garden birds

[mypropertea]

I want to encourage the smaller song birds in my front garden. Not mr pidgin, magpie or crow particularly but I guess they may rock up. In the past I have had a few bird feeders filled with small seeds, fat balls and peanuts. Unfortunately no birds were even slightly interested!

What am I doing wrong? I know there are birds as I see them eating the green fly off my roses.

Any help appreciated. Thank you.

[traviata]

Try a different location. Maybe the feeders are too exposed, or alternatively they are near a place where a cat can easily reach them?

I read that you may need to leave them in place for a few weeks before the birds catch on to them.

[Sanchar]

You need the right fat balls. My birds won't touch the ones you buy in bulk in little nets but will demolish a Harrison's suet roll in a few hours.

Goldfinches will only use my nyger seed feeder and all the birds go crazy when I mix mealworms and sunflower hearts in a feeder.

Seeds and peanuts are also ignored in my garden.

[VertiginousOust]

Yy to fat ball type. My birds love suet pellets (they're an rspb branded one) which you can put in a peanut feeder. They also devour peanuts as well. And I make homemade feed by mixing melted lard with oats and some seed and that is very popular if the squirrel leaves them some. We're lucky enough to have a pair of woodpeckers and the lard/oat mix is their favourite.

[MarklahMarklah]

I've got four different feeder locations. One is close to a fairly 'open-structured bush, and has fat sticks, fat block, mixed seed & niger seed. (so far the goldfinches have ignored the latter).

At the end of the garden close to a thick privet I have a single seed feeder.

Hanging on the washing line pole I have a metal peanut feeder which the squirrel often helps itself from.

I've just put another peanut feeder in a very prickly bush (injuring my arm slightly) for the smaller birds.

I had to move the items on the main feeder about a bit so that the pigeon can't land on anything. Can't stop the starlings though. They're so clever & agile, I think they deserve it!

[Sanchar]

God, the starlings! They're eating me out of house and home! I think I must've spent a fortune on suet rolls over the last few months, they get through 3 a day! I don't mind though as they are bringing their babies and I love watching them sitting on the lawn with their mouths open while ma n pa stuff suet down its gullet🐣🐦🐦