Bird Feeders + Seed

[harveymt]

I want to get some feeders for the garden and food. Vast array of different things. I think I have settled on a ground feeder on which will go seeds, raisins, sultanas and meal worms, nothing too big that would choke a bird. One peanut feeder and one of those window feeders also full of seed. No fat balls at this time of year.

Seed wise I'll just get a bulk amount of a mix of seeds from eBay.

Once I've fed the birds a while I may have to mix up what I'm feeding them based on what they eat/don't eat.

Does that sound about right?

[Jeanied]

It will all depend on which birds you want to attract, Harvey. I currently have starlings eating dried mealworms in a little tray on the feeder and fat balls hanging in cages. Then they are eating the pink suet strands (these are really popular) and the goldfinches and greenfinches are going for the sunflower hearts all in hanging feeders. I also have a few goldfinches which prefer the black nyger feeder. The robins eat from the tray or from the ground, as do the dunnocks and doves. The great tits and blue tits seem to go for all of them, depending on how they feel
I only have a tiny garden too

[Knight of Albion]

I want to get some feeders for the garden and food. Vast array of different things. I think I have settled on a ground feeder on which will go seeds, raisins, sultanas and meal worms, nothing too big that would choke a bird. One peanut feeder and one of those window feeders also full of seed. No fat balls at this time of year.

Seed wise I'll just get a bulk amount of a mix of seeds from eBay.

Once I've fed the birds a while I may have to mix up what I'm feeding them based on what they eat/don't eat.

Does that sound about right?

Good for you, Harvey.

You've got a good mix of foods there and certainly that will attract a broad spectrum of bird species.

To be honest, at this time of year soaked wholemeal bread will be as appreciated as much as anything. A good food for fledglings, especially in hot weather. That's the only thing I'd add.

Other than that, I'd say you've got everything covered.

NB: 'Nothing too big'.... Well done. Very thoughtful and responsible of you.

[AllInContainers]

I've just taken my bird feeder out. Dropped seeds were germinating in unwanted places, and they were rather messy with the fat balls too. Neither was I happy about them decimating my wall trough liners. They still seem to enjoy coming in and picking at the crawlies and slimies which I'm quite happy about though Another important thing for encouraging birds is a water source

[Bren In Pots]

Ground feeders are fine so long as you don't have rats

Yesterday while cleaning my upstairs windows I watched two rats on next doors patio going from under their shed to the feeder and back again.

[dogsbody]

My ground feeder also gets visited by the neighbourhood fox

[RaptorUK]

Ground feeders are fine so long as you don't have rats

Was just about to write the same thing . . . and if there are rats nearby even a hanging feeder + cage won't always stop them, I know from direct experience.

Get a tray for a hanging feeder to catch the stuff the birds don't like/want . . . yes they do cherry pick and will pick out the stuff they aren't keen on to get to what they do want. At least of you catch it in a tray you can recycle it.

We have been feeding the birds for many years and buy approx 35kg of "food" at a time . . . mainly for House Sparrows but we also get Tits - Blue, Great & Coal. We started with mixed seed and had lots of wastage and eventually switched to a cleaner mix which had Sunflower seed hearts . . . but even that got messy. We now feed mixed suet pellets + 25% sunflower hearts + 7% dried mealworms. We mix 5kg batches at a time . . .

On the outside of the cage I have a fat ball holder cable tied on just for Bob . . . our resident Blackbird

We also have a thistle feeder at the end of the garden which gets visits occasionally from Goldfinches.