General Chat

pleaseeeeeeeeeee:):)

Terence Of course not , and just as important dont forget to leave them some water too, they need to bath in it so they can plump up their feathers to keep them warm. Deb X

sooo true ..yes...thank you:)xx

we have soo many this year...blackbirds were here before light this morning waiting...always have seed out and fat balls...:):)

thank you dee..your a star:):)xx

sigh..well..i did try didnt i:):)..xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So....seems I'm not the only one that's daft about birds lol! We make our own 'bird cake' too. We use a food mixer to reduce bread to crumbs and add kitchen scraps, peanuts, mixed seed and sunflower seeds to the mixer too - all held together with , for them, a healthy dollop of lard. A regular production line in our kitchen! We make sausage shapes and put them in two of several feeders. The birds go mad! I'm sure that one starling goes off and tells the others that the cafe is open and as for blue tits - I think we've got the fattest ones in the country! At long last we have a flock of sparrows, nice to see given their falling numbers. Plenty of tits - blue tits, great tits and long tailed tits. Two pairs of robins - that I thought were territorial birds - but they must have come to an arrangement! Blackbirds come so near the house now that I think they would come in for breakfast and afternoon tea if we didn't provide it!. Wagtails on the garage roof and two birds I have only just identified - black caps - one with (as the name suggests) a black cap and it's mate with a reddish one. I have not seen one before but they like our bird cake too! Oh - and no - We won't forget their water. Magsxx

What not to buy One caution. I'd like to warn you away from bags of mixed birdseed. These mixes usually contain a lot of filler, such as red millet. Most birds won't eat it. They rummage through the seeds in the feeder and kick the red millet onto the ground, where at best it lies until it rots and turns into pretty decent fertilizer for the grass. Mixed birdseed is not a bargain. Buy the seeds you know your birds want. Paul

And what about planting a patch of native flowers, such as coneflowers, and allowing them to go to seed and stand through the winter? You may look out some snowy day and see a flock of goldfinches on the seed heads. Another bird-friendly tree is a dense evergreen that will provide chilled birds with a refuge from cats or hawks and a place to get out of the wind. Such amenities will attract uncommon species of birds to your yard and add considerable excitement to looking out your windows. There is no reason that urban habitat should be sterile and useless to wildlife. Indeed, a habitat that provides naturally for the needs of wild birds is a very pleasant place for humans, too. This kind of landscaping can add greatly to the value and enjoyment of your home. And if you ever want to sell, there's nothing like a yard full of singing birds to give a house curb appeal. Paul

Paul - we buy ours by the pound from the pet shop - guess it doesn't have any of that in because there doesn't seem to be any waste! LOL They do prefer stripey sunflowers seeds though - although the black hearts will do at a pinch! lol Magsxx P.S. (following your last message) - you ought to see the feeding frenzy that goes on on my Mahonia - a flock of blackbirds or starlings can strip all the ripe berries off in minutes! Good idea re dead flower heads - not only the seeds but lurking insects too and something I do do - not a lazy gardener honest! lol P.P.S. Oooooh! - forgot the green finches - lots of those - but no gold finches sadly

Terence, Just a repeat of something I have written before. Lack of success with various bird feeders prompted me to use fat-balls(in netting) pinned to the ground with a cane. This is very successful and the birds ignore next doors hanging feeders to wait in turn at the one on the ground. Only the blue tits use one I have in a tree Possible the reason is that even for birds it,s much easier to feed with your feet on the ground. One other tiny thing - two robins use my ground feeder - I alaways thought you only saw one in any given area. happy days

