Any keen bird feeders out there?

SailorSam

I've been making a sort of cage today with twigs and old branches.
When i feed the birds each day i've got a couple of pidgeons and a couple of magpies that wolf all the food before the little birds get a chance. Don't mind them having their share but i don't want the smaller birds scared off.
So i've made this cage with old branches with big enough gaps that the small birds can get in and out and left it sitting in the middle of the lawn. It was funny when the pidgeons & magpies turned up, they could see the food and were walking around and around looking for a way in. One magpie has stayed all afternoon trying to work out how to get the food. Now the little birds have had their fill i've put more food out but this time some on the outside for the bigger birds to have some.

Gers

SailorSam wrote: »

I've been making a sort of cage today with twigs and old branches.
When i feed the birds each day i've got a couple of pidgeons and a couple of magpies that wolf all the food before the little birds get a chance. Don't mind them having their share but i don't want the smaller birds scared off.
So i've made this cage with old branches with big enough gaps that the small birds can get in and out and left it sitting in the middle of the lawn. It was funny when the pidgeons & magpies turned up, they could see the food and were walking around and around looking for a way in. One magpie has stayed all afternoon trying to work out how to get the food. Now the little birds have had their fill i've put more food out but this time some on the outside for the bigger birds to have some.

Excellent!

Previously I used the normal 'anti-squirrel' feeders (though I don't mind the red squirrels we have here) but found that it made life easier for the larger birds as they could hang on and reach without any contortions. What I need is a much larger box / cage around the feeders.

I'll resort to going out to scare them away for the present. As soon as the starlings fly away the little birds zoom straight in and get some food. They know what to do!

[Deleted User]

TravellingAbuela wrote: »

I'm glad I'm not the only starling hater on here! The adults are bad enough but when they descend with the juveniles it's mayhem. Fighting and squabbling over the feeders. A pair of young ones were actually dive bombing a poor woodpigeon sat peacefully feeding on the seed tray. It looked frightened to death. I am tempted to get a peashooter to aim at them from the kitchen window!

We have them nesting every year and I love to see them. Please do not scare them away from the feeders are their numbers are dropping - about 66% since 1977.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/starling/population_conservation.aspx

TravellingAbuela

Aw bless - I have good news about the bereaved blackbirds who built a nest in our ivy and, sadly, lost their babies, and then went on to nest again in next door's conifers. We watched progress with interest and knew they were successfully rearing babies this time as both parents were in and out with grubs, worms, etc. At last this morning the babes were out of the nest and both parents were feeding them near our feeders. Lovely to see after the sad start they had losing their first brood.

The squabbling juvenile starlings are still with us (no I didn't frighten them away!) and I am hoping it won't be long before they set off to explore the big wide world beyond our garden!

Primrose

TrqvellingAbuela. If its any comfort to you our hoard of up to 30 baby starlings was with us for about 8-10 days but have now largely dispersed although some do return from time to time. After the first 24 hours of baby squawking the novelty quickly wore off! Beethoven Pastorale melodic they are not !

margaretclare

Feeding the birds and other wildlife is one of the things that gives us an immense amount of pleasure and 'feel good factor' in that we know we're helping other species that might be struggling.

We have 6 'sparrow holes' fastened to the back wall of this bungalow, 2 boxes with separate holes in them. They're always in use. Most years each hole has helped to raise 3 broods of young ones. According to David Lindo, the 'urban birder', house sparrows have declined over recent years and they need help.

I don't hate starlings! They, too, are on the 'threatened' list.

Yesterday I was sitting out in the garden watching sparrows coming to the hanging feeders and flying up to the nest-holes, back and forth like a shuttle service.

Due to increasing age and infirmity we no longer 'garden' as such, so there is plenty of cover, bushes and trees all around to make a 'woodland edge' where all the wildlife can shelter. Our biggest pleasure, though, is the 'trail cam' by which we can see what visits of a night-time. We got this last summer because we spotted a hedgehog in the dusk and wanted to see more. Hedgehogs are one of the most threatened species of them all. I got some specially-formulated hedgehog food from Ark Wildlife and this morning, looking at the video clips, we were treated to the sight of our hedgehog really tucking into this. I put some into a shallow plant saucer and the hedgie got right in among it and scoffed to its little heart's content. We have a lot of foxes, and a badger - who like Markies dog biscuits - and they all seem to co-exist quite well. The ground-feeding birds will pick up any of the hedgehog food that's left. It got wet in the night - quite a heavy shower, although all is dry and sunny this morning.

SallyG

Do starlings by any chance eat lily beetles ---- which have done for the martagon lilies I was really looking forward to ?????
No birds seem to pick them off- they're bright red and the grubs cover themselves in poo.

TravellingAbuela

My sympathy SallyG. I once had an influx of lily beetles and what a messy sight. I don't know if any birds eat them, certainly nothing were tempted by mine. Every year now my lilies come under close scrutiny for any sign of them.

Fay

I don't think they have any predators which is why they're hard to eradicate....that and if you go hear them they drop into the soil in their back so you can't see them. I'm afraid squishing is the answer, to adults and poo covered babies!

Gers

I've captured a shot of what I think is a linnet - it's immensely shy and is just poking its head out on the left hand feeder.

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