Feeding wild birds in the garden

[burnie]

Just some thoughts of what I am doing and why.
I have stopped buying "bird seed" as I am unhappy with the amount of waste seed that the birds are actually throwing on the floor, they clearly don't like it.
I now only put out Niger seed for the finches, peanuts and sunflowers seeds/hearts as there seems to be much less waste. I also have fat balls/slabs and add some wind fall apples on the ground for the blackbirds and robins. A supply of water and that's about it.

[Jungle Jane]

Ive noticed seed waste on the ground,I think worms eat some of it,there was a lot of worms amongst it when I was digging the seed mix soil over earlier in the year but I don’t know. In the area where I put mealworms & suet bits on the grass,the mud looked disturbed like the worms have come up to eat but I haven’t seen them,it’s just what I’m wondering. Birds might be meaning to feed the worms to fatten them up for them to eat

[veggiechicken]

I stopped feeding seed and peanuts a couple of years ago because of the scatter which was attracting rats. The chooks had to be brought in to clear it up - not that they minded.
Now I buy fat logs/balls that are in wire enclosures. Fallen apples stay on the ground and I'm hoping that the goldfinches will come back to feed on the verbena seed heads overwinter - as they did last year.

[Bren In Pots]

We have a fair few Teasels in the garden the Gold finches love them other than that its fat balls and apples that I've had in the freezer.

[Greenleaves]

We don't feed in the garden because of visitors from the neighbouring woods. I do however feed them over the plots, mainly fat logs and pinkies (small maggots)

[Scarlet]

I did stop feeding them seed because of the unwelcome visitors - squirrels as well as rats.
I never use fat balls because the starlings come in droves and they are gone in an hour or so.
Though last year I started buying seed again. I miss seeing the birds on the table. I only use sunflower hearts, it is expensive but there's little mess.

[mothhawk]

I've just recently cut down from two sunflower heart feeders to one, and replaced the other with two suet feeders. So many goldfinches were coming to the sunflowers ( as many as three dozen at a time) that the other little birds such as willow and blue tits were too intimidated to come. Plus the goldfinch flock attracted the attention of two sparrowhawks who have snatched at least two that I have seen.

Now there is only room for four to feed at a time they squabble more and come in much smaller groups, and the robin and tits are beginning to come to the suet feeders. Wood pigeons scoff any bits that fall to the ground.

Any apple cores I have are chucked onto the garden for the blackbirds, and the dunnocks appreciate the fine crumbs from the breadboard and biscuit tin.

[4Shoes]

We buy the high energy feeds. The birds continue to self select the best food and throw the remainder away, so the get a feeder full and then have to eat up what is on the floor before it is filled again (unless there is snow cover.)


Fat balls and pea nuts in other area of garden.

[Kirk]

Feed them sunflower hearts and peanut bits and that is it.
Find they ignore the sunflower hearts unless mixed with the peanut bits, bit odd.

Get mine loose so it is usually 2 or 3 part peanuts to 1 part sunflower hearts.

Need to build a new feeder for them soon. First need to check out the jigsaw for an internal cut for the design I use.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I feed the blackbirds on purpose and starlings are self service. I put out suet pellets with mealworms and the blackbirds love them but once the starlings appear, the pellets are soon gone. I also put out halved apples which the blackbirds also love but the starlings ignore.

[burnie]

Someone on tv reckoned Starlings are in decline, not noticed it around here, we seem to have more not less. Showed my 7 year old grandson a small murmeration recently, he was amazed.

[bikermike]

reminds me, the hungry little things have eaten most of the stuff I put out last weekend (seeds and peanuts), need to top up (and sort out the fatball feeder).

Does it annoy anyone else when they fight over the stuff and chase each other off? I keep wanting to go out and make them wait their turn... Bluetits and Coaltits seem to be the worst offenders.

[DannyK]

Don't forget feeding with plants.

I purposely didn't prune the enormous ivy on the fence. Loads of wood pigeons and blackbirds.

Callicarpa Profusion full of berries. Just seen first blackcap. Try to discourage other birds as only time we see blackcaps is on this shrub.

Also have two feeders for sunflower hearts which are about £21 for 20kg on Ebay. Gave up on peanuts as squirrels kept breaking wire mesh and feeders gradually had to be shortened.

Have got to arrange a baffle to stop squirrels and rats. Other problems are parakeets and feral pigeons that have learned to flap and hang on. Magpies seem to use same technique next door

[Small pumpkin]

When I cut down my sunflowers down I tied the heads to the pear tree (bird feeding station). All the seeds disappeared. They were enjoyed by the birds or I'll have a massive sunflower invasion in the orchard next year. Either way it's good.
Today I made some fat ball to hang in the tree tomorrow.

[burnie]

Just an update now that the breeding season is upon us, don't put out whole peanuts as the adults will try to give them to the young which will choke them to death, same goes with chunks of bread. If these items are in a feeder and have to be broken up by the adult, then that is fine. I tend not to feed the birds once the frosts are over, probably at the beginning of April up here.