That may be just a bit close to the house, Phil. Some birds will come right up to the window to feed, but it takes them longer to get the courage.
On the subject of the price of seed, it does vary a lot in quality, and the cheaper seed mixes contain a lot of wheat which isn't so attractive to the small birds (although pigeons will happily scoff it). We get our seed from a local pet shop which sells it loose, and you help yourself and get it weighed. It's cheaper that way, and better quality than the cheap supermarket variety.