Feeding the Birds

Frugal_Mouse

Just looking on the RSPB website bird identifier and noticed that the Song Thrush who has been munching on my homemade food mix this afternoon has Red Status. This was a nasty surprise but then discovered that of the 246 commonly occurring UK bird species 52 are red-listed; that's more that 1 in 5 :eek: I didn't realise that the situation was so bad.

Well done everyone who is putting out food and doing your bit to help our birds :T

BilberryCharlotte

ixwood wrote: »

Apparently foxes have taken a liking to cats. It's probably safer not to let them out at night.

Whilst i obviously feel sorry for the cats/owners, I do find the fox thing interesting. (most) cats are a menace to wildlife and some urban areas have 1000's of them, which really impacts the local wildlife. Looks like mother nature has solved the problem.

Yes, it is interesting, I hadn`t heard that before. Obviously very upsetting for the owners, it is terrible not to know the end of a beloved pet.

It is much safer if like valk you have house cats. Nature is so beautiful, but can be so cruel.

ixwood

Just googled it:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4195162/Hungry-foxes-start-eating-the-nations-cats.html

Them using cat flaps sounds nasty for cats/owners. Locking cat flaps required I think.

Taadaa

I have got some bran flakes, do you think these will be okay?

BilberryCharlotte

ixwood wrote: »

Just googled it:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4195162/Hungry-foxes-start-eating-the-nations-cats.html

Them using cat flaps sounds nasty for cats/owners. Locking cat flaps required I think.

Yes, it would be safer for cats by the sound of it, perhaps we should actually be putting food out for the foxes too?

Counting_Pennies_2

I want to put water out for the birds but don't know what in.

I have a biscuit tin, but worry their reflection with spook them when they swoop down.

I have a shallow plastic container about 6 inches by 9 inches, would this be any good to put water out, or is it too small for the birds to bathe?

I have been taking to put the food out on a flattened cardboard box. Would it be possible just to sprinkle it on top of the snow on my flat roof so it is completely away from the cats, or will it be difficult for them to access it on the snow?

Thanks again all, you are all wonderful at answering my original post.

Lip_Stick

scotrae wrote: »

M-i-l always has hm pastry dough out for her birds and is in an enviable location. Visitors sit on a sofa facing her large window, with flocks of birds about 3 feet the other side of it. It's a bit like watching a tank of exotic fish!

Nobody answered the compost worms question so I went to see if I could dig some out. Unfortunately the whole contents of the compost bin are rather solid with the frost so there were no signs of life. I did manage to prise a few small snails off the lid though, which the mistle thrush seemed to appreciate.

We had one little bird that I didn't recognise yesterday and a whole flock of them came back this afternoon, all perching on the dead foliage pecking for little flies and spiders. DS (junior RSPB enthusiast) thought they were coal tits but I didn't think their caps were black enough. Just as I started to type this two reappeared and I think they are long tailed tits.

Today has been wonderful - far more than ever before. But I think they are all going to roost again now. We've had a partial thaw rather than more snow as was expected so things should be better for them this week, hopefully.

Years ago when I was a young 'un, some idiot boy brought a nest of 3 very young featherless thrushes to my house. I had to bring them up as I knew they wouldn't survive if put back (I had no idea where he'd got them from). Anyway, I was feeding them on dog food. They learnt to fly, then I started training them to get their own worms using thinly spread compost. They all got ill and 2 of them died. The biggest one was close to dying but pulled through. I ended up releasing him/her out in the countryside. Hopefully nature and a survival instinct took over and it didn't just starve!

Anyway, I blame the compost heap worms for making them ill, but could have been the change in diet I guess. Shame really that I got so close to releasing them all, when it happened.

BilberryCharlotte

Counting_Pennies wrote: »

I want to put water out for the birds but don't know what in.

I have a biscuit tin, but worry their reflection with spook them when they swoop down.

I have a shallow plastic container about 6 inches by 9 inches, would this be any good to put water out, or is it too small for the birds to bathe?

I have been taking to put the food out on a flattened cardboard box. Would it be possible just to sprinkle it on top of the snow on my flat roof so it is completely away from the cats, or will it be difficult for them to access it on the snow?

Thanks again all, you are all wonderful at answering my original post.

There again they might be so taken with their reflection that they would stand admiring it (just like my vain dogs) :-)

It is a problem though, I was thinking I might need something weighty to save it from being tipped over, no solution has presented itself as yet.

*zippy*

What about an old pyrex dish, big pasta dish or baking tin?

BilberryCharlotte

*zippy* wrote: »

What about an old pyrex dish, big pasta dish or baking tin?

That is a good idea! probably the pyrex dish would be the best for me, I use them often. Thanks :-)