Bird feeder/tables

[Ron]

Dec 18, 2015 10:07:25 GMT Jilly said:

You might find that the unusual weather is affecting the numbers too Ron , I'm usually being eaten out of house & home this time of year, but I'm only having to fill the feeders twice a week atm.

Yes, Jilly, I'm sure you're right.  I wonder if birds have enough mental capacity to get fed up of all the rain

[Ron]

I've had to move the feeders as they were in the way of the washing line! They are a bit close to the shed now but it's the only space left.

[andy]

Not read through any of this but was hoping to get some advice on feeding the birds.

I've just bought a decent bird feeding station which currently has normal bird seed, niger seed, peanuts, fat balls and a mesh dish for other bits.

The birds i currently get are....a pair of starlings, a pair of jackdaws, a blue tit and a robin. I have seen lots of blue, great and long-tailed tits in the area as well as dunnocks. The other day we had a goldfinch in there but only the aforementioned few birds visit the feeders.

I put a fresh halved apple out most days and ive tried mealworms....but they're a bit expensive.

So is there anything else i could feed them? I was thinking of getting half a pint of fishing maggots (un-dyed) for the robbins.

What about any kitchen leftovers....cooked or uncooked? eg Broccoli or other veg....cooked potatoes? what about meat?

I'm pretty new to this so any tips welcome

[Rosefriend]

Jan 22, 2017 9:12:38 GMT andy said:

Not read through any of this but was hoping to get some advice on feeding the birds.

I've just bought a decent bird feeding station which currently has normal bird seed, niger seed, peanuts, fat balls and a mesh dish for other bits.

The birds i currently get are....a pair of starlings, a pair of jackdaws, a blue tit and a robin. I have seen lots of blue, great and long-tailed tits in the area as well as dunnocks. The other day we had a goldfinch in there but only the aforementioned few birds visit the feeders.

I put a fresh halved apple out most days and ive tried mealworms....but they're a bit expensive.

So is there anything else i could feed them? I was thinking of getting half a pint of fishing maggots (un-dyed) for the robbins.

What about any kitchen leftovers....cooked or uncooked? eg Broccoli or other veg....cooked potatoes? what about meat?

I'm pretty new to this so any tips welcome

All a bit different here in Germany andy, as the powers that be don't like you feeding birds all the year around and you cannot buy bird seeds except from Zoo shops...typical Germans!!

In winter I have sunflower seeds and have started with sunflower kernels (Ladygardener) and I am really getting more variety of birds now. Can't remember who it was with the meal worms (Jilly, Tig, Barbara,maggy, Ron) but I don't get them here unless I go to the next town...

One thing that I was going to post about was "fat balls"!! I have noticed that the birds do not like the cheapy fat balls - they do actually smell a bit rancid. Has anyone else noticed this??

I remember my old Mum threw everything out for the birds and she had flocks in the garden...bones - especially from a lamb roast, left over fish and chips etc etc.
I am sure that the NABU and RSPB would shudder and cry out in disgust but they loved it !!

[Barbara]

Grated cheese is a deffo if you want blackbirds, bacon rind, cut up into small pieces and cooked chicken too.

[Ron]

Robins love meal worms.

[andy]

Jan 22, 2017 10:25:32 GMT Ron said:

Robins love meal worms.

Pretty expensive though....i was thinking about getting half a pint of maggots from the fishing shop...at about £1.50.  

[Ron]

Interesting idea, andy, but would they escape? Still, I suspect the birds might not give them the chance.

[Ron]

Haven't been feeding the birds since my move though I have the feeders ready. I haven't been fit enough to do everything I wanted to, but things are moving on slowly. Going to concentrate now on the area where the feeders will go so hopefully they'll be ready in a week or so.

[Jilly]

Think the fishing maggots would be fine if they're in a bowl andy, they probably don't cover huge distances .

I can't feed on the ground (because of cats) but on the table tray I use really cheap mixed seeds with some sunflower seeds in, that keep the things like Starlings & the Pigeons happy, I do use dried meal worms, they are expensive but I don't use that many (& get them on offer at the GC or Amazon), put sunflower hearts in the seed feeder, (they are expensive but worth it as they attract so many tits & goldfinches) there's usually on offer on Amazon, & they're usually got one of those half coconuts full of fat & seeds hanging up in the winter.

