Feed the birds?

[Borntobeamum]

I’ve always had a bird feeder in the garden since I married 41 years ago. I get a lot of pleasure from watching them feed and it’s good for my MH.

However, we’ve recently moved house to a small rural village after I lost both my parents. I love when the robins come, and I often get a pair at the same time.
I know it’s far fetched but I like to think it’s my mum and dad popping in to see me.
Yesterday, the next door neighbour told me I shouldn’t feed the birds as it encourages rats and squirrels.

I appreciate his thoughts, however rats and squirrels are all around the village I guess and I’m not happy about being dictated to by this man who has already rubbed most of the neighbours up the wrong way with his outspoken manner!

I don’t want to fall out with him, but I’m not going to stop feeding the lovely birds that visit. It’s a big garden and After all, it’s MY garden!

An I being unreasonable, and if not, what can I say to him when he mentions it again please?

Unfortunately some people dislike animals and there is nothing you can do about it.

How miserable - I'd put the bird feeder where he can't see it. Many birds are too shy to use the see through plastic ones you can stick on the window but I have found Robins, blue tits, and great tits are fine. So your parents can still pop by :-)

@Borntobeamum it's easy to buy a feeder that is rat and squirrel-proof.

My mum got a load of grief for feeding birds.. as the neighbour complained about bird shit in her garden.

We share our gardens with the vast living area of many species of birds... and also the things most people don't like such as rats and foxes.

Exact same happened to me. The man opposite knocked on saying don’t shake your tablecloth outside & don’t feed the birds because it attracts rats.

So I just sneak peanuts out & leave them in the same place everyday under a bush - there’s often a couple of robins waiting very close!

Rats are all round & I have raspberry bushes in my garden so what do I do about that, chop it down?! I don’t speak to this neighbour now. Every time I saw him, he reminded me about it🙄 no way will I ever stop feeding wildlife.

I live in the centre of a former heavy industry town; we have Greggs, Macdonalds and Weatherspoons metres from our front door and we regularly have part-eaten Macdonalds meals thrown over our wall (as well as bottles, cans, disposable vapes and needles). I put out bird feeders (squirrel-proof, or not accessible by squirrels hanging on the washing line) during lockdown and we had our own private bird sanctuary.
Yesterday I looked out my kitchen window and spotted a squirrel on the wall eating one of my tulip bulbs; on further investigation I discovered that 9 of the 20 bulbs had been eaten. Does your neighbour have spring bulbs in his garden? I previously planted daffodils which didn't grow and I now suspect that the squirrels ate them.

Of course YANBU
I have a total phobia of rats though. They like grain so if you are worried you can put out mealworms? The starlings in my garden go wild for them and they are great for feeding young birds.

I love feeding birds and also feed hedgehogs!

Just feed them sensibly.

Squirrel proof feeders - ie, so they can't wreck them, they'll eat out of anything!

Seed feeders with trays underneath so they catch most of whats dropped (which the squirrel then throws all over the floor the messy bugger eats).

Refill and clean (bleach wipes) regularly to avoid spreading disease amongst small birds.

No one is going to uphold any official complaint about that.

Now if you're lobbing whole loves of Warbies on the front lawn and leaving chunks of chicken and beef out for the crows... such that your garden is heaving with seagulls and corvids, yes that would be an issue!

You can stop squirrels eating your bulbs by laying chicken wire over the top of them when you plant them. I sort of tuck it into the sides of the pots to keep it in place.

Keep on feeding your birds OP. I have the feeling this neighbour would find something else to moan about if you weren't feeding the birds. Some people are just miserable swines.

Look for a type of bird feeder as suggested. A neighbour put mealworms out for birds. They fell off the bird table and moles came up to eat them. His wife couldn’t wait to tell us 🤣

YANBU and not all food will attract rats.

If I put suet out for the birds then we get a rat coming under the fence (our garden backs onto some wild land). If I use sunflower seeds the rat isn't remotely interested. We do get a little mouse coming to tidy up any dropped seeds though!

if you put cayenne pepper on bird food, then the squirrels and rats won't eat it. Birds can't taste the spiciness but mammals can. you can buy a hot pepper spray also to protect young plants etc from squirrels.

but i'd just ignore the grumpy old man. If he mentions it, just say "thanks for the comment but I've arranged my garden the way that I like it."

The neighbour has no right to tell you what you should or shouldn't do in your own garden. In my experience he's absolutely correct about the rats though.

My husband is an obsessive bird feeder, but we are besieged by squirrels and rats as a result. I can see both sides.

Our son shoots the rats, which keeps on top of them.

Ignore the idiot, OP. I've had this and I live in a small country village too. I wonder why people choose to live in the country if they think there's something strange about feeding the birds 😡

as the neighbour complained about bird shit in her garden.

WTAF?!

Poor squirrels need to eat too. 😀

I used to feed the birds every winter sadly I can no longer afford to

I love feeding and watching the birds, especially the daily arrival of a big Woodpecker.

My son got me a 'bird feeding station' for Christmas, however theres a bastard rat that can climb up the pole to the feeders! Currently trying to work out a way of stopping him.. unfortunately unlike @DillDanding i dont have a DS with a gun.

I'd say go for it OP, however be ready for the possible rodents!

@Jellykat

You want one of these. To deter the rats climbing up place it below the level of the food and upside down (so that it's a bowl rather than a lampshade).

We have never had rats and we have fed the birds for years! Ignore your neighbour. It's none of his business.

Rats are everywhere. They are attracted by water and only stay if there is a food supply and somewhere undisturbed and untidy to shelter, so tackle any areas where water or rubbish collects (and check your neighbour is as well).

Feed the birds over a paved area and sweep up what is left on the floor. The better quality bird food creates less mess as it tends to contains less cheap filler that the birds won’t eat. If you specifically want to attract robins, put out a tray of mealworms in the morning and bring in what is left at dusk.

I live on the outskirts of a small city and didn't mind the squirrels but the rats in our local area have got out of control in the past few years so we did have to stop.

Shame, as it also encouraged hedgehogs.

I hope you don't give mealworms to hedgehogs. They cause calcium deficiency.

To feed the robins should the tray be on the ground?