Topic: Wild Bird Feeding! (Read 18860 times)

Martin (Admin) · « **on:** January 18, 2017, 06:56:24 pm »

Any ~~Furious~~ Wild Bird Feeders amongst us?

My Mum has always feed the birds in the back garden when I was a kid
( but strangely got quite annoyed when the same 'said' birds, then left messy deposits on the clean washing!) and still feeds the birds today, much to Dad's bemusement!

Anyway, I seem to have caught the bug and have now found myself browsing the wild bird feed section at the local (B&Q) shop.... signs of middle age?
I'm feeding the birds, at lunchtime, in a little used car park, which has a little patch of bushes and trees on two sides. I've already made a few regular friends, 3 crows, Bobin the Robin a family of Blue "boobs" and recently a very persistence & annoying grey squirrel!

So far I've found out that:
Robins carefully & extendedly look at you before feeding,
Robins are bullies to blue "boobs",
Crows are Very suspicious of food near bushes, (where a predator can hide?),
Crows carefully select their food, grab two or three bits and fly off and eat elsewhere but nearby, returning a quickly as they can.
Robins don't much like seed bird food unless there's nothing else,
Blue "boobs" like seed bird food, peck lots of it out of the seed feeder but throw 2 out of 3 bits away!
Crows Love crisps and custard creams,
Birds don't like cheap bird food... unless there's nothing else.
ALL birds love bread,
Squirrels can chew through almost Anything!

Blue "boobs" thinking for tree hanging bird feeder:
"Fly in, AmIsafe? What'sgoingon? Whereisthefood? Ah!ANewBbirdfFeeder! IsitSafetoPerchoverthere? Hop, AmIsafe? What'sgoingon? IsitSafetoPerchoverthere? Hoponbirdfeeder, PeckDiscardPeckDiscardPeckDiscardGraboneGone!

Blue "boobs" thinking for ground food:
"AmIsafe? What'sgoingon? Isitsafe? Hop. AmIsafe?. Gone!" SwoopGrapRun!"

Do you feed the birds? .... it's a lot more than 'tuppence a day' I can tell ya!

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #1 on:** January 18, 2017, 07:34:03 pm »

Pigeons = animated vacuum cleaners.

Colin

Umi_Ryuzuki · « **Reply #2 on:** January 18, 2017, 07:42:01 pm »

Not so desperate now, but the last few days of the cold snap here, the humming bird was fearless.

Squirrels will get smart, given the opportunity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VcUiTStKq8

ballastanksian · « **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2017, 07:43:25 pm »

Pigeons = C=raptors.

I used to feed the boids, but then moved and no longer do but fancy starting again. I love Long tail Boobs as they hang about like rowdy gangs mobbing their way around the garden before scooting off. I wonder if they do this to be a large noisey blob to confuse predators.

Liverbudgie2 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 18, 2017, 08:44:37 pm »

Please don't feed them bread, as it swells up in their insides and can kill them. Nuts, seeds and fats are more than good enough.

LB

raflaunches · « **Reply #5 on:** January 18, 2017, 08:44:48 pm »

My Parent's house has a garden full of bird feeders and two bird tables. My Mum and niece love to top up the feeders on a weekly basis.
Have to agree on everything said so far...

Just add Wren's... the loudest bravest little bird in any garden- braver than any Starling and louder than an angry Blackbird! We call them the Napoleon Bonapartes!!!

bfgstew · « **Reply #6 on:** January 18, 2017, 09:15:05 pm »

Get some mealworms and you will have a Robin feeding out of your hand.

Stavros · « **Reply #7 on:** January 18, 2017, 10:50:13 pm »

Oh dear me whats the betting Mr SQUIRREL will have the nuts and holder away with him.......gave up after replacing 4 of them a few years ago

Dave

NFMike · « **Reply #8 on:** January 18, 2017, 10:59:40 pm »

Robins are 'carnivores' which is why they hang around people digging the garden, so they can nab the bugs it turns up. Hence they won't be that interested in seeds. (Ditto Thrushes/Blackbirds). I think the Finches and "Boobs" (now there is a censor that makes it worse not better) are all seed eaters.
We used to feed the birds but between us and our two neighbours we have 6 cats, so it's a no-no for us now.
If you do a bit of googling there is (or used to be) a specialist supplier of bulk bird foods with good advice on what you need for which birds. (Sorry, it was years ago and I have no idea who it was.) If you are doing it seriously it was much cheaper than buying assorted packs from the local shop or supermarket.

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #9 on:** January 18, 2017, 11:05:22 pm »

Our blackbirds and robins love the dried suet pellets. Probably not as good as a nice juicy worm though. Pity they won't eat the sqiggles.

Colin

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #10 on:** January 18, 2017, 11:27:12 pm »

Quote from: ballastanksian on January 18, 2017, 07:43:25 pm

I used to feed the boids, but then moved and no longer do but fancy starting again. I love Long tail Boobs as they hang about like rowdy gangs mobbing their way around the garden before scooting off. I wonder if they do this to be a large noisey blob to confuse predators.

