Why don't birds come to my bird table?!

[HamCob]

Wasn't sure where to post this so apologies if chat isn't the right place!

FIL made us a lovely bird table about 2 years ago.
I've placed it in various spots around the garden but it doesn't seem to attract any birds!
I've tried leaving it in each spot for a month or so - near trees, in the middle of the lawn, near the fence etc etc but to no avail.

I've made sure it's well stocked with seed, fat balls & nuts but apart from the odd wood pigeon, a greedy squirrel and one little robin they just don't come!

What am I doing wrong?

i've got my hanging bird feeders near trees but away from fence (cats can sit on them) which they seem to like. it took them a few weeks to find it. Are there many birds around your garden.....we live near a wood so there are loads. dont think middle of lawn is good as they like a bit of cover near for safety. if there arent many birds around this maybe the issue?

Maybe they don't know it's there. Try sprinkling so seed on the ground around the base of the feeder. We had a feeder which the birds ignored, but we accidentally dropped some seed on the ground and it attracted lots of birds, and they noticed the feeder.

I feel your pain.

We had a small tree I used to hang bird feeders on. Birds quite happily fed from there.

We cut it down earlier this year due to re-vamping the garden and I got a lovely bird table. Put in same place as tree, and bird hangers were at same height. Very few takers. Decided it was the cheap bird feed, so splashed out on better quality bird food. Plus got squirrel proof bird feeder. Still don’t get the number and variety of birds and they don’t seemed to like the new feeder either (not in picture).Now moved bird table in middle of garden, partly to deter squirrels. No luck. Well fed squirrels, and very few birds.

Looks pretty in the snow though.

When it was near the trees did you hang any feeders in the branches? In my experience birds prefer the cover that branches give them from predators.

I have a tree and a bird feeder within 1 metre of each other. The birds only eat from the feeders hanging in the tree.

We live about 2 minutes from a large wood/park/nature reserve so plenty of wildlife locally, though there are quite a few buzzards around don't know if they would scare smaller birds away?

Good idea about handing feeders from tree branches. We only have one tree in our garden so will try moving it closer and putting some feeders on the branches.

@bloodywhitecat

When it was near the trees did you hang any feeders in the branches? In my experience birds prefer the cover that branches give them from predators.

I’m gutted if that’s the case. I only let the menfolk of the house cut the tree down, providing I could buy myself a nice bird table. I now have a nice bird table, but no birds. I’m hoping the snow will entice them in. In the past we’ve had jays visiting in the snow, which we don’t get the rest of the year.

I have the same problem OP. I have feeders filled with fat balls, peanuts and blue tit/robin seeds as well as some fat filled coconut shells next to my shed which is next to a big tree Although I occasionally have had a robin there, and a few sparrows they seem to have been put off by some bloody starlings going for the coconut shells. On the front of the house I hung a feeder right near the front door, nowhere near a tree and have to fill it twice a week! Thats mainly sparrows tbh with the occasional blackbird.

I have seen blue tits and a beautiful yellow bird in my back garden but they don't use the feeders! Any tips welcomed!

dont forget that birds also need water to drink/bath in. it took them quite a while to find my new bird bath.

We have hanging feeders on the fence and a bird table on the patio, they prefer the hanging feeders and only go on the table when the hanging feeders are already being used.

Robins won't use the hanging feeders so keep putting food for them on the bird table. Put different food for sparrows and blue tits in the hanging feeders (seeds or peanuts - but not peanuts once it's nesting season in the spring) and hopefully they will come.

I don't think it will be buzzards scaring the little birds off, we have buzzards nesting within 200m and they often sit in the big tree at the back of the photo. We filled these feeders at 10am, the blue tits have virtually emptied them already.

I have two coconut fat filled feeders hanging off nails on a fence which the blue tits love. But if they get empty and I don't replace them straight away, it takes the birds a while to remember/notice the feeders have been replaced. The fence has trees at the back of it and the blue tits fly in and out from there.

Gold finches eat from the niger seed holders.

I want a bird table!

I agree with spreading some bird feed around. Bird word gets around. Mind you, I have another feeder that none of them are interested in - probably wrong situation (other side of garden and not near trees).

The blue tits are lightweight and happy to perch on the edge of the coconut.

I have a little wren that visits - it flits onto another fence and off again but doesn't feed. What do wrens eat?