Harry - I'm confused by the robin thing too - we seem to have two pairs - at least there were two feeding and two sitting on the Berberis waiting for their turn - odd that. The robins have their own regular perch - better not prune that little branch! Some of our feeders are wedged in between branches and tied on - that way whoever wants a feed in comfort can! lol We have a free standing hanger too - on a pole with hooks for putting the feeders on and a regular bird table. All mod cons! They take no notice of our cat at all - who sometimes lays under the tree - but do they get their own back! Bombs away! lol I like the idea of ground feeding too - but we put food on the garage roof perhaps that serves as well - hope so. Magsxx

thank you everyone for all the info...much apreciated...birds to make life cheerfull...cant beat being woken by a blackbird singing at dawn:):)

this is the third year running that we have had 2 pairs of doves too. lovely things ! last year , we found one of their nests in the garden with a very fat chick sat in it , the rspca advesed us to pop it back in the tree and watch ! we were thrilled when [ after inspecting for ages] they finally returned to the chick ! i hope they build their nests a bit better this year- trouble is the conifers really do need a trim, but i wont let hubby do 'em ! sue.

did you realise how many british birds we can care for Barn Owl Blackbird Blackcap Black-headed Gull Black Redstart Blue Tit Brambling Bullfinch Buzzard Carrion Crow Chaffinch Chiffchaff Coal Tit Collared Dove Common Gull Coot Crested Tit Crossbill Cuckoo Dunnock Feral Pigeon Fieldfare Garden Warbler Goldcrest Goldfinch Goshawk Great Black-backed Gull Great Spotted Woodpecker Great Tit Greenfinch Green Woodpecker Grey Heron Grey Partridge Grey Wagtail Hawfinch Herring Gull Hoopoe House Martin House Sparrow Jackdaw Jay Kestrel Kingfisher Lapwing Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Lesser Whitethroat Linnet Little Owl Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Tit Magpie Mallard Marsh Tit Meadow Pipit Mistle Thrush Moorhen Nightingale Nuthatch Peregrine Pheasant Pied Flycatcher Pied Wagtail Quail Raven Red Kite Red-legged Partridge Redpoll Redstart Redwing Reed Bunting Ring-necked Parakeet Robin Rook Sand Martin Serin Short-eared Owl Siskin Skylark Song Thrush Sparrowhawk Spotted Flycatcher Starling Stock Dove Stonechat Swallow Swift Tawny Owl Treecreeper Tree Sparrow Turtle Dove Waxwing Whinchat Whitethroat Willow Tit Willow Warbler Wood Pigeon Wren Yellow Wagtail Yellowhammer Paul

paul- no wonder i feel stressed, all that responsibility ! must admit, i do have a bird book on the kitchen windowsill, to try and name any i dont recognise.

behave here sue..:):)

I have assorted feeders on poles about 4ft from my kitchen window and love watching all the different birds feeding. I use the mixed seed from the RSPB - and notice a lot of the birds, particularly the tits, take a sunflower seed and fly off to a nearby tree. There they hold it on the branch with their feet and open the shell. Strikes me as a lot of wasted energy for them, especially at this time of year - so have decided my next lot of mixed seeds will be the kind without shells/husks. OK its more expensive - but is it? After all, buying it the other way means you are also paying for useless shell cases. lol There are a lot of birds who prefer to feed on the ground, some cant even cope with getting on to the hanging feeders. I had great laughs at a blackbird last year that was trying to feed from a square fat holder - he eventually managed it tho. But a table is good for ground feeders too and i now have one of those as well and it is usually visited by the blackbirds and robins. Sparrows like the ground too and quite often when i go outside, i frighten off half a dozen or more who were feeding underneath the hanging feeders, but i couldnt see them from my window. Sue PS - does anyone else get annoyed when watching Eastenders and hear a blackbird singing in the background - no matter what time of year!?!?! lol

Ever heard a Robin singing before it is light in the mornings? - Wonderful! I think I am right when I say that Nightingales are the only other birds to sing when it's dark - but will stand corrected! Magsxx

I think one of the joys of watching the birds(again preferably on the ground) is watching the pecking order, and see which birds will wait for another. I peg mine in just about 6 feet from the living room window. The blackbird takes preference over the smaller birds, but will often retire if about half a dozen sparrows arrive. The robins happily feed with the sparrows. Has anyone tried the transparent feeders which apparently attaches to your window - if it works it seems ideal? Happy days