Any keen bird feeders out there?

Primrose

Gers. - interesting roof! Just goes to show how natures takes over given time.

Gers

Primrose wrote: »

Gers. - interesting roof! Just goes to show how natures takes over given time.

Yes, indeed. The new bit is over my back garden 'barn' which was part of the existing but now no longer used farm steadings. The rooftops make good landing places for the birds and now the squirrel too - must also make good foraging for insects I'd imagine. Below is a better view of the buildings.



I love watching all the wildlife where I live, the other day there was a huge heron in the road and later a hen harrier in a tree.

macaud

I've just found this thread and loving looking through all the posts. We are in the country so get a good selection of "normal" garden birds and sometimes get a few lovely surprise visitors. A flock of about 20 fieldfares came last week as did 6 bullfinches which we normally don't see.
I put out Niger seeds as the goldfinches love them and I love these comical looking wee birdies. I chop an apple in half for the blackbirds. I'm always amazed how quick they peck it right down to nothing. I also put out peanuts, fat balls and a seed mix. I usually buy a filled half coconut shell then just melt lard and mix seed into it to refil it and save some cash.

Gers

After a while without any the goldfinches have swooped back for the sunflower seeds and nyger seeds. They don't seem too keen on the sunflower hearts or peanuts.

I bought some monkey nuts to feed the squirrel (proper bird ones, not from the supermarket) but it seems the tits like them too. I've watched tiny blue tits take them and fly off. It's amazing what wildlife get up to.

Feeding rate has increased as the weather has got worse. Peanut feeders are emptied roughly every two days and get covered in various tits and finches. There is a robin wandering around too and I leave out mealworms on the ground just in case he gets there before the marauding chaffinches and green finches.

The squirrel still hasn't found the 'designated' squirrel feeder and the birds spend a lot of time pecking at the see-through wall wondering why the peanuts can't be reached. Squirrel prefers dropping onto one of the peanut feeders and nibbling out wee pieces. I've also put out hazelnuts in shells for him.

REEN

I haven't seen many of the little birds since the gales. Hope they survived and will find their way back.

Happygreen

After all this rain we've not had a lot of variety in the feathered visitors. Mainly sparrows and robins around during feeding time. And Mr buzzard has been sitting on the swing twice now, upsetting the chickens and making the ducks hide under the leafless hedge.

Fay

Well I thought I had seen a wren in my garden, and I might have done, but I just spotted another very small bird and thought it was the wren in one of my skimmias. But it has a yellow stripe on its head and a black circle like mark on its wing...I've just looked it up and it's a goldcrest. I'm really thrilled that new species are coming to the garden. Yay.

Ken68

Saw a Heron on the roof over the road, main camera not working, so used the one on the mobile. Dire results.
All beak and neck, nearly as tall as the chimney. I wonder if they eat cats ?
And neighbour reported two song thrushes on my bird table, and wanted to know what I had put out. It was Stollen being sold off cheap at Lidl. lol.

cally6008

Me and the next door neighbour are a bit miffed today.
We were in my back garden and looked down towards the road (across the neighbours gardens) and I said "have some more trees gone ?" and she said "yeah, looks like it".
There's 8 houses and some people used to have trees in the gardens and there was lots of birds. Now you can see all the way down to the road and there's only 3 or 4 smaller trees left.
I might have to re-think the plan for the back garden and put some hedge or shrubs in so the birds have somewhere to go.

Primrose

cally6008 wrote: »

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I might have to re-think the plan for the back garden and put some hedge or shrubs in so the birds have somewhere to go.

I think that's a very sensible idea. Birds do feel very vulnerable to attack when feeding as their concentration. Is diverted so some suitable bushes or shrubs near by will make them feel safer, so they will visit more regularly.

We have placed a three armed bird feeder within a couple of yards of a medium size magnolia stella bush and a holly bush and often the visiting birds use these as a staging post before flying onto the feeder. I think this gives them security for a last quick check that it,a safe to feed and the tits and chaffinches especially use it. They will steal a sunflower seed from a feeder, pop i to the safety of the bushes to digest it and then pop baxk to the feeder for another one.

We have a sparrow hawk who periodically visits the garden so need to ensure the birds have somewhere safe nearby to flee if he makes a sudden appearance.