Bird feeder/tables

[carolann]

Yesterday I made some food to go in the empty coconut shells I started with melting some dripping then got 2 crusts of bread and made breadcrumbs chopped up an apple and some currants, plain peanuts and finally mixed in a good helping of the wild bird seed, mixed it all up and put into the shells I didnt need to put it in the freezer I just put it out on the step for an hour then hung them in the Holly tree, this morning the Long Tailed Tits are all over them even the Robins are having a go as well. I keep compacting the snow under the Holly tree and spreading lots of seed for the ground feeders, the cats dont seem to bother with the birds thank goodness I'm sure they know that the little birds are hungry as well and need feeding.

[Jasmine]

Bonnie isn't working on the same principle Carolann. Anything that falls off the bird table is being eaten by a very naughty puppy.

I'm going to use your recipe. The boys won 3 coconuts at the village fair and the shells are now empty and just hanging in the trees. Just have to wait til I can get out and get some lard.

[Ladygardener]

Good idea Jasmine, we've had more snow today so I've been out and built a makeshift shelter with 2 flowerpots and a tray on top. I've broken up a fat ball and put it on a lid of tupperware for the ground feeders too. I just hope the pigeons don't scoff the lot.

[Jasmine]

Oh that's a good idea LG (the fat ball breaking up). I've got lots of those but not much ground feeding bird food left and I've used the last of the peanuts today as well. Bacon sandwiches for lunch so they can have the rind off the bacon.

[Ladygardener]

;D These are not very clear but I took them today. Jasmine, the other thing I put out for the groundfeeders is left over cereal, I use one with clusters and nuts and I made up a bown of it for them an put it on a plastic lid and the starlings scoffed the lot.



This is the beautiful Thrush that comes to visit. They eat off the ground too.

[Jasmine]

I like the middle photo LG - that little bird had its beady eye on you

I've only got Special K - don't think the birds will be very impressed with that If this carries on though they may even eat that.

[Missredhead]

I have just filled up the fat ball holders and renewed the nuts as they were frozen and had gone all icky..

I also emptied the water bows and refilled them but I dont think it will do much good...I saw a blackbird flying onto the fence and was eating the snow.

I know that you are supposed to remove the netting from the fat balls but I have hung a few on the washing line and they kept falling apart when I removed the netting and tried to put string through them..

[Ladygardener]

I've just read your recipie Carolann, when I get my hand on some lard I'll make some of that too.

[Juliet]

I think the netting's really dangerous for birds, MRH, if they get their feet caught in it - can you not get hold of a fat ball feeder? There are all sorts on the market - they're bound to have one of this sort of thing in your local garden centre:

www.gardenbird.co.uk/Spiral-Feeder-and-6-Treat-Balls-/Bird-Food/RH02-M,default,pd.html
www.gardenbird.co.uk/Birdlovers-Treat-Ball-Feeder-and-6-Treat-Balls/Bird-Food/GBRH07,default,pd.html
www.gardenbird.co.uk/Giant-Treat-Ball-Feeder/Bird-Food/GBPC01,default,pd.html
www.gardenbird.co.uk/Fruit-and-Nut-Treat-Blocks-and-Feeder/Bird-Food/GBRG01,default,pd.html

[Missredhead]

I have 2 fat ball feeders Juliet....
never thought about their little feet....
will take them down now..

I dont like to put food on the ground as we have quite a few cats roaming around and they seem to always come in my garden.

[snowowl]

Dec 2, 2008 10:14:00 GMT Dr Bill said:

A goldfinch came to look at our feeders today!!! First ever. What a beautiful bird. Only stayed about 5 seconds and didn't actually feed but maybe now he's found us he will be back

I get loads of them Dr B they love sunflower hearts.

[Jilly]

I know I can alway count on OH to come up with good ideas when I want to do something in the garden, he built an improvised bird table at the weekend using the base & half the pole of the patio umbrella (well I needed a new one anyway i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd161/GWDAdmin1/Smilies/Default/smiley.gif ).
Managed to get to Homebase on Monday & got a seed feeder & a fat ball holder & a big bag of seed). It's probably a good thing that everywhere I go at the moment they've nearly sold out of bird food, must mean people are thinking of them in this weather.
Even at my office people are throwing all their sandwich crusts & toast crumbs out into the garden.

Jillyx

[Biggles]

I know this is ''A Bird Feeder/Tables" thread but can I ask What sort of Nesting Boxes do members recommend? and where would be the best place to buy one?

[Juliet]

Lots of info. about nestboxes here, Biggles: www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/index.asp
and here: www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/gardenwildlife/myspace/content.shtml?22

I don't have one (no suitable places to put one ) so can't recommend a particular one, but I know on wildlife programmes & in the RSPB mag etc they always say to get one which isn't treated with chemical preservatives (or paints) - untreated ones are best but water-based preservatives & paints are OK if they're just on the outside of the box. They also say to make sure you get one which you can take the lid or back off to clean, and to put it in a sheltered site, facing north-east (so the baby birds don't get baked or frozen).

[Juliet]

PS This is quite a good site for bird stuff: www.gardenbird.co.uk/Bird-Box/Nest-Boxes-and-Accessories,default,sc.html?viewAll - or you could try somewhere like Wiggly Wigglers: www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/index.html
The RSPB sell them too, but the last time we used their online shop the customer services were awful.

[JennyWrenn]

I had this same problem last year and wonder if it is the cats that roam my garden that put them off

I have three coconut fat balls - they havent been touched
One fat ball feeder - a few small birds peck at it
Two areas off the ground where I put bacon fat soaked bread - not touched
The bird table is full of Robin bird food - not touched

But where are the birds

[Cheerypeabrain]

They will come, don't worry...unless you have cats etc in the garden scaring them off...and atm they're so hungry I think they'd even brave the odd moggy.

Our fatballs were ignored for a while too, but once the local birds realised what they were and where they were they soon got eaten.

[carolann]

My bird table is in front of the living room window about 10 feet away and next to a holly tree, we have 3 cats which often sit outside on the window sill and I dont think they bother the birds as lots of them visit when they are out there just be patient Jen they will come, I have read that the table should be near a tree so that the birds can escape into it if need be.

[JennyWrenn]

Table is in fact just by a tree but not too close that the cats can sit in it

I made some lovely squares of bread dipped in bacon fat - they looked so nice I wanted to eat them

They appear to have been "pecked" at

[Dutchy]

Funny thing is that before the birds used to get as much as they could from the fat balls. Now they just peck a bit and leave them alone.
Could the industry that produces them be using lesser quality as it is by now some sort of thing every one buys. How do we know what are good and what are poor quality fat balls.
The birds might know though.

[Biggles]

Jan 13, 2010 23:04:08 GMT Juliet said:

Lots of info. about nestboxes here, Biggles: www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/nestboxes/index.asp
and here: www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/wildbritain/gardenwildlife/myspace/content.shtml?22

I don't have one (no suitable places to put one ) so can't recommend a particular one, but I know on wildlife programmes & in the RSPB mag etc they always say to get one which isn't treated with chemical preservatives (or paints) - untreated ones are best but water-based preservatives & paints are OK if they're just on the outside of the box. They also say to make sure you get one which you can take the lid or back off to clean, and to put it in a sheltered site, facing north-east (so the baby birds don't get baked or frozen).

Thanks Juliet for that information. It was very helpful-

[madonplants]

Jan 14, 2010 7:06:18 GMT JennyWrenn said:

I had this same problem last year and wonder if it is the cats that roam my garden that put them off

I have three coconut fat balls - they havent been touched
One fat ball feeder - a few small birds peck at it
Two areas off the ground where I put bacon fat soaked bread - not touched
The bird table is full of Robin bird food - not touched

But where are the birds

Do any of your neighbours put food out for the birds? If so, ask them what they put out and even what birds come to the feeders. Sunflower hearts always go down a treat and I'm sure Bill Oddie said, if you could only put one thing out, sunflower hearts is what you need. My fat balls are hardly getting touched here, yet in our last garden, 4 of the same variety wouldn't last a day, due to the Starlings we had. We hardly get any here, so I end up breaking up the fat balls and putting them on the feeding station. The Blue Tits, Great Tits and Robin come then.

[JennyWrenn]

I checked the coconut fat balls and they are not frozen which makes me wonder (thanks Dutchy) if there is anything in them that never used to be - antifreeze - just joking but something has been added am sure

Previously they would eat these as soon as I put them up and gone within a week

[Rosefriend]

I am having problems with my fat balls....well the birds are....as Dutchy said there was a time you couldn't put enough of them out but now all the birds do is peck at them really. I actually didn't feed them yesterday to see whether more of the birds would go for them but it wasn't the case - just a few blue tits.

I have put fresh ones out this morning and crumbled the others up - I did think they were frozen perhaps but they aren't....

If we are all noticing it, and in 3 different countries, it makes me wonder what is happening??

RF

[Jasmine]

Our birds love our fat balls and still seem to be able to manage them on days when in theory the balls should be frozen solid.

I have just topped up the feeders with niger seeds, fat balls, peanuts amd some black sunflower seeds which I have never bought before. Not sure if they should be in a feeder or scattered

[Ladygardener]

Jasmine I'd say the birds will find them anyhow, they do love them.
Fat balls not being eaten, now that's interesting. I have 4 in my container that have been there about 10 days from a new batch I bought and they're not touched. I wonder what's happening. Normally the Starlings are hanging there at all hours feeding from them but they're not interested. Perhaps they had enough during the very cold weather. Gosh I don't know but I find it very interesting that everyone seems to be noticing this.

[Juliet]

I bought some vegetarian ones once and the birds didn't think much of those either - I don't think it was the veggie-ness of them per se (after all, bluetits' natural diet doesn't include cows & does include things like sunflower seeds), but the fact that they were really solid - also as if they'd been frozen, or maybe it was just the type of fat that had been used to make them. I don't think it was veggie suet, because you can't really tell the difference between that and normal suet - I don't know what it was. In the end I broke them to pieces (took some doing - they were incredibly hard - I had to smash them up with a trowel) and put them on the ground and the starlings finished them. Eventually

My birds seem to turn their beaks up at everything but sunflower seeds though, so I have given up experimenting with other things (except for mealworms in the spring, when they're feeding babies). They don't eat peanuts, they're not keen on bits of fruit, and the goldfinches came and ate the sunflower seeds while the niger seeds I'd put out specially for them went mouldy

[Jasmine]

Do you soak the meal worms first Juliet or put them out dry? I picked up a bag today but wasn't sure about getting them.

[Juliet]

I get live ones, so they'd drown if I soaked them! ;D

I think the dried ones are fine put out unsoaked though, at least at this time of year - it might be an idea to soak them if you're putting them out in the spring, when the birds are feeding babies, as the babies don't drink - they rely on their food for moisture.

[Jasmine]

Oops

Might get some dry ones for now.