Why don't they like my fat balls??

[Riddlediddle]

We got a bird feeder at the start of lockdown so we could see some lovely birds whilst we were inside. I bought some suet sticks to go in this and the birds went mad for it - we had robins, blue tits, coal tits, sparrows and starlings all fighting over it. So much so it went really quickly so on my weekly shopping trip last week I wanted to buy some new bird food - all of the suet sticks were out of stock so I bought fat balls instead as they looked like they had very similar ingredients. Since topping up with them we've had not one bird visit that we have seen - out living room looks out onto the feeder and we are pretty much in there all day so we should have seen at least one bird! Why don't they like my fat balls???

I have seeds, fat balls and sunflower hearts out. The fat balls always go first.

I got told in a bird group on Facebook that sunflower hearts are the best and would attract lots of different birds to my garden but they are going down slowly and I still just have the usual sparrows and starlings.

I put some grated cheese out for them yesterday and they went mad for it and then told all their friends. My garden was full of birds!

I don't think fat balls are supposed to be left out in hot weather. They can go rancid.

Another one here whose birds liked the premium fat balls from Wilko.

Unfortunately a squirrel and a few starlings also decided they liked them , but they were so rumbustious and greedy that they would destroy and scatter a feeder ful of fatballs within a day, most of it ending up on the ground which was lovely for the pigeons, mice and the odd "big" mouse. I am now only feeding sunflower hearts from a squirrel buster feeder , enough gets dropped for the pigeons to get a meal, but I hope the other critters are moving on to better pickings.

Thanks for the tip upthread about reconstituting meal worms, I might do that as a treat for the robins who love them.

rightontheedge I started feeding sunflower hearts when I spotted a few goldfinch looking disconsolately at peanuts, don't worry, word will get out, I think they send out spies to check out what's on offer.