Long tail Boobs - Oh! It is a real bird! ( Long tail tit, UK )

...... got some very funny results when google Long tail Boobs I can tell ya!

richald · « **Reply #11 on:** January 19, 2017, 08:24:08 am »

Blackbirds really like Sultanas !

a picture from last Summer - cup of coffee and a book on the patio table when my little friend arrives . . .

During the winter I feed them on the window sill outside my living room - currently about 3 or 4 are visiting
and costing me a bag of sultanas a week!

Richard

CGAux26 · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2017, 02:56:29 pm »

We feed them bird seed and sunflower seed. Mostly "flit birds," (sparrows) and mourning doves.

rickles23 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2017, 03:06:16 pm »

Hi,

On Wednesday it climbed to 40C, I kid you not.

I decided to top up the water in the bird baths on the verandah.

As soon as I turned on the hose all the usual birds that come here turned up.

For twenty minutes they had a ball playing in the spray.

Regards

U-33 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 19, 2017, 06:49:28 pm »

We have a gang of jackdaws here, and for the last year or so I've been feeding them with anything and everything. I have one that now feeds from my hand, and another who sits on the windowsill inside.

They really are comical, not frightened of seagulls at all, and they think nothing of having a go at next door's cat.

As well as them, and the usual sparrows, starlings, pigeons, there is a resident kestrel. I've never seen him have a go at the local birds, but I have seen him with mice in his claws.

Umi_Ryuzuki · « **Reply #15 on:** January 19, 2017, 06:53:46 pm »

Our koi pond draws this guy in during the winter.
Despite a lot of effort, we have lost a few fish to this heron, and some raccoons.

And for all the birds that the feeders draw, they clear out fast when either of these other two show up.

ballastanksian · « **Reply #16 on:** January 19, 2017, 08:02:40 pm »

There are quite a few species of Tit and I found that the Robin is now belived to be a member of the Old World Flycatcher family.

"boobs" I have identified are:

Long Tailed Tit
Blue Tit
Coal Tit
Great Tit
Bearded Tit
Marsh Tit

There are about fifty types of which a number might not be closely related.

"boobs" are considered to be the third most intelligent bird after Parrots and Corvids. I don't see any Long taoiled "boobs" these days

richald · « **Reply #17 on:** January 19, 2017, 08:23:01 pm »

Quote

I don't see any Long taoiled "boobs" these days

Strangely enough my regular family of long tailed "boobs" turned up
this morning on my fat ball feeder. they seem to call roughly every 3-4 weeks

Also seen a couple of times (but never long enough to have its picture taken!)
a Goldcrest - a beautiful, tiny, tiny, bird (next to the sparrows). . .

Wikipedia Picture

I hope it starts to visit regularly !

Richard

ballastanksian · « **Reply #18 on:** January 19, 2017, 08:33:06 pm »

I hope it does for you Richard. What a shite world ours would be without birds.

I wonder why your Long tails have such a long period between visits? Do you live in an area with lots of gardens?

jarvo · « **Reply #19 on:** January 19, 2017, 09:46:17 pm »

Martin, cost is nothing compared with the enjoyment we get just from watching there antics. (free food? but what's the catch? do i want some? cause i do!!!!!)

Mark

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #20 on:** January 19, 2017, 10:33:07 pm »

Quote from: jarvo on January 19, 2017, 09:46:17 pm

Martin, cost is nothing compared with the enjoyment we get just from watching there antics. (free food? but what's the catch? do i want some? cause i do!!!!!)

Mark

How very true Mark!
Loving it.

NB: Round 3 tonight, Martin's fully wire wrapped bird feeder vs The Squirrels!

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #21 on:** January 19, 2017, 10:39:35 pm »

We have one of these ground feeders on our lawn: https://www.amazon.co.uk/GARDMAN-GROUND-FEEDER-HAVEN-GARDEN/dp/B005MQDLBC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1484865431&sr=8-3&keywords=wild+bird+ground+feeders

It doesn't keep out the squirrel but the pigeons cannot reach into the centre where the food is and it drives them mad! Especially when the blackbirds and the Robin just hop in an out as they please.

Colin

jarvo · « **Reply #22 on:** January 19, 2017, 10:41:21 pm »

Have you watched the youtube of the squirrel assault course, they are very intelligent, or should that say very persistent?????

Mark

jarvo · « **Reply #23 on:** January 19, 2017, 10:42:52 pm »

Brilliant Colin, how long will it last if they all gang up and try to push it over???

Mark

Colin Bishop · « **Reply #24 on:** January 19, 2017, 10:45:52 pm »

They take it in turns to work their way round and round looking for a wide enough opening. Usually give up on the third circuit...

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Author Topic: Wild Bird Feeding! (Read 18860 times)

Stavros