Don't Forget the Birds.

[Two_Sheds]

^ that would make sense.
Another surprising NO-NO is "porridge oats must never be cooked, since this makes them glutinous and could harden around a bird's beak. "
Instead give dry porridge oats.

[jogette]

Today, the menu was risotto ( sadly no one in my family likes it) that I cooked up with some continental lentils and raisins. The fat off the ham joint was cut up small and put out. For dessert there was bread and jam or crumbled rich tea biscuits. Apples cut in half went down well with the blackbirds and a jar of cherries went out too and disappeared within minutes.
The problem I now have is that so many birds are coming to eat that they are becoming territorial and fighting. Saw 6 robins (including my poor little guy who is soldiering on) and about the same amount of male blackbirds so a lot of hassle - why don't they just get on with the business of surviving the cold and save that until the weather improves?

[rustylady]

Just spotted a fieldfare in the garden with the rest of the gang. Had to google to make sure - it's the first one I've seen.

[rustylady]

i cant imagine how these birds are so punctual, but they have made me punctual too...

Once they get used to you putting food out, they will even come and tap on the windows if you've forgotten or been a bit late!!

[danmon_81]

I've just bought a bird table, laden it with seeds and bread, hopefully we'll get more birds in the garden.....but at the minute, even pre-table we dont seem to get that many birds....about 100 mtrs from us is a conservation spot that has feeding stations...maybe they are happy there?

Any tips?

[Sanjo]

Hi Flum,

Do you just let it cool and put it in a tub or bowl?

Like Flum I melt the fat (either lard or fat that will go very HARD. Turkey/chicken fat stays soft)
I batch made spaghetti bolognese at the weekend and I always strain off any fat and liquid. Once it goes hard I remove the fat, replacing the jelly back into the batch cook. Despite the fact that it was advertised as reduced fat I got a 2" collar of hard fat which was mixed in with bread/biscuit crumbs, raisins and seeds.
I saved one of those black cooked meat trays (the shallow ones) and while it was still warm I pressed the mixture in. Using a plastic sandwich bag on my hand I pressed the mixture down very firmly. It makes a good substitute for the flat cakes you buy for the hanging flat baskets.
Still with my hand in the bag, I scoop up a couple of tablespoons of the mix, remove my hand and then twist the neck of the bag, squeezing out the excess air, so that I form a ball. I then gently tip this out onto a tray and leave them to go hard. Repeat until all the mixture is used.
This explanation seems very involved but it's simple really. (Just not very well explained!!).

[Torreya]

Just an idea, saw Al Titch on tv the other day. To stop water freezing up, put a nightlight (candle) under an upturned clay pot with a pottery (i.e. NOT plastic or flammable/meltable) dish of water on top, the v. small amount of heat generated is enough to keep the liquid....liquid!!
Another tip is for the woodpeckers. We are lucky enough to have the green and spotted varieties and both LOVE peanut butter! I buy the cheapest poss whenever I see it and pack it into holes drilled in some short lengths of branches which I then try and hang out of the way of the bushy-tailed rats.

[Nicos]

Another tip is for the woodpeckers. We are lucky enough to have the green and spotted varieties and both LOVE peanut butter! I buy the cheapest poss whenever I see it and pack it into holes drilled in some short lengths of branches which I then try and hang out of the way of the bushy-tailed rats.

What a brill idea!...(...is the salt OK for them???)

We've fed the birds throughout the snowy spell- almost 4 weeks, and now the snows have gone, they're still coming back for more!!...fantastic!

[Bex]

I bought a bird feeder station for the allotment and I've been making sure its topped up. Although being at the allotment the water is difficult.

I'd like to make my own fat balls with seed and lard but what do you use for a mold? Would a yoghurt pot do it?