Encouraging birds to your lottie

[dexterdoglancashire]

I've read in a few books/booklets etc that you can encourage the birds to your lottie by putting out a couple of feeders etc. As a bird lover, and encourage all types of birds into my front garden I love this idea.
However, I've also read that birds can, of course, pinch your fruit when in season.
What does everyone think? Is it a good idea to encourage the birds to your lottie, or is it a bad idea? Dexterdog

[shirlthegirl43]

Since I only have a garden plot and no lottie and therefore not relying on what I grow (just as well as we would have starved last year with my experiments) - I would encourage birds if you like to watch them.

I put out feeders in the evening when I bring the cat in for the night and don't fill them till the next evening. I love watching the birds and they make up for the rotten weather - wouldn't grudge them the odd perk from the garden either!

Guess it is mostly a personal preference thing. Also, I think birds get rid of some pests don't they?

[Snadger]

I alway find that the scemmy pigeons move in for a free feed and use your brassicas for desert!

[rustylady]

Depends on the birds! Certain way to attract pigeons is to plant cabbages!!

Seriously, though, small birds like bluetits and sparrows will eat aphids, and they can be encouraged by hanging peanut and seed feeders. Most allotment sites are surrounded by mature hedges or fields, so you will have a bird population anyway, and I've found that if you're digging and then sit down for a rest you will soon find blackbirds or robins looking for grubs in the newly turned soil. On the whole, apart from aforesaid pigeons, birds do little harm and much good, and they're fun to watch

[dexterdoglancashire]

That's how I started Shirley, then got my lottie a couple of weeks ago. There are lots of birds flying around the site, but I wondered if any neighbours might not like me encouraging the birdies. (Not sure if anyone has fruits in their lotties yet - need to check). But yes, I love watching the birds in my front garden. Dexterdog

[dexterdoglancashire]

I alway find that the scemmy pigeons move in for a free feed and use your brassicas for desert!

My brassicas, if you remember rightly, never even got that chance! the horrible cabbage whites got there first! Dexterdog

[Snadger]

Depends on the birds! Certain way to attract pigeons is to plant cabbages!!

Seriously, though, small birds like bluetits and sparrows will eat aphids, and they can be encouraged by hanging peanut and seed feeders. Most allotment sites are surrounded by mature hedges or fields, so you will have a bird population anyway, and I've found that if you're digging and then sit down for a rest you will soon find blackbirds or robins looking for grubs in the newly turned soil. On the whole, apart from aforesaid pigeons, birds do little harm and much good, and they're fun to watch

Great minds!

[Snadger]

My brassicas, if you remember rightly, never even got that chance! the horrible cabbage whites got there first! Dexterdog

In that case DDl you need to encourage the lesser spotted cabbage white butterfly munching bird! Lol

[JennieAtkinson]

I love seeing the birds around DDL, but we have problems with starlings here. LOADS of them. They scare off all the other birds and are really destructive. BUT I try and live with them and use as much as I can to scare them off. I found large water bottles on the tops of canes quite good last year. Just makes enough of a rattling noise to keep them away. But then we've always got wind up here (ok Nick - I'll just wait for the comment!)

[rustylady]

In that case DDl you need to encourage the lesser spotted cabbage white butterfly munching bird! Lol

Snadger, this year I'm covering my cabbages with very fine mesh netting to stop the **** cabbage whites - between them and the pigeons I didn't have much of a crop this year - However, purple sprouting broccoli is looking good at the mo

[rustylady]

I love seeing the birds around DDL, but we have problems with starlings here. LOADS of them. They scare off all the other birds and are really destructive. BUT I try and live with them and use as much as I can to scare them off. I found large water bottles on the tops of canes quite good last year. Just makes enough of a rattling noise to keep them away. But then we've always got wind up here (ok Nick - I'll just wait for the comment!)

Jennie, if you actually spend some time watching the starlings you will find that they spend more time arguing amongst themselves than they do eating anything. They occasionally come into my garden for the peanut feeders and the fatballs, they can be hilarious, chasing each other off, but they don't seem to upset the other birds, and the patterns they make in the sky in the early evening when going to roost are something else!

[dexterdoglancashire]

In that case DDl you need to encourage the lesser spotted cabbage white butterfly munching bird! Lol

Not sure if I've heard of that one Snadger! Can you post me a detailed description so I can keep my eyes and ears open for it? many thanks for the advice! LOL! Dexterdog

[dexterdoglancashire]

Snadger, this year I'm covering my cabbages with very fine mesh netting to stop the **** cabbage whites - between them and the pigeons I didn't have much of a crop this year - However, purple sprouting broccoli is looking good at the mo

Hi RL - despite I said I wasnt going to grow brassicas this year, now Ive got my lottie Ive changed my mind! They will be covered, and I mean WELL covered with netting from day one, then if anything does eat them, well then it had better watch out! Dexterdog

[dexterdoglancashire]

Rl - did you see the bit on was it Springwatch, or Birding with Bill Oddie where he shows the thousands and thousands of starlings in the beautiful patterns in the sky? I think its now used as part of an advert for larger. It's my FAVE piece of TV! Dexterdog

[rustylady]

Hi RL - despite I said I wasnt going to grow brassicas this year, now Ive got my lottie Ive changed my mind! They will be covered, and I mean WELL covered with netting from day one, then if anything does eat them, well then it had better watch out! Dexterdog

DDL, sometimes I feel that I need to spend all my time at the lottie watching for pests and predators (however, no can do due to having to work). Like you, I've vowed never to bother again with certain crops, but faith and hope keep rearing their ugly heads and I keep trying - I think that most gardeners are optimists (I hope so anyway). Sometimes things do well, and sometimes they don't, but when you get a good crop of anything fresh from the lottie it makes it all worthwhile - beats buying at Tesco!