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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Original poster

Do you feed the wildlife in your garden?

41 replies

morelippy · 30/06/2023 08:38

We've fed the birds for several years.. a mix of sunflower hearts, seeds, fat balls etc and have been rewarded with lots of birds and their young to watch. We also have 2 birdbaths were constantly filling.

We've recently started feeding hedgehogs and watching them on a camera, they've also become daily (well nightly) visitors.

We are also getting a fox now who likes the hedgehog food. I don't plan on laying on a fox buffet but just wondered if I should be discouraging him ( which means no supper for the hogs I guess)

Sorry not exactly 'gardening' but seemed the best fit.

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 30/06/2023 08:40

I put fat balls out in the winter only. And due to the dry weather I put water out, and have had two blackbirds splashing in it

ScoopyDoo · 30/06/2023 08:41

We have nesting blackbirds who are struggling with the lack of rain, so we dig out the bottom of the compost heap each day and give them a tray of damp soil filled with worms and other beasties. They sit and wait for their ‘breakfast tray’ now.

Defiantlynot41 · 30/06/2023 08:49

Foxes are determined but if you put hedgehog food and cover it by arranging 4 bricks on their side in a square with gaps topped by a paving slab they will get it and foxes cannot.

Catname · 30/06/2023 08:51

We started feeding the birds, which brought the squirrels to the garden, then we noticed the foxes so started to feed them, then the hedgehogs turned up. Yesterday I found a large frog and we had an owl in a tree - we don’t normally have them. It’s a veritable wildlife haven here.

Original poster
morelippy · 30/06/2023 08:52

@Defiantlynot41 that's a good idea. I don't mind them eating it as such, just wondered really if I shouldn't be encouraging them for any reason.

OP posts:
BarrelOfOtters · 30/06/2023 08:53

ScoopyDoo · 30/06/2023 08:41

We have nesting blackbirds who are struggling with the lack of rain, so we dig out the bottom of the compost heap each day and give them a tray of damp soil filled with worms and other beasties. They sit and wait for their ‘breakfast tray’ now.

That’s such a good idea. We stopped feeding the birds when some rats turned up…..

it’s a small garden and they were just too close for comfort.

Original poster
morelippy · 30/06/2023 08:54

@Catname oh yes I'd forgotten the squirrels.. they've started coming too.

OP posts:
DustyLee123 · 30/06/2023 08:55

Bird seed and cover, like decking, is going to attract rats unfortunately. I wish my neighbour knew this .

Original poster
morelippy · 30/06/2023 08:57

I am a bit worried about rats tbh. I've seen mice (they live in our wood store) and don't mind them. I don't want rats though

OP posts:
Espritdescalier · 30/06/2023 08:59

We have a pretty big garden and chickens so vermin are inevitable. Try to keep food away from the house but yes, we feed the birds and put out food for hedgehogs, usually towards the beginning and end of the season when they are waking up or preparing for hibernation. So lovely to see them thrive!

Makemyday99 · 30/06/2023 09:04

We have bird feeders across our property & nesting boxes but I don’t leave anything else out as we have badger’s nearby & I don’t want them near the buildings & we also have chickens so I don’t want the foxes either. Be careful with vermin, leaving uneaten food out for ground feeders can bring unwanted pests.

Pringleface · 30/06/2023 09:11

It’s not a good idea to feed foxes. Putting food out for them just attracts them (and rats) to your garden and makes them dependent on humans for food. They’re wild animals, they can find their own food.

Birds yes, anything else, no.

FizzingAda · 30/06/2023 09:34

We have a wildlife pond, which birds and creatures love, we feed the birds, and have red squirrels come to the feeders. We are surrounded by arable farmland, and some tree copses, and yes I have seen rats, but there are weasels around, and I watched a weasel kill a rat and drag it off to eat. There seems to be a balance, so I don't interfere. We see deer and foxes and hares, but I don't feed them. Have just bought a wildlife camera so looking forward to see what comes to the pond at night!

IcakethereforeIam · 30/06/2023 11:49

Bird feeders, mostly goldfinch. Occasionally will put chicken scraps out for the foxes but not very often. Wood pigeons wait for the goldfinches and will fly down to pick up dropped seed. Have squirrels on the feeders too from time to time. If there are rats, I've never seen them. Hopefully, the foxes will control them.

Defiantlynot41 · 30/06/2023 13:46

@morelippy , foxes will come anyway, but I wouldn't encourage them, if your hedgehog has babies, foxes will eat them.

The slab/bricks arrangement also means less chance of the food being snaffled by passing cats!

Defiantlynot41 · 30/06/2023 13:49

Oh and can I please ask everybody to put out water in shallow containers. We only realised we had hedgehogs after seeing them drink water I had put out for the birds, and squirrels also needed a drink in the hot weather. The birds also love to bath in it, we have several drinking containers around the garden and the thrushes are having a lovely bath in a seed tray full of rainwater.

Yetisrus · 30/06/2023 21:20

I feed the hedgehogs (we have 3) we've had hoglets every year for the past 3 years but I've not seen any this year. I think sadly the new neighbours may have disturbed their nest as they were definitely getting down to business (outside my door) so they should have had some!

foxlover47 · 30/06/2023 21:21

The fox will
Be happy with a egg every night :)

EmmaPaella · 30/06/2023 21:33

I have foxes at the end of my garden. I don’t feed them. However I feed one cat outside and I think they occasionally eat leftovers. These ones look pretty healthy so they don’t struggle for food.

I feed the birds and put rain water out in a shallow bowl, partly for said cat but I think other wildlife drinks it. I have only ever seen a hedgehog once in my area.

Original poster
morelippy · 30/06/2023 21:39

Good evening all... thank you for such interesting and helpful responses.

We've just put out the hedgehog food. Now they know it's going to be here I don't want to stop. We won't be putting anything extra out for foxes.. they can take their chance with whatever is left.

Likewise the bird food. Today we've have baby blue tits, robins, starlings and goldfinches on our many feeders. I don't think stopping feeding now would be kind so we'll have to take our chance with rats.

We also put out a shallow bowl of water every night as well as topping up the bird baths.

OP posts:
HaveITheRightToHoldYouYouKnowIveAlwaysToldYou · 30/06/2023 21:39

I have a bird feeder.
We did have a hedgehog visit a couple of times, and I did attempt to leave food for it, but the dish just ended up full of slugs each evening so I gave up.
I have a micro pond that now has a resident frog, I assume the birds drying from there too.

HaveITheRightToHoldYouYouKnowIveAlwaysToldYou · 30/06/2023 21:39

#Drink
not drying!

caringcarer · 30/06/2023 22:51

I don't feed the birds because we have 2 cats with 3 bells on their collars.

LadyJ2023 · 30/06/2023 22:57

Feed the birds and we have an owl that has come daily for a few years sits and waits for food twice a day, hedgehogs and foxes come for there food and bring friends around in winter not to mention the bunnies and 2 deer that currently have 3 fawns....I will never move love it as do kids and hubby. Probably spend more on them than I do the actual pets haha but don't tell other half that lol

Ibizafun · 30/06/2023 22:58

Wish I could.. unfortunately it would only be a floor show for my murderous cats.