The way I save money is to use Supermarket value suet rather than the pellets from the GC and also those mixed value bags of dried fruit for cake making which are way cheaper than the ones they sell for the birds.

Don't know if the RSPB would approve but the birds seem happy enough, the thing is I usually get Pigeons, starlings & a whole flock of sparrows, only occasionally get tits, and finches, do get Robins though.

[andy]

Now there's a huge Rook on the feeder!!!!

[Rosefriend]

Oh blimey andy, can't you get rid of it - we get the Magpies, Jackdaws - there isn't much left once they start....mind you my bird table is too small that they can't on, they tend to stay on the ground...

[andy]

To be honest RF, i love the Crows, Jackdaws and Rooks. They're all highly intelligent animals and have that sinister look to them. I have a pair at work that actually come into the chalet if i haven't been out and fed them....cheeky swines lol

[Ladygardener]

andy, I always have mealyworms and sprinkle them onto the ground every night so the Robin can have them before the starlings and blackbird arrive. Sunflower hearts are a must for the families of Goldfinches that are constantly in the garden, the Robin will eat some every now and then and I also have the tits and Chaffinch eating from them, I but them in home bargains where they're less expensive than in the pet shop.
Also on the ground are fat ball feeders and a square block for suet. Like Jilly I use supermarket own brand raisins or dried food which disappear as soon as they're put out, Blackbirds and Robins love them and the Starlings get whatever is left.

I don't put any left over food out apart from the odd bit of grated cheese if I've done too much. The last thing I want to encourage are vermin or pigeons.

[Jilly]

The only leftovers I put out are things like old bread and cake Ladygardener, and like yesterday, leftover Yorkshire pudding. I remember my Mum used to throw things like the old Christmas turkey carcass out for the birds, for one thing I think the only thing you would get with that is Foxes & Rats and also it does sound a bit cannibalistic

I quite like the Magpies & Crows andy, we get loads of Magpies round here, the only problem with them is that they attack (especially the nests) more small birds than even the cats do, but they are so comical and the Crows do see off the Seagulls.

[Ladygardener]

Oh yes Jilly, they all love cake. I was saying that to the plum man at the allotment and now he brings cake for the little Robin who comes right into his shed to him. We have a couple of Magpies who nest nearby every year, they will defend their territory too, swooping down on the Starlings at times, most likely when they have eggs in the nest or something. I've seen them do it.

[andy]

Sorry...i'm not familiar with this term "leftover cake"

[Ron]

My bird feeder is up at last. I bought one of those metal pole structures and it is a feeble thing. I drove a wooden post into the ground in the end and taped the pole to it, it's okay now. I have one feeder with a general mix and another with sunflower hearts. Now have to wait and see what happens.

Wouldn't have bought the sunflower feeder if I'd seen the programme I watched yesterday before I did. It's bright yellow and that can be a problem. Birds recognise anything red or yellow as a warning colour, they might take a long time to get used to it.

[Ron]

I removed the yellow bird feeder a couple of weeks ago and just left the green one. The birds are all over it now, the yellow one must have been putting them off as suggested on the TV programme I saw.

[blc]

Mar 13, 2017 7:15:21 GMT Ron said:

I removed the yellow bird feeder a couple of weeks ago and just left the green one. The birds are all over it now, the yellow one must have been putting them off as suggested on the TV programme I saw.

Can you paint it? They have paint for plastic now.

[Ron]

Haha, obvious solution blc, isn't it, yet it didn't occur to me. No idea where its gone now though unfortunately.

[blc]

Jul 21, 2017 6:31:11 GMT Ron said:

Haha, obvious solution blc, isn't it, yet it didn't occur to me. No idea where its gone now though unfortunately.

I want to get a bird feeder and also set up some other type of feeder away from the bird feeder for other animals. We get deer on the back yard around mid January. Usually a doe and her fawn. This is quite residential but there is a small creek and I wonder if they follow that and wind up in the back yard.

We also get ducks. They are cute. Must be a pair and they come up the bank walk up the yard between the houses cross the street go through a couple yards then back to the creek.

I didn't realize there were so many considerations to take into account. I was just looking at an article last night that suggested certain colors might attract predators.

I want to avoid weeds and thistles so not sure what type of food to get. I thought sunflower seeds would be good then if they dropped to the ground sunflowers might come up. The black oil sunflower seeds seem pricey. I had birds come onto the deck last year eating the seeds in the cosmos.