Why wont the birds come?

Sally_A

I was buying the fat balls in string bags and hanging them on the bushes, they were being ignored until I had to throw them away - but noticed the ground feeders would eat any that I crumbled. A friend told me that birds have learnt to avoid the netting as their claws can get stuck and be ripped out. I subsequently bought a fat ball holder (from Asda - quite cheap), cut the balls out of the netting and popped them in. The birds went mad for them.

lands

Apart from the normal food for birds IE seed & nuts try this.

Buy a bit of the cheapest cheese you can and grate it up.
Get a hand full of dried fruit IE sultana's or currant's and mix it with some of the cheese. Put it on a feeding platform or on the ground and sit back and watch.

I guarantee it will be gone before its dark.

I have cats everywhere around here, but the temptation to feed on this is more
than the fear of the cats. I do not feed regularily at all but this works a treat in pulling in the birds.

Lorian

I have a green woodpecker today.

sportsfreak

YorkiePud wrote: »

I know!! The best of it is when the grey squirrel comes .. (I string monkey nuts in shells on wool and tie em on the fence for him and he sits on top of the fence, pulling the wool up and eats em one at a time!) ... but, whatever birds can't fit into the table will sit alongside him!

Someone told me to be careful cos the squirrels would chase the birds off but I had to laugh the other day when he came along the fence. A wood pigeon was sat there and wouldn't move for him to get past so he could get to his nut string .. so the little oink leapfrogged OVER the bird (which just stayed stock still and didn't take off!!) ... omg, I howled laughing!!

I think though it's probably cos I have so much food out in different parts of the garden ... there is always someplace free for them to eat. Last year I regularly had three robins in the garden at one time and they didn't fight and they're supposed to be terrors with each other!

That's so funny.. I spotted something similar with one of my squirrels and a big fat pigeon, it was a real battle of wills the squirrel was desperate to get past but the pigeon would not budge. The funniest is when the squirrels steal things like fat balls and race off into the trees with them, sometimes carrying things almost as big as they are - they are greedy little beggars - but so cute

sportsfreak

lands wrote: »

Apart from the normal food for birds IE seed & nuts try this.

Buy a bit of the cheapest cheese you can and grate it up.
Get a hand full of dried fruit IE sultana's or currant's and mix it with some of the cheese. Put it on a feeding platform or on the ground and sit back and watch.

I guarantee it will be gone before its dark.

I have cats everywhere around here, but the temptation to feed on this is more
than the fear of the cats. I do not feed regularily at all but this works a treat in pulling in the birds.

I'll try cheese I have a load in the fridge that is probably past it's best, but sure the little birdies won't mind

sportsfreak

Lorian wrote: »

I have a green woodpecker today.

Sooo jealous!

Busy-Bee_6

sportsfreak wrote: »

I am suprised you get no fighting - I have a robin that is so territorial - he exhausts himself daily trying to fend off all the other birds - it's quite funny to watch!

I never used to have trouble with birds fighting but I've started using special robin food from Ark Wildlife and they've gone mad! Maybe the time of year but now I have three robins and its causing trouble.

jaxx46

If you like to read to your little girl there is an Enid Blyton book called Birds of our Garden that she would probably love. It's very old but there are copies on Amazon at a good price. It has drawn illustrations of birds and tells you how to recognise bird songs, what foods different birds like, different types of habitats, nests & eggs and all written as a story for young children. Maybe something to while away the time whilst you're waitng for your feathered friends.