Wrens mainly eat insects I think, they will sometimes take seeds and peanut granules. Maybe try some mealworms scattered on the ground?

My DF is helping me with my similar problem as he has a wonderful selection of birds to his feeders.
He has a big stone at ground level with certain bits of seeds and porridge on. Then he has a bird bath nearby. His hanging feeders have the bird seed mix in one and peanuts in another. He also has those cages with the squat fat blocks.
He said you need all that for different types of birds as they all prefer different food and different feeding locations.
So far I just have the fat balls and a hanging flat wooden thing where I put seed and mealworms. I have had a massive pigeon and a Robin comes daily
I do think it takes a while for them to get to know a new feeding area.

I get absolutely tonnes of birds in my tiny garden (despite having cats and all my neighbours having cats too), as there's loads of places for the birds to perch and observe. They all seem to sit on the fences/branches/shrubs for a bit before dropping onto the feeders or the seeds scattered on the top of my woodstore.

Does anyone have trouble with squirrels. I actipually think they’re cute, but dh detests then (‘rodents’, ‘vermin’)

The last time I refilled a feeder hanging from a tree I fell and broke my hip so as I'm disabled anyway I've given up with feeders and throw their food out onto the patio. It disappears pretty quickly so I don't think the birds mind.

It might just be a matter of time?

I got a bird table last spring and apart from the bloody wood pigeons it did seem to take them several months to get used to it. They are starting to come now though. A pair of blackbirds were there today and the seed and fat balls I put out have started to get eaten.

I suppose it hasn’t helped that I have a cocker spaniel who likes to run barking at anything that enters the garden if she is outside. Only the wood pigeons were blasé about her, but wood pigeons can be such idiots anyway.

our garden has exploded with birds this morning i was treated to an exquisite thrush then a blackbird....followed by a charm of gold finches - flying next door = collared doves, blue tits galore, a black cap....wood pigeons and a robin - feeding in the air from a fat feeder

i've put my feeders in my apple tree, attached to the branches. We're rural, close to fields, and I have established hedges all around the garden that the birds can dive into if they are alarmed.

I've had loads of birds come down to them the last couple months. More than I expected and more varieties than I expected. The blackbirds and fieldfares have enjoyed the windfall apples that were left on the ground around the tree. The feeders get sparrows along with blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits. I also get a robin come down although he doesn't use the feeders. At one point I had about fifteen blackbirds in the garden at a time but they seem to be dwindling now as the windfall is becoming depleted.

We also have a pair of buzzards locally which often hover over the field next to the garden.

It's lovely to watch them - although the day I had all the blackbirds in the tree by my window at once reminded me a little of the film 'The Birds'!

Interesting thread. I would love to have bird feeders and a table but am put off my friends who have ended up with rats and mice as a result. Is this inevitable? Tips to avoid?

I don't really have a problem with rats or mice being in the gardens, it's their world too! I've never seen any rats, but there are definitely mice as my cats are always bringing me gifts of them :(

But I am in the countryside, so there are birds, bats, badgers and all sorts. I just let them get on with it and carry on feeding the birds.

Are you using sunflower hearts in any of your feeders? My dad recommended them to us, and they are the only thing that attracts birds to our garden. No amount of bird seed or fat balls worked. It’s expensive, but we get lots of birds now - tits, robins, goldfinch, dunnock etc

I joined a similar thread here a few months ago and was recommended sunflower seeds. It's transformed the garden, which is now full of small birds feasting and I have to fill up the feeder every couple of days. Highly recommend sunflower seeds.

Getting birds in seems hit and miss.

My DH is hugely into attracting wild birds (to the extent we're not 'allowed a 🐈 cat)...

We've had 4 gardens, all within 3 Mike's of each other, none wildly different from each other.

The first was an estate with woodland nearby; loads of small birds.

The second had a big garden mainly lawned but with a couple of biggish apple trees; but was open to a field. The little birds were shy, mainly early morning visitors.

Third was an estate, close to dense woodland, but the garden was small and overlooked. Pigeons and crows only.

Final is 700m away, same estate, and we're getting loads of birds. Not a huge amount of exotica; yes, pigeons and crows, too; but the fatball and peanut holders usually have at least a couple of birds on them; sometimes dozens!

I can't really explain differences!