Serious question, does anyone actually follow those bird feeder spacing rules?

I was at the Backyard Birding Expo in Des Moines in March and a guy with a name tag that said 'Master Bander Jim' told me my feeders are too close together. He said they should be at least 10 feet apart to cut down on disease spread. But my yard is barely 30 feet wide and if I spread them out, half the birds just fly to the neighbor's house. Is it really that big of a deal or is this just birding gatekeeping?

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robinc6610h ago

...and how long have you actually been feeding birds? Because I've been at it for about 15 years now, and I'll tell you, that Master Bander guy has a point but he's also pretty rigid. I keep my feeders about 6 to 8 feet apart in a yard that's similar sized to yours, and I've never had a major disease outbreak. But here's what I really want to know - have you actually seen sick birds at your feeders, or is this more about worrying about something that might happen? Because I think a lot of those strict rules are made for people with big properties or public parks, not for folks in town with a postage stamp yard. Seems like common sense and regular cleaning matter a whole lot more than exact spacing.