Mumsnet Talk

I have a longish bird feeder and want to hang it near the window so that my dad can see the birds.
What is the best feed to encourage the small brightly coloured birds like blue tits?
What is the best way to hang it near the window to give the birds room to get to the feeder and not shit on the window but be close enough for a partially sighted person to see?

Also if I just hang it there how do the birds get to know it is there? Has anyone any experience of these?

What kind of a bird feeder is it? Is it one of those that hangs from a pole? And is it squirrel-proof?

Generally, I think that if you hang it, the birds will come, but you may have to reconcile yourself to messy windows. In my experience, the biggest problem is cats - if you have lots of cats in the neighbourhood, it's hard to entice birds in, however lovely the food you offer.

If there is no tree to hang it from, then usually from a bird table or [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-Complete-Feeding-Station-Feeders/dp/B002M2RR5A/ref=sr_1_1?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1359498288&sr=1-1 bird-pole feeder]] although that one linked is quite a busy one.

The birds can take a little while to discover it, but within a week he should have tits and robins coming to feed.

Sunflower seeds are best for a blue tit/ great it. Be patient it takes a good 6 months for them to come regularly.
Put our pole by the living room window about a year ago, we get its if visitors now.

trying again

We bought my fil one this year that you secure onto a wall of a house.
The feeders or fat balls then hang off it so you could secure it to the wall near his window.
We bought it from a local garden centre, but I should think any outdoor wall bracket would fit the bill.

Sorry to hijacking the the thread but I have a question too

Would it be cruel of me to get a feeder that sticks to the window?
Do they get hurt easily by flying into the window?

The reason I was thinking there was because I have a huge pussy willow in my garden that does attract the birds but it also then attracts the neighbourhood cats. If I put the bird the feeder on DS's window they will see it from the tree and no cats can get to them.

What do you think?

They don't always stick very well and the birds make an absolute mess of your windows.

And sills and anything below!

schmaltzingmatilda (Wonderful name. People have such quirky online names it makes me laugh) That pole feeder looks good- is it cat and squirrel proof do you think?

Incognito my question exactly. Will be interested in answers.

our feeder is right next to the window. Yes the birds sometimes fly into the window. RSPB says that its ok because they are slowing down to land or just taking off so not going too fast to hurt themselves.
Yy to the mess on the window though

I don't care about mess I can clean it up wouldn't bother me. I'll find a way of making it stick if it keeps falling off

I find sunflower seed hearts are the best - they look hideously expensive but the birds actually eat them, don't throw husks around and don't pick out all the seed they don't like and throw it on the ground where it germinates and grows bizarre weeds. And the RSPB big fat log things are good too.

Key is consistency - fill it up and keep it full.

Soar Mill seeds and CJ Wildbird are both good online suppliers of kit.

I got one of those window feeders and despite having loads of birds to our garden, not one bugger ever ate from it. I don't think they liked coming close to our house as feeders on a tree next to our house weren't popular, but feeders on an apple tree near the back are well visited. I use binoculars to see the birds better!

Peanuts are a favourite with my birds (whole ones are for winter only as baby birds can choke). Fat balls not so much, but they adore those big cylindrical fat cakes you hang up that you can buy in Adsa.

By the way, if you do put food out, it'll be studiously ignored for a long time before they've sussed the lie of the land.

I'm concerned that the fat balls might be ...erm....horsey or some such, so will stick to sunflower seeds esp as if they fall off and germinate I wont mind too much. Thank you