Don't forget to put some food out for the birds in this freezing weather

[sophy]

Just put peanut feeder out in garden

oh hadn't thought of that.

Got 1/2 a loaf of slightly stale bread - will go and chuck it out in the garden in a bit.

I've just done it! We had a big pack of bird food in the shed but there must be mice in there as well as not much of it is left. What was left I've put out and it's lovely seeing the great tits and robins in our garden.

And some water that isn't frozen solid.

Or make holes in the ice on the puddles.

dc love doing that.

We bought a bucket of 50 fat&seed balls from the RSPB yesterday. [having spent the day birdwatching ... we clocked up bittern, water rail and bearded tit as well as loads of common ones!].

Put a couple on the bird table, and then had small brainwave and hung another in one of those detergent tablet bags, so the small birds get a chance.

That reminds me of one of dh's favourite jokes Grimma.

He goes into the local hardware shop and asks the man behind the counter "Do you have fat balls?"

We've just been told by the rat people not to put any food out for the birds at all, it entices the rats.

Good thread. Coconut and lard concoction hung out a few weeks ago and is being used

Rats need to eat too oneliein

i have put food on my table but the birds haven't touched it.

I think if you have a feeder that is suspended from a tree (like we do) the rats can't get at it.

If a rat can get at a fatball dangling from a bird table, good luck to it!

Anyway, we don't seem to get any, probably stay clear of the smell of dog.

Dont forget a bit of water too and check it very now and again incase it freezes

We have a bird feeder out which is being well used. But the lovingly-created bird cake in coconut shell is being completely ignored. Why?????? I have two rather disappointed daughters.

They never like out coconut things either.

Actually, we had rats (4) hanging off one off our bird feeders last year. It was disgusting, and we removed them all.

Now we hang them as before, ut sweep up underneath every couple of days.

Smithagain, they'll start eating it eventually. IME birds are always a bit suspicious when you put out a new type of food or new feeder and then suddenly start to use it! Might take a few days though.

Hope so Peggotty - it's been up a couple of weeks, though!

We do have a magpie that dive bombs it from time to time, which might be alarming the blue tits, I guess - although they are using the seed feeder which is right next to it. Maybe they just don't like our recipe.