Anyone feed the wild birds?

[Jane&Ziggy]

We have had sunflowers growing under the feeder, all kinds of cereal shoots, and some seriously strange plants that proved to be Niger.

We get clouds of tits on a daily basis (blue, great, coal and my favourite little long tail) plus a couple of nuthatches (little bandits!) Great Spotted Woodpecker on the feeders and Green on the ground, chaffinch, goldfinch, greenfinch (though they have been badly affected by a virus recently), siskin, brambling, and the bullfinch once or twice a year: wrens, dunnocks, hedge and house sparrows on the ground, and the robin, blackbird, thrush, starlings and occasionally a fieldfare in the winter. Plus pigeons and doves and the odd pheasant, but the dogs tend to scare them off!

And we chase away the numerous jackdaws, crows, rooks and magpies.

And the Sparrowhawk comes to have his breakfast, too.

It costs a lot to keep the feeders topped up but they give Steve so much pleasure.

 

[Lollykay]

Every day/365 days a year, lol

1. My Purple Martin houses - they only come back for a few mo ths to raise some babies the. Take off for the long flight to South America around early July.



1. One of the Red headed Woodpeckers, looking at the feeder on the corner of the porch.



3. A Pilates Woodpecker who lives in a tree in the far pasture.


4. We have Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mocking birds, Crows, and several other types of songbirds who are seed eaters at the feeder. Everybody gets along. Except when the Grackles and Cowbirds converge on the feeder, if the Woodpeckers are there, they will chase the grackles and Cowbirds away because those birds are voracious eaters and don’t leave anything for anyone else. I love to watch the Woodpeckers peck at them, lollol.

 

[Frances144]

This sounds good and relatively cheap. I might give it a go, although OH will object to the lard smell. I wonder if I could do it outside on my mini camping stove that I've never used.

I'm interested reading this thread back. At the time it seems we were only putting out fat balls. Now I'm filling the feeders on a daily basis with sunflower hearts in one and mixed seed in another. The birds are voracious but I refuse to do it more than once a day - it's costing me a fortune! There's an interesting clump of shoots under the feeders too, I'd love to see what they grew into but OH keeps mowing them.

We mainly get Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Sparrows, Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits and at certain times of the year a small flock of starlings comes in and wipes out all the food. I love to see (and hear!) them though. Every now and then a little group of Long Tailed Tits comes through and like @Kite_Rider I love them too. They don't even seem to be very worried about humans sitting nearby. I also throw a bit of food on the ground for the Robin and of course the pigeons are always hanging around hopefully.

I normally fill up the feeders after I've mucked out and some mornings I can hear the birds chattering away in the trees waiting for their breakfast to be forthcoming. It's a lot of pressure lol.

How's it going with yours @newforest? Was the mug a hit in the end?

The smell is gross. I have to hold my breath!

 

[newforest]

Took this today.
I cleared the bottom,mainly to give me shelter, her shade and somewhere to put the hammock
Even in rubbish weather is still peaceful and the birds are not worried about me being around.

 

[Skib]

Jane, What feeders do you have? Pics would be nice when you have time please.

 

[newforest]

Forgot to say it is wheat free 'premium' seed and I tried the whole sunflower seeds but they didn't like them as much

The blue tits and Robins are fans of those and the suet pellets.

 

[newforest]

Sadly since the housing estate has gone up near us, the trees have been taken down and the squirrels have gone.
So, I can now buy this for the birds. And they like it.


I need to have a rethink what seed to buy.

Currently I hang three feeders, peanuts and sunflower seed. Plus above.
Its the ground feeders I need to think about what to buy, unless I just buy more sunflower and they will still eat it? Plus pigeon mix (because Penelope waits most days for her seed, and she's got a poorly leg) And the birds will all be happy with that mix?

My main ground feeders Sparrows, blackbird, thrush, Wren, Dunnock. The Blackbird and Thrush brought their babies last year so don't want to lose them.

 

[chunky monkey]

I thought of this thread this morning. Just wish i could have videoed as it was so funny. I had to drive out in the field this morning as i was taking hay out for the cattle. Only drive out every third day or so. Three male pheasants were following me round the field as i was driving paddock to paddock. One was actually running parellel while i was driving, and i mean running. Then i turned and drove back down the field and he started running in front as he knew i was heading the right way to go and feed the sheep.
They are there everyday getting there heads in the troughs with the sheep. This one just made me laugh the way he was running round while i was doing hay.

 

[Lollykay]

I saw A Purple Martin Scout February 21st. We got their apartments cleaned this last weekend. Each house has 12 compartments but they don’t use all of them.

The Blue Birds are doing their mating flight dances.

The Carolina Wrens are calling to each other but those very busy birds call out all winter long

I haven’t seen the Barn Swallows yet. They are cousins to the Purple Martins and are also very happy chatty birds. They all provide a lot of entertainment when I’m at the barn in the morning

 

[chunky monkey]

The woodpecker is still drumming his tune to my sheep. I swear the amount hes drummed the tree will fall soon.

 

[newforest]

The woodpecker is still drumming his tune to my sheep. I swear the amount hes drummed the tree will fall soon.

There is one tree with lots of holes but I assumed it's woodworm I have never seen anything else there.
It won't fall down, I don't seem to be able to kill trees, I grow bushes really well here.

 

[newforest]

Made a decision anyway.
Sunflower seed
Pigeon mix
Peanuts
Coconut suet.

That's more than the cob sees food wise!!

 

[Trewsers]

The woodpecker is still drumming his tune to my sheep. I swear the amount hes drummed the tree will fall soon.

Our telegraph poles had to be replaced more than elsewhere due to the woodpeckers when I lived south. No woody woodpeckers up here. Not that I know of.

 

[Huggy]

We had this chappie in the front garden, having a Mexican stand off with a pigeon

 

[newforest]

One is flushing here, but I haven't seen any other males so he's got all the girls.
Changed my mind on the pigeon mix, they are not keen.
Its just the ground feeders I worry don't get enough.