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Help me feed birds!

50 replies

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 06:16

I have got the merlin app recently and enjoying listening to the (quite ordinary) birds around my area. I don't have rhme in my garden though. How do I attract them?

I've ordered a crook feeder and 2 wire mesh things to hang from them. But I could also put a saucer on our patio table?

How often should I put feed out? What shpidl I put out? I've ordered fat balls and peanuts and seed from tescos
...

I think my gran used to put breadcrumbs and leftovers out? Is that still okay? Admittedly she had a proper bird table rather than my garden table!

Thankyou.

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BrennanBooth · 19/05/2024 06:30

Hello! It will take the birds a little while to find the feeders so don’t worry if you don’t see any action right away!

You just need to refill them when they are empty/whenever you like- but make sure to give them a bit of a clean in soapy water every so often to avoid spreading bird flu!

I would avoid putting breadcrumbs and leftovers out as you are already putting out actual seed - it may just end up going nasty/attracting rats etc. And bread although birds will eat it, is lacking in essential bird nutrients so too much and they may become unwell etc.

If you want to expand your bird feeder station or try different seed etc. I suggest you check out the RSPB shop website as they have all sorts of options.

Stickthatupyourdojo · 19/05/2024 06:39

What @BrennanBooth said. I tend to buy sunflower hearts and suet pellets, lots of types of birds enjoy both of these. Food on the ground will attract blackbirds, robins, pigeons, wrens etc but can also entice rats.

I'd have a peanut feeder as the tits love those, then a little dish on your feeder for the ground feeders to perch on. Great you have a water dish, that will help encourage them. In my experience in can take around a month for birds to spot a new feeding area then feel comfortable enough to start using it. If you have shrubs or trees in your garden move your feeder near to them so the birds can dart in and out for safety.

ArtG · 19/05/2024 06:39

Different birds have different preferences for what and how they eat. Tits and finches like hanging feeders, especially containing fat balls or pellets. Others will eat from a ground or table feeder but try to manage supply so these are empty overnight. Once birds know there’s a reliable food supply, they will queue up in the morning and recognise you going out to top up the feed.

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ArtG · 19/05/2024 06:41

PS. Be wary of whole peanuts this time of year as chicks (especially tits) can choke on them.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 06:58

Oh wow I love the idea of them coming to me in the mornong. I've just spent an hour in the garden with a cup of tea watching the birds fly between the houses and listening to them. They're not stopping by me but it's great to know they might learn there's food and come!

I really don't want rats. I didn't think of that. And yes I remember we didn't give bread to ducks anymore it's just a lovely memory of my gran putting things out "for the birds" 😍. I completely get it now!

Is this what happens as you get older...

I've got a lilac tree but the birds dint tend to perch in it. Then some small aplle trees at the back by the fence so could put the feeder near one of those.

Thankyou.

Didn't realise about peanuts. This is what I've ordered should I not put it out?

And is "bird seed" designed to be spread in the floor/my table/ does it fit in a feeder?

Help me feed birds!
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GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 07:00

And queuing in the morning....

Does that mean I should put out feed every morning?

If I do does it mean if I miss a few days they'll be sad as they'll be reliant? I don't want to be cruel!!

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OldTinHat · 19/05/2024 07:22

I've found my local 'community' go crazy for mealworms. I've only just started putting feeders out again after getting my garden cleared. The birds ate a whole feeder of worms in a day. It was carnage out there, very Alfred Hitchcock!

I've refilled with sunflower hearts. Also going down well but not as fast. I've not checked the peanut feeder.

Fat balls aren't much appreciated here.

Great that you're putting out water, too. Maybe don't put out bread and stuff though. You'll attract other wildlife that you don't particularly want doing that.

Years and years ago, when I moved into my previous house, I would have pigeons tap on the back door wanting food. The previous owner fed them like clockwork and they were most aggrieved when I moved in!

Piscesmumma1978 · 19/05/2024 08:16

We have loads of visiting birds here. I’m early 40’s now and I think it’s part of aging 😂 I have binoculars and a bird book now!!

Fat balls are a favourite with all of them. We have woodpeckers who love those!

Cheap bird food is good for most, suet logs, meal worms for robins, peanuts. A squirrel also enjoys the bird food we put out!

i keep mine all topped up and just wait. I don’t throw bread out incase it attracts rats.

i don’t think you can wrong really. Wait and see who visits and what they eat x

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 08:28

Thankyou. I've got Mr Tescos arriving later with some seed and I can hang in the tree but the crook thing isn't coming til next week. Not long!

Those saying birds were waiting in the morning... Is that for those that literally scatter like feeding ducks?

