Any keen bird feeders out there?

Francesanne

Cuilean wrote: »

Me again, back with an update. I took everyone's advice, and have now got what I hope is the bird equivalent of Tesco in my garden. I have gone so mad with it that I ran out of branches on my tree to hang the feeders on, and had to buy one of those bird feeding stations, which arrived today. Now we have a sunflower heart feeder, a seed feeder, a nut/suet pellet feeder, a peanut feeder, a hanging tray, a water bowl/tray, and a suet ball feeder. There's a new bird box on the wall of the garage, but we've missed the boat a bit on nesting season, so I don't expect there to be any action.

We've gained visitors in the form of a few goldfinches, a robin, a few blackbirds, and shed loads of sparrows, starlings and pigeons. I'd really like to encourage the blackbirds (They're a personal favourite) but I understand they're ground/table feeders, and if I put food on the ground, or less than two feet above it, the dog eats it. This also makes a bird table difficult, because she'll just jump at it until it falls over. I've sent off for a hanging bird table now, and I hope that will encourage the blackbirds a bit more. Any suggestions for encouraging the blackbirds?

Our blackbirds love sultanas. We've got a regular who loves sunbathing by our garden pond. It's a lovely sight.

TravellingAbuela

I spotted some bird cakes last week - around 7* made of fat and impregnated with nuts and seeds. It was a bit expensive at £1.99 but I love my wild birdies and thought I would treat them to one. I plonked it on a feeding tray and expected hordes of grateful birds. Sadly not! They don't seem to like it and, although eating from the original nut and seed feeders, they are avoiding the cake! Has anybody else had success with one? Even the starlings are turning their noses up at it!

UnluckyT

The birds seem to really appreaciate the bird baths filled with water.
Fortunatley i was given 2 when a nieghbur moved out.

torbrex

I wonder where all the starlings have gone

I used to get a dozen at a time visiting my feeding station but I have hardly seen any for the last week or so

The Bluetits have gone as well, all I am left with is about 10 sparrows, a couple of blackbirds and a single dunnock visiting every day.

Fay

My blue, great, coal and lon pg tailed tits have all vastly dwindled too. No finches. A couple of dunno is still coming, a couple of tits, lots of blackbirds, and collared doves all still visiting regularly though. And the robins are still firm favourites, definitely grown in numbers his year too

TravellingAbuela

I think your starlings have come to visit me torbrex. I had more than ever this morning, including more young ones than previously I'm sure. Still the pair of blackbirds, a lot of sparrows and, like you, a solitary dunnock, but, apart from the collared doves and woodpigeons that feed year round, everything else has disappeared here too.

Primrose

Most of our young starlings have disappeared too but not too unhappy about that as upwards of thirty babies all fighting to get on the bird feeders was intimidating the smaller birds.
I think the abundance of insects at this time of year makes the birds less reliant on food humans out out for them. Each tree is capable of producing thousands of insects apparently so birds can range further afield and the youngsters rapidly lesrn to fend for themselves.

Fortunately our delightful breeding pair of goldfinches still visit several times daily. They seem to be inseparable and one never appears without the other. I don't know whether they mate for life like swans.

Ken68

The starlings here probably go off to the fields, harvesting time.

underperky

diluvsdiscounts wrote: »

After googling images of a juvenile blackbird I think you could be right.

What a nice way to make money for charity ...hope the journey through the chemo is fast and as pain free as possible for you ...get a red wig the colour your hair was and if people want to wonder real or not ...they need to find other ways to fill their minds

Cuilean

This was a lovely sight to wake up to this morning - every feeder had a visitor. Greenfinch on the sunflower hearts, sparrow in the seed feeder, starling practically inhaling suet pellets, and a bluetit on the fat balls. Keep the great advice coming please! For reference, the water was clean at 10pm last night - what do they do in it? :eek: