Are these birds taking the piss?

[Serin]

We feed the birds but if feels like the little buggers are coming from miles around to eat at our table. Flocks and flocks of them, more every day.
Today at 8.30am I filled a large feeder with RSPB approved peanuts and it is already half empty.
I also put chopped apple and pear out for the thrushes.
I dont want them to starve but does anyone have any idea of what I can safely feed them that doesn't cost a fortune?
A budget meal plan?
Like lentils??

I gave up on fatballs due to squirrels taking the entire thing, plus the warnings about the hangers trapping birds by the feet and them dying put me off.

Hanging feeders have never worked somehow, I always find them on the ground with bits off, or chewed up. I have a little wooden covered one that hangs in the tree but it remains unused as does the hanging saucer one. I really need to find something that works.

My ds bought me a window feeder for Christmas. I have seen the pheasant casing it to see if he can hop up and fill his gob, but think even he has realised that it's too much like hard work.

there are 3 in this pic... there were loads more out of frame - it was their frenzy time...

the squirrel burglar made me laugh out loud! We have regular Magpie vs Squirrel wars, well Magpie vs Anyone wars to be honest. The funniest was when the magpie crept up behind the squirrel in his tail's blind spot and pecked him. TWICE! the squirrel went NUTS and chased him the length of the garden. I almost cried laughing.

Sorry if it's been mentioned - I'm on on page 2! - the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is coming up towards the end of this month:

details here

Signing up (free) seems to include 20% off and free delivery with orders from their shop. I generally find their stuff overpriced (compared to Wilko ) but there's a decent selection.

Anyone new to feeding garden birds - don't worry if you don't see any visitors, it can take a few weeks or months for word to spread. Now is a good time to hang a couple of feeders as you should have daily visitors by spring when the birds and their young are feeding!
I suggest hanging a few feeders half to two-thirds full high up and/or in different areas of the garden to encourage birds to visit. The £1 feeders from Wilko/Home Bargains etc are fine to start off with, you can always upgrade in due course.

I loved feeding the birds and did it for four years on the trot until I noticed it attracted a rat to the garden -ugh! I left a few years go, and then during a spell of heavy snow last year I put out food (different types of bird seed/fat balls/peanuts) again and once more noticed a rat coming into the garden and helping itself. We live in a fairly rural location and I know there are probably plenty of rats around but if I don’t see them, it’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind”.
Do any of you have problems with rat visitations to your feeders? (We used two bird tables but Roland probably came in the hope of stuff dropped on the ground).

Loads of info here regarding what, when and how to feed garden birds:

RSPB link

Comprehensive list of safe and unsafe foods for garden birds:
here

safe and unsafe household scraps

Is anyone else now lusting after new bird feeders?
I love this but don’t have much hope for it surviving...
Sienna Glass Hanging Bird Feeder - Blue www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CY1V2WZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_we1fEbHZHF15T?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I am jealous of my DH and his "bird feeder" at work.

It is the seat of a fork lift truck.

He puts a little seed on it and the same plump little robin comes to dine, with DH standing right there, brazen little bugger. He got it to take a few seeds from his finger tips just before Christmas, the lucky bugger.

I think I am married to Dr Dolittle.
At least once a year, he comes home telling of how a female mallard wondered in through the big shutter doors and started following him while quacking at him like she'd found a mate.

Foxes, squirrels, all manner of birds and even badgers have come close to him without seeming at all concerned. Domestic dogs and cats make a beeline for him. In summer, we were sitting in the living room watching TV with the door open when I looked over at him and a whacking great fluffy bee was sitting on his hand. It's downright weird I tell you.

Word has got out, put out a Greg’s sausage roll and you’ll have them coming from Europe.

After experiencing a squirrel running off with a whole fat ball, including the case and hanging chain, I researched squirrel proof feeders and have had this one now for about seven or eight years:

shopping.rspb.org.uk/seed-feeders/squirrel-buster-mini-seed-feeder.html

The only problem I have with it is that “dusty” or big seed can form clogs. But it flows fine with sunflower hearts. And it really is squirrel proof, it’s great fun watching them swing from it and try and work out why they can’t get at the seed.

