Wild Birds

[Salina]

Does anyone on here feed the wild birds?
I have just moved to a rental for the next year which has a really bare garden, at home we have a lovely garden with high hedges and trees all around, full of birds! can't wait to get back home actually lol. I'm not too fussed about feeding them at home though since the neighbour feeds them anyway, so I really only feed them so they will visit the garden but they don't need it, but here none of the neighbours have food out for them so I'm going to try and buy a proper bird table since I don't think the landlady/lord would appreciate me knocking an old fence post into the fancy lawn like I do at home lol! :P

so I'm going to put out peanuts in the peanut feeder, small mixed seeds in the plastic feeder with the hole on the bottom of it and hang up some fat balls, and maybe put out some suet trays. I always throw out the other food scraps that aren't suitable for the dogs for the big birds like crows, rooks, magpies, hooded crows and jackdaws, haven't seen many around here yet but hopefully the food will attract them lol.

also, has anyone got any tips for attracting other wildlife like hedgehogs? Most of the land around here is for growing crops (arable?) so I figured there would be more wildlife around, I suppose lol. I found what I think is a dead vole and seen a few rats anyway if that counts *rolls eyes* lol!

[Alice]

Yes Salina, I feed the birds and am richly rewarded with the great variety I have. But they need more than food - don't forget about water, suitable nesting sites and shelter.
Before you set out to attract Magpies and crows, remember that in the breeding season they make their living by robbing eggs and chicks from smaller birds nests - I do all I can not to attract them.
For hedgehogs and the like, the best thing you can do is leave an undisturbed area whrere they can breed and make their nests from the dried grasses and leaves lying around. Good luck with the quest.

[scarey55]

We feed wild birds all year round here in France to great effect - surprisingly though they don't seem to sell peanuts for birds here so last trip to UK we bought a whole sack - must think we are mad here.

CJ wildbird foods sell special hedgehog food which smells horrid but seems to go down well with the hedgehogs. Also, cat food is supposed to be OK for them and, since they eat slugs they are a boon for the gardener (they are probably all hibernating now though)

When I was in UK, I used to buy T@s~o value sultanas - special fave of blackbirds. In my experience, it takes birds a little while for them to trust a new food source but, once they do....

[daineal]

We've been trying all different sorts of bird food with not much luck really. Put up hanging bird feeders but the birds don't seem to like them too much. Will be putting up a bird table soon, hopefully that'll get a better result.

[scared55]

You need to give them a few weeks for them to recognise a new food source as safe. When we first started feeding birds in the UK no-one came for a few weeks, but in the next year we were feeding 22 species. The list we are currently feeding here is at http://www.beaugut.com/wildlife.html#birds under Passeriformes and Piciformes

KK

[Flummery]

Mr Flum and I with a few friends, spent yesterday organising a village activity to help the Brownies make bird boxes (pre-cut and nail-holes drilled by Himself and our farmer friend) and hanging bird-cake feeders. These were made with empty yoghurt pots with a small hole in the bottom, string threaded through and knotted on the inside, then stuffed with a mixture the children LOVED making. A bit of lard in a bowl and then squish by hand as many seeds and raisins as you can make stick. Pop it in the fridge for an hour or so then hang it from a tree in your garden.

We feed the birds here and 'Wendy' the blackbird sits on the back step waiting for me in the morning. It's a real joy when she brings the chicks - 3 broods this year. She will happily come into the kitchen of you don't shoo her off.

[rustylady]

Don't forget that as well as food, birds need some of cover or place to land in transit where they feel safe. A mature garden with shrubs and trees is obviously ideal, but failing that site the bird table near to a lowish roof if you can (shed, maybe).

I never put out meat scraps or bones, they encourage vermin.

[MrsC]

i have lots of birds in my garden, squirrel, hedgehog, frogs, dragonflys, loads of wildlife. I always put out scraps for the birds, have a few mature trees for them to nest in and lots of woodland type hidey holes for the hedgehog, its nice to see them. i do tend to rake up the leaves in autumn and stick at the back of flower beds to rot down, this seems to attract quite a bit of wildlife.

[Two_Sheds]

we only get sparrows, blue tits, great tits, woodpigeon, collared doves and blackbirds ... oh, and a sparrowhawk dropped in for a look the other day, which was special. Hope he was hunting the cat next door

[Birdie Wife]

Some advice from the experts!

Generally speaking, the wild birds can take up to a couple of weeks to find a new food source, but once they're there, they'll stay as long as the source is reliable. It's lovely to watch them chowing down, and this time of year is the perfect time to start if you haven't already.

[scared55]

we only get sparrows, blue tits, great tits, woodpigeon, collared doves and blackbirds ... oh, and a sparrowhawk dropped in for a look the other day, which was special. Hope he was hunting the cat next door

Sparrowhawks don't hunt cats.

Cats, however, do kill sparrowhawks alongwith anything else small enough that moves.

KK

[nick the grief]

Yep I feed the lilttle buggers they cost me an arm and a leg these days since I had to move the feeders to the bottom of the garden.

The list isn't very exotic at the moment but I'm hoping the change in weather will bring a few more in.