, which also includes a couple of young ones.
Cardinals - a few
Mourning doves - a pair
Starlings, which descend en masse and depart in the same way.
Sparrows, finches, and other small seed-eating birds of several species.
Woodpeckers, large and small, who enjoy the seed-filled suet.
Ruby-throated hummingbirds, stopping by during their migration at our feeder.
Orioles, at the hummingbird feeder, too, from time to time.
An occasional Pileated Woodpecker or two, seasonally during their migration.
Small mammals, including mice, voles, and the occasional short-tailed shrew
Opossums - nocturnally
Raccoons - also nocturnally
Assorted neighborhood cats, to the consternation of the other species.
With the exception of the cats, all visit and eat without any conflict between species. Each takes what it needs and lets the others do the same. We never observe any fighting, menacing, bullying or any other such nonsense. Everyone is welcome and, if not, at least ignored. They all recognize us as the givers of food, and pretty much ignore our comings and goings.
As I said, it's a costly thing, but the pleasure of watching is more than worth the expense. We feed year round, and enjoy our guests morning and evening. A large picture window faces that area, so our morning coffee and afternoon news viewing is accompanied by our menagerie.
I recommend feeding the wild critters.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I don't have as extensive of a feeding area as yours -- I have one hanging suet feeder and one hanging seed feeder outside my kitchen window.
I notice there's a definite hierarchy among the birds. Some always want the whole feeder to themselves -- usually the cardinals and ladder backed woodpeckers. But among the smaller birds (chickdees, sparrows, titmice and nutchatches) some will always chase away the others so that they can have the feeder all to themselves. I'm watching a woodpecker chase away a sparrow as I write this. Do you notice this among the birds who come to your feeders?
That's so cool that you have this great entertainment out your window to go along with your morning coffee! 
