cherry "stella" tree advice

[seneca]

Hi folks,
I've been given a cherry tree (5ft tall, lots of side branches and some blossom) but no planting instructions or care advice with it. It just says "trees for life" and "stella" on the label. a few questions:
* where to plant (position ie/ sheltered, sunny, half sun/half shade, by a fence etc)
* what kind of soil (compost, manure etc)
* will it actually produce edible cherries?
* common problems
* will any fruit be eaten by birds, if so how do I protect it?

thanks.