Any keen bird feeders out there?

Chris25

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

While I'm here, I know it's not good for the individual specimen caught, but I've had the pleasure of seeing on 2 occasions a sparrowhawk drop from the skies onto an unsuspecting house sparrow.

I walked up the drive earlier in the year and discovered a sparrowhawk with a young collared dove. I just hope it wasn't one of the two that hatched outside our bedroom window

I also saw one swoop in front of me to take a baby blue-tit & fly into one of our apple trees - amazing how quickly they pluck them!

salthepal

Where do you get your sunflower seed hearts from? I should like to buy a good quality big bag - 20 or 25kg - at a competitive price.
Thanks.

cyclonebri1

Chris25 wrote: »

I walked up the drive earlier in the year and discovered a sparrowhawk with a young collared dove. I just hope it wasn't one of the two that hatched outside our bedroom window

I also saw one swoop in front of me to take a baby blue-tit & fly into one of our apple trees - amazing how quickly they pluck them!

Oh dear, hope this doesn't get me a good flogging, but I wouldn't care if they took every collared dove from our garden, neither would the neighbours. We just seem to be inundated with them all year round,
Sorry, I still view them as an imported species, an unnatural newcomer rather than native.

Back at the bird table I'm still seeing very little, plants getting very forward though indicating it still hasn't chilled down, I'm still saving the feed.:D

Magpies seem to be around the garden more than usual tho', wonder why?. Hate their nature but they are a beautiful bird.

twiglet98

G J W Titmuss ( www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk )have 22.68kg sacks of sunflower hearts on special offer at the moment, £29.99 including carriage. They don't seem to be accessible through TopCashBack any longer, unfortunately, but £1.33ish a kg is a great price and I've always been happy with their service.

My nearest farm shop has been selling them loose at £1.85/kg, the big growers a bit further away are £1.80. Last weekend the local one had put their price up to a whopping £2.50/kg, saying their big sacks are £33.00 but have reduced in size from 20kg to 15kg so they had no choice.

BornAtTheRightTime

We've been very lucky to see kestrels, sparrowhawks and woodpeckers amongst the usual tits and sparrows. In fact, slight guilt feelings, as the blackbird was hoovering up peanut crumbs below the feeder when the sparrowhawk dropped by... photos here, which should explain why we nicknamed the young kestrels Statler and Waldorf

olias

We bought a huge tub of fat balls recently, but every time we hang them out the crows snaffle the lot in no time. I haven't seen a single songbird get a look in. Anyone any ideas of how to keep the crows away?

Olias

cyclonebri1

olias wrote: »

We bought a huge tub of fat balls recently, but every time we hang them out the crows snaffle the lot in no time. I haven't seen a single songbird get a look in. Anyone any ideas of how to keep the crows away?

Olias

Yes, but it involves a shotgun:o:o:o:o;)

Ken68

With this being a moneysaving site and coming up to Christmas......pigeon pie.

Chris25

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

Oh dear, hope this doesn't get me a good flogging, but I wouldn't care if they took every collared dove from our garden, neither would the neighbours. We just seem to be inundated with them all year round,
Sorry, I still view them as an imported species, an unnatural newcomer rather than native.

.

I love collared doves; they're so pretty - they're one of my favourite birds (along with pied wagtails and turtle doves). You're right, they're not native, I think they've only been around in the UK since 1955.

Now, wood pigeons, for me, are the ones that I wouldn't miss - they make the most awful mess with their huge droppings and they seem to be ever increasing too.

olias

Now that is one for the pie!:)

Olias