Neighbours & bird feeders

[Londonlassie12]

I would love to hang a couple of bird feeders on our fence but DH thinks this will annoy the neighbours? We are not on speaking terms... I can't see it being an issue... So mumsnetters can you tell me if you have ever had issues with neighbours feeding the birds?

I've always fed the birds and no one has ever complained to me. I have 4 feeders in the front garden and a bird table plus 6 hanging feeders in the back garden

They might not like the dropped bird foods and the resulting mice and rats. Or bird shit drips on the fence. Or bird song.

I love bird song but some people are weird 😁

A bird feeder might be better in the middle of your garden rather than on a shared fence.

Yes my neighbour got annoyed as the birds would poop down their side of the fence. We got a free standing bird feeding station that you stick into the ground instead

Thanks for the replies, I wanted it at the fence as I could see them at the window, I love the birds coming

Could you put a freestanding one near the fence then?

Yes I could that wouldn't be a problem, I was just generally wondering if people had neighbour issues over birds?

Issues are mainly to do with rats 🐀 that feed from the bird feeders

Bird feeders I have no problem with.
Squirrel feeders are another matter.

We don't get too many squirrels here!

I have bird feeder on a tree in the garden. It gets really messy and noisy.

I wouldn't put it on the fence. Seeds can go everywhere and sprout. Bird poo on the fence maybe annoying. And it can be really noisy when lots of birds came at same time.

If there's no place to hang other than the fence, I would get the freestanding one that you can place somewhere away from the fence.

I complained to my neighbour about her feeding the birds. She was attracting a lot of seagulls rather than small garden birds and they were a real nuisance.

I get squirrels on my bird feeder too. And I have no clue where the squirrels come from, never happened for over decades but now it does.

Another thing about squirrels, they are cute, but they dig pots and flowerbeds to bury the nuts. Quite annoying I assume, if it happened because the neighbour put the bird feeder on the fence, so the squirrel can go either side.

You can get ones that stick to the window. Don't know how good they are though

We are in a new build estate, I saw a squirrell once on the fence & there was great delight from the dc... We have trees but I wouldn't have a great view, I'll get a freestanding one. Any tips to attract them to the garden? Can I expect many in the winter?

@Londonlassie12

We don't get too many squirrels here!

That's because you haven't got a bird feeder 😀

Birdsong is lovely umpteen bloody windchimes from one neighbour's garden not so much 😠

The one that attract many birds(small ones) are suet filled coconut halves. I bought one first, and now I refill them. Keep the fat from when I cook the mince/bacon, and mixed it with mixed seeds. They love them.

Also the bird food that I recommend is from tesco, Peckish complete energy bites. Most birds love it, and I even managed to tame robin to feed from my hand.

I would get one of the window feeders. Ours is fab as per attached

Meant to add, the squirrels love it too and are hilarious to watch. I put it on a window on the first floor to try to keep them away from it and they still managed to get up there…!

The tree we hang bird feeders on, are ones in a pot. So it's another possibility, to have potted tree in your garden to hang feeders. Smaller tree means smaller birds, we do get other bigger birds and we feed them too, but not on the tree.

And I don't have window feeder, but I think it's great. I want to get one too!

I have lots of bird feeders, never a problem.
Well, the only problem I have is that my neighbour puts out live maggots which hatch into swarms of flies in warm weather!

My next door neighbour is the most lovely kind amazing woman…. But the bird feeders in her back garden give me the rage. Attracts so many birds which attracts the local cats to come and loiter to watch. Results in endless cat poo in our garden. Our own cat doesn’t get on with these cats and ends in constant scraps for territory. Plus since we've lived here our cat has managed to catch a fair few of birds (and mice which are attracted by the bird feeders) which has been traumatic. Pigeons seem to be the most common to visit. Bird poo all over our fence /windows….

Like I say, I LOVE our neighbour so I’ve held my tongue. If she didn’t have so many other redeeming qualities then I would be snipping them down in the dark of night!

I love those window feeders hadn't seen those before!

I totally get what thunderandsunshine01is saying. It's one thing to think about too, my neighbour's cats owns my garden, always hanging around. So, yes, cat poo is another problem to think about, if you want to have lots of birds in your garden. We get lots of them too. I don't mind, so it's no problem, but if you have a toddler who plays in the garden a lot, it could be a problem.

Anyways, having bird in your garden is lovely and rewarding. But depending on your environment, it can attract unwanted visitors like cats and squirrels.

I've got bored feeders but wouldn't put them on the fence. The mess from droppings would affect both sides. Also the advice generally is to move bird feeders regularly so that you don't get too much of a build up. So better on a pole in your lawn I reckon.