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Original poster

Please care about my birds!

58 replies

Bunnyhop1502 · 30/01/2019 16:11

I live in a noisy, built-up area where wildlife is nobodies concern. In the autumn I bought a few bird feeders and a little bath. Probably spent less than £20. Anyway I’ve been putting the food out and changing it regularly, keeping the bath clean and unfrozen but did not have a single birdy visitor until today! I’ve had a pair of great tits (yes I know), a robin and a fat woodpigeon stop off for lunch. I’m sadly thrilled about this! DH and DC aren’t interested so somebody please make a fuss!

OP posts:

ScafellPoke · 30/01/2019 16:13

Ah, I’ll care!... We live in a semi rural area and often grt chafinch, tits, a robin (who is my ds’s best friend apparently!) and starlings.... but they totally ravage the bird table.

ScafellPoke · 30/01/2019 16:13

Have you done the great british bird count?

luckythirteen · 30/01/2019 16:13

That's lovely OP, I'm sure you'll have more soon. We've just reinstated our feeder and my DC have made some lard/birdseed ball things, we are watching at the window eagerly!

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LIZS · 30/01/2019 16:14

Yeah! I love our bird visitors too.

Original poster

Bunnyhop1502 · 30/01/2019 16:16

Thank you guys! I appreciate your enthusiasm! I was thinking of helping the DC make those bird feeders out of old yogurt pots. They might show a bit of interest then. I’ve been hanging around the bird care aisles in my local garden centre wistfully wishing I was in the market for fancier food like berry logs or a bug suet cake. Literally rubbing my hands in glee at the thought

OP posts:

RavenLG · 30/01/2019 16:16

Aw that's lovely. I usually make fatcake things, but just noticed the feeders are empty when a robin landed on one and there was nothing there for the poor fella. We need new feeders ideally as we have some greedy squirrels too.

futuredayspast · 30/01/2019 16:16

Oh that's lovely!

I live in a quiet rural area and don't get much better than that at this time of year! Not helped by the fact that I live in a flat so my bird-related activity mainly involves peering through binoculars at the big trees in the park across the road.

There is supposedly a local population of red kites but they have yet to grace us with their presence.

Aprilshowersarecomingsoon · 30/01/2019 16:18

I regularly fill bird feeders with freshly groomed white Husky hair for nest making!!

AutumnCrow · 30/01/2019 16:18

I live in an urban setting and today we have blackbirds, tits, chiff chaffs and some very skittish corvids. And so, so many wood pigeons. And a lone gull I keep having to chase away.

I think it's brilliant.

Original poster

Bunnyhop1502 · 30/01/2019 16:19

Does anybody else get random parrots turning up?

OP posts:

Enb76 · 30/01/2019 16:22

Keep feeding them.

I used to get lots of birds to my feeders and then some issues meant I didn't feed them for 6 months and now they've gone and found other food sources. They are slowly coming back but it takes a while for the population who know about your feeders to build up.

I love watching them and more and more I'm making my garden into a wildlife haven.

BaronessBomburst · 30/01/2019 16:24

I love watching and feeding the birds!
I had a flock of redwing yesterday eyeing up my garden from the trees just outside, but they were too skittish and flew off.
Then this morning I spotted a gold crest in the fir tree in the front garden. I was looking down on him from the bedroom window so got a really good view.

needsleepzzz · 30/01/2019 16:25

I care! Good for you feeding them, usually once they find a food source they will keep coming back.
I have 12 feeders out in total (3 garden sides) and love watching the birds come and go.
My favourite are the long tailed tit's, just gorgeous!
I also get great tits, blue tits, coal tits, sparrows, robins, woodpecker, gold/green and chaffinch, tree creepers, nuthatch, pheasants, moorhens, sparrowhawks, dunnocks, song and mistle thrush, fieldfare and occasionally pied wagtails (i'm rural if you hadn't guessed :-D)
Bring on the birds!

needsleepzzz · 30/01/2019 16:26

Super jealous of the redwing and parrots! Not we get those where i am (North Yorkshire)

Whatsnewwithyou · 30/01/2019 16:26

That's lovely, I'm actually a little jealous! I wish we could have a bird feeder and birdbath but with our cat around it just wouldn't be fair. Enjoy them, OP!

SnugglySnerd · 30/01/2019 16:29

That's lovely and worth the wait. So important to feed the birds when it's cold. We also live in an urban area. It took about a year to get the first visitors to our feeders but then it was as if the word got out and we get loads now including 4 different sorts of tits, 3 types of finches and nuthatches. I hope your birds return and spread the word to their birdy friends!

Crappywife · 30/01/2019 16:30

Awww that’s lovely. I’ve moved to a new build and I’ve got one little wag tail that comes every day. In my old home I had all sorts of different beautiful birds that we fed. I’ve really missed it tbh so this little wag tail has given me some hope that I might get some more

jenthelibrarian · 30/01/2019 16:32

Parrots? Yep, we get the ring-necked parakeets in the summer.
I was thrilled at first but the novelty soon wore off, noisy and dirty things. They strip the fruit off the cherry trees and poop the pits all over our cars.

Earlier a very smart cock pheasant was standing outside my front door, we're on the edge of town, not very rural, I did try chucking him some bird food but it made him run away.

AutumnCrow · 30/01/2019 17:04

Are the parakeets mostly in London?

Mulberry72 · 30/01/2019 17:10

Ah that’s lovely OP, I love seeing the birds in our back garden, I don’t put food out though as we have four cats and (yes I know cats are natural hunters) it upsets me if I feathers all over the place when they get get a bird

Medjuel · 30/01/2019 17:16

I care! I live on edge of town and have bird feeders, love seeing them come to feed, brings the garden alive. Word will get around the bird population and you will soon have loads visiting.

Cleebope2 · 30/01/2019 17:22

I care too! I get so much simple enjoyment from watching groups of birds peck hungrily at the feeders in my front garden and in the morning I throw out loads of scraps of food on the grass. The birds wait on the telegraph wires for me to feed them. There are around 12 different types that visit regularly. I have a cat and I go out and chase them away when she gets out but fortunately she’s not much of a hunter. Try putting up bird boxes in the spring for some nests. My family think I’m cuckoo but I love them and worry about them in bad weather.

Soubriquet · 30/01/2019 17:23

I used to love putting things out for the birds...but my cat turned Hunter last year

She never bothered the year before but last year she started and it was awful. The worst was a parent robin and one of the chicks.

So now I don’t put food down

TonTonMacoute · 30/01/2019 18:34

I'm pleased for you OP . I love feeding the birds.

happysunr1se · 30/01/2019 19:53

Last spring/summer my DH heard a loud noise at the window and was shocked to see two small hawks fighting with each other in mid air and then falling/flying (while still locked together) into our living room window. He looked them up in a book, reckons they were hobbys.

I also saw a buzzard and a little egret in a local park and there's another very busy park nearby with a small lake and island which about a dozen grey herons live on.

I live in Croydon, we got loads've ringneck parakeets here too.

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