Do any of you have problems with rat visitations to your feeders?

yes @Procrastination4 we do (live in a tiny village next to a farm). I had a couple of planters on the balcony, with an apple on a stick in one. The bird feeder hangs about 2 feet from the balcony wall (where the planters were) I kept seeing that the apple was being pecked at.

Until DC sent a film of a large sleek rat running up the wall, up to the apple, take a bite of that, then stand on it and stretch out until its front paws were on the (swinging) feeder then it hopped on and helped itself. There was a young rat watching and taking notes.

We moved the planter away and now we don't see the rat, but I'm sure they come and eat the stuff that falls on the ground.

We hang the feeder so the Fat-arse pigeons can't scarf it all. We go through one feeder (about 500g food) a day.

First comes the robin. Big noisy bully that he is. Then the blue tits, coal tits and zebra finches. Then the sparrows come and bully them all away. (the Beaky Blinders). Blackbirds and, i think, thrushes peck at the fallen seed.

There is a woodpecker or two nearby, i might try peanut feeders for them.

I didn't have any luck with my window feeder- I may try again with mealworms, see if that is more tempting.

We have magpies and blackbirds, but the magpies take the blackbird chicks. I can spend a lot of time chasing them off. I get quite upset.

Any idea who the little chap singing his heart out at dusk is? He's blue tit kind of size and shape- I only see his profile. Noisy chap, though.

I've found Robins to be exceptionally friendly. I have one that sits next to me on the bird table in the back when I'm out there.

We did have a lot of pigeons but a Sparrow hawk has moved into the neighbourhood and he seems to be keeping them at bay. He took one down mid flight in the front garden before Christmas. It was an incredible sight.

Our lot can clear out a couple of fat balls, a seed feeder and a peanut feeder every day. They also get DC's toast scraps, stale bread and bruised apples.

But that's a LOT of birds and squirrels. The parakeets queue on the washing line and the squirrels hang upside down by their tails to get at the seed feeder. We call it Cat TV. I love watching them, so not so worried about them overstepping their postcode endz.

Thedeadwood It's not just you, I've been looking too. We have loads of squirrels so I need a suitably tough one.

One thing I want to mention is the feeders need cleaning properly and often because of infection and fungal infections.

We had a dead bird once and it was so sad. Now I keep cleaning.

@Thedeadwood that pretty feeder is for indoor birds unfortunately. Wish I had found it a few years ago.

Just read the bit on the link about feeding them potatoes and that chips are not usually eaten. I can say that is not at all true, my birds will eat anything.

My neighbour put out a whole pizza last year, went to get a drink to sit and watch the birds and it had vanished completely in a couple of minutes. I did suggest it might have been better to break it up first.

I watch the crows picking up bits of bread and making a little pile before taking as much as possible in one trip.

Are you sure the pizza and chip eating birds are not fairies in disguise? 'Tis known that fairies like pizza.

Right. Shopping list at the ready.

im a bird feeding novice, is this any good please?www.<a class="break-all" href="https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MSKKSX9/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1X82ZBBJDGN46&psc=1&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-am-i-being-unreasonable-3790773-Are-these-birds-taking-the-piss" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07MSKKSX9/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1X82ZBBJDGN46&psc=1

I have had those peanut feeders, you really need to fix them securely or they will go missing if you have squirrels (or rats). Mine often ended up on the ground. I also find the nuts can go manky and not always eaten.

A pointer, ensure you get good quality nuts as some of the cheaper ones have a mould/virus that will kill the birds.

I don't bother with those feeders any more, but buy chopped peanuts instead, and use a saucer shaped hanging feeder or a little wooden one, or just thrown them on the grass.

Absolute cheeky bastards! Clearly they have told all their friends @Serin has awesome birdseed.

I have one of these, not mad about it as it can't be used for water due to the hole placement, it is quite shallow, so used for seed instead.
I have seen better ones, deeper and wider, so would suggest something like that rather than whole nuts in a hanging thing. Plastic is especially useless as squirrels will bite through it.

www.amazon.co.uk/Gardman-BA01111-Glazed-Ceramic-Hanging/dp/B000I1R1YO?tag=mumsnetforu03-21