Any keen bird feeders out there?

Primrose

Our visiting squirrels have completely abandoned the peanuts too. I'm wondering if they are very stale when we buy them in the packet or of an inferior quality. Everybody is going hell for leather for the sunflower seeds. The suet pellets are especially popular with the blackbirds and starlings who can empty the container in a morning.
When their babies are mobile enough to flee the nest and be bought to the bird feeders our garden will be like the January sales !

firely2327

Since moving into my own home last year I've been feeding my feathered friends. I have a back yard rather than garden, but it's hedged on three sides, good and high and I've got three feeders, one for balls, one for nuts and one for seed. The birds love them. I'm not great at bird ID but I've got some bird books that have yet to find a home on my bookcase (still unpacking ) and I'm determined to identify them all. Robins and coal tits are regulars, as are sparrows and blackbirds.
One thing I don't like is the fact that my dog can sometimes take it into his head to go for them. A blackbird entered my kitchen while I was upstairs and he quickly dispatched him, followed about six months later by a bird I'd never seen before. Friends helped me identify him/her as a red legged partridge! How or why one of those was in my garden I'll never know.


Oh, birds seem to love potato too, cooked of course

longwalks1

Just got our first garden and love it already! We've only got 3 x hanging bird feeders up, with nuts in them (we bought a huge 12.5kg bag online, worked out cheaper as it was free delivery) and weve just put a squirrel feeder box up on the fence too. Lots of different birds in the garden already, just need a book now to see who is who!

Ken68

Just seen the first Swifts of the year.....a flock flying high.

suki1964

Ken68 wrote: »

Just seen the first Swifts of the year.....a flock flying high.

Saw ours yesterday morning making a beeline to the garage

suki1964

cally6008 wrote: »

Just got to share this ...

Decided to buy suet pellets and mealworms as a treat for birds and to bring the starlings back in to the garden.
Went out about 7am-ish and filled the mealworms feeder back up.

Just before 8am, walked in kitchen and went ... OH MY, WOW ...
There was a Heron stood on the back fence, as proud as anything
Gulp, managed to get a photo and short video

Unfortunately a heron cleaned us out of carp two weeks back after we had cleaned the pond of winter gunge

It been back three times to see if there's anything left but the remaining two fish are now well protected

suki1964

For those feeding seeds, best price I can find locally is 25kg for £5.25 ( sold as mixed grains) at a local farm store. I buy it as scratch for my chooks and the birds love it

Gers

The birds are chucking the sunflower hearts all over the shop - I've just spent a few minutes sitting outside having a cup of tea and watching them One sunflower eaten, three chucked out (siskins and gold finches). The various tits just eat.

There's a real mess under the feeders, much worse than when using sunflower seeds, so I'm not going to refill them until it's all cleared up!

No real call for peanuts except for when the other feeders are empty. Lots of water being drunk now too.

This morning I've 'rescued' a blue tit from my utility room, the other day it was a siskin from my living room. Having the back door open has it's disadvantages.

Happygreen

I agree, Gers! Yesterday it was a young song thrush. I startled her going into the shed and she trapped herself amongst all that stuff by the windows. Good opportunity to tidy up in there and I found garden tools I had been looking for for years, lol.

seven-day-weekend

We don't encourage birds into our garden at home as we have two cats.

However, we have recently taken ownership of a static caravan holiday home which has a small garden.

When we moved into our bungalow last year,we found a bird feeding station in the garden so we have taken that to the caravan garden and fitted it up with some feeders.

We have had loads of birds! Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Thrushes, we have a also seen a Goldfinch and a Greater Spotted Woodpecker at the feeding station.

We have put in two lots of seed , some peanuts, some fat balls and some mealworms; also a dish of water.

It's lovely to watch them and I am going to research the birds that we see, I'm really enjoying my new hobby (as well as our new holiday home).

Hope to post more on this thread soon.