Feeding garden birds - Spring 2017 onwards

cally6008

The old thread was started in 2013 and has dropped down the pages so I thought it might be an idea to start a new one off now the clocks have changed

Previous topic - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4743931

I've been to Aldi this afternoon and they have the following bird food in.

1 kg bag of peanuts = £1-99
1 kg bag of sunflower hearts = £1-99
1 kg bag of wild bird seed = 85 pence
8 fat balls = 65 pence

I think that's the sizes. I haven't sat down and worked out if thats good value or not as yet. I think the fat balls are.

We're just getting crows, blackbirds, starlings and sparrows here at the moment. Sometimes I see a tit or finch of some sort but not often.

gamston

I thought that you shouldn't feeding the birds in spring as baby bird can't process peanuts etc. I'm just running down the last of my fat balls (Home bargains only ones birds here eat) stopped sunflower hearts 2/3 weeks ago when sack finished

Davesnave

Struggling to understand here how birds will know the clocks have changed.....

Misslayed

We have sunflower hearts year round and it's Finchley Central in our garden. We buy them from a local animal feed wholesaler, £25 for 25kg. We often have a charm of about 17 goldfinches either feeding or queueing to feed in the lilac, with green finches, bull finches and chaffinches daily visitors. Also bluetits, great tits and long tailed tits. I could watch them all day! We put fat balls and peanuts out this last winter, no takers at all for peanuts so we stopped. I would have thought that instinct would stop them feeding inappropriate food to chicks - but they must need a high calorie diet when they are so busy nest building and laying eggs.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

These days it's recommended to continue feeding the birds as it reduces the effort parent birds have to expend upon feeding themselves, as they will still be gathering appropriate foods for the chicks.


Have a mixture of bugs, seed, raisins and suet out. Some in feeders, some on a small flat dish on a feeder pole and some chucked down in the woodland sort of area by the shed (ie, one pyracantha, ferns, primroses and the remains of the old compost heap) to cover the wrens, Robins and blackbirds. And if they want some snails or worms, there are plenty to spare.

edwink

cally6008 wrote: »

We're just getting crows, blackbirds, starlings and sparrows here at the moment. Sometimes I see a tit or finch of some sort but not often.

Thanks for the info on Aldi bird food x

This little robin has been feeding from the food we put out from our hens in the morning. I took this photo about a month ago.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Davesnave wrote: »

Struggling to understand here how birds will know the clocks have changed.....

Don't worry, they'll use another social media platform, so won't notice this thread...

Davesnave

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Don't worry, they'll use another social media platform, so won't notice this thread...

It would have to be Twitter, I guess.

KxMx

This time of year whole peanuts are frowned upon, pretty sure chipped/crushed ones are fine as are other types of bird food.

firebird082

KxMx wrote: »

This time of year whole peanuts are frowned upon, pretty sure chipped/crushed ones are fine as are other types of bird food.

We put ours out in the feeders where they can't get a whole peanut out - do people wactually put whole ones out? The bluetits are the only ones eating the peanuts mind, and very greedily too!

KxMx

I do most of the year yes, doves & wood pigeons love them, Magpie will fly off with them & tits take them (one at a time) to eat in neighbours tree.