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stonebrambleboy · 19/05/2024 08:40

If you put the peanuts in a mesh feeder the birds ( tits, sparrows, woodpeckers) peck at them so can't eat them whole, bits of peanut fall to the ground and the robins hoover them up as they are ground feeders. We top up our feeders every morning. Don't worry about going on holiday they soon come back when you return home!
There are special feeders for seeds, we sprinkle a few on the wall outside our back door for our visiting robin, they are territorial birds and quite feisty and bold , even taking food from your hand..
Definitely get a little bird book I bought one in a charity shop for a pound, great fun! Happy birding!

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 10:14

I've got the merlin app which is free and amazing!

It listens to the birds in real time and tells you the likely sound and you can click on a picture of them! I'm so loving it even thought right now my ability level is very very basic.

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GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 10:15

It picks up a buzzard occasionally that I don't hear and when I look up I can see it glide. 🥰

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Lucanus · 19/05/2024 11:23

Please reconsider feeding the birds, it's causing real environmental harm in multiple ways. Bird feeders bring large numbers of bitds together and are a major cause of disease transmission - Greenfinches and more recently Chaffinches have already suffered large declines as a result if trichomoniasis disease, spread through feeders.

Birds that benefit from feeding are species that are already widespread and common, and don't really need any additional help. But unfortunately, increases in these common species are putting further pressure on rare and declining species.

The species that are really declining are insect-eaters like Swallows, House Martins, Swifts, Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers - feeding does nothing to help these. It's of far more benefit all round to just concentrate on improving the habitat with e.g. native trees and shrubs, wildflowers, ponds, compost heaps etc.

A lot of bird food also gets eaten by pest species like grey squirrels and rats, and invasive birds like parakeets.

Unfortunately, there is big money in the bird food industry and the negatives are being largely ignored. It's not entirely coincidental that garden centres tend to have a large aisle full of chemicals to kill off nature (weedkiller, bug killer, slug pellets etc etc), and then another large aisle of birdfood.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:29

But the rspb sell bird feeders/seed??

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GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:30

I am planting more plants and shrubs though too. So many gardens near me are considered great if plain lawn patio and seating! People seem to pay a lot for that...!

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FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain · 19/05/2024 12:33

We have loads of bird feeders and 4 water baths put out, refill and clean out the water every couple of days as it goes stagnant and forms algae.

We put out a mix of wild bird seed, suet balls, peanuts and mealworms.

We have some very very fat wood pigeons and lots of teeny little wild birds that visit daily and bird song throughout the day from early to late.

We also have a host of fat squirrels who have proven that there is no such thing as a squirrel proof bird feeder.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:38

I don't normally see squirrels here... But maybe we will.

BY water baths are you putting out saucers round the garden or tubs or actual bird baths?

I'm really exited about attracting birds to my garden (maybe they'll eat the slugs while they're here...)

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FadedRed · 19/05/2024 12:44

Put your feeders near an area of cover, e.g. hedge or trees, so the little birds are safer when feeding and can get back to cover quickly.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:47

Do they prefer sun or shade?

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Lucanus · 19/05/2024 12:49

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:29

But the rspb sell bird feeders/seed??

Like I said, there's a lot of money in it. They also take in a lot of advertising revenue for seed, feeders etc. There are generally very few jobs in not doing something.

Remember that 'feeding the birds' isn't helping all birds... it's helping a small number of common species become even more common, and contributing to declines in rarer ones.

See here for instance:
https://britishbirds.co.uk/content/rethinking-bird-feeding

FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain · 19/05/2024 12:50

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:38

I don't normally see squirrels here... But maybe we will.

BY water baths are you putting out saucers round the garden or tubs or actual bird baths?

I'm really exited about attracting birds to my garden (maybe they'll eat the slugs while they're here...)

We have a mix in different places.

A big freestanding one like this that the wood pigeons like to stand in and flick water up over their backs and through their wings.

www.bmstores.co.uk/products/4-in-1-bird-bath-with-planter-and-solar-light-pewter-393031

A little one like this tucked in around a rockery under a lilac tree so they're more sheltered, the teeny birds prefer these

www.bmstores.co.uk/products/terra-cotta-2-in-1-bird-feeder-blue-4064941

And a couple of shallow wide saucer like ones that I think might have been designed for under plant pots but they work well.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 12:57

Oh those are cute!! I've just read B and M do gardens too and there's one 25mins away from us but I'm on a spending bam til next month....

We have a lilac tree and I love it 😍.

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Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 19/05/2024 13:07

Meal worms and bowl shaped feeders work very well for us and zero mess. Easy to refill. We do have two shallow bowls filled with water to drink from. We get a lot of different birds. Center of town location.

Isitchill · 19/05/2024 13:15

Grow sunflowers.
If they survive the slugs the birds will feast off the flower heads after the first frosts arrive.

GeneralMusings · 19/05/2024 13:19

I have seeds but I think it might be a bit late to plant them?

I pondered planting directly into the soil but I think they'd get eaten.

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