Attracting birds to garden

[arclight]

I have numerous suet balls, a variety of seeds and 4 bags of peanuts.
The peanuts have been hanging up for about 4 weeks.

Blue tits and great tits are more or less constantly present as are a few other common birds.
The suet and seeds get devoured, but not a single bird will go on to the nuts despite them having done so in the past.

Could there be something wrong with that batch of nuts?

 

[markyboy.1967]

Try crushing up the peanuts a bit so that the white nut parts shows all over your feeder. I have the suet balls and peanuts together and both get used but they sem to preffer the bite sized bits of nut.

 

[Yardbent]

and 4 bags of peanuts.
The peanuts have been hanging up for about 4 weeks...

the little red nylon bags are not a good idea as they can get their toes entangled - use wire mesh feeders - which also provide 'perches'

replace peanuts after 7 days as in damp weather they 'can' go moldy

maybe birds can smell/sense this ?

 

[scottthehat]

my advice is dont put alot of peanuts out they go moldy so fast(need changing once a week) buy some crushed peanuts.

 

[DonnaM]

I have found sunflower seeds to be far better than peanuts, if you can get/afford the husk free ones even better. I have a 4 perch feeder that is refilled every 1-2 days with sunflower seeds, peanuts and niger seed are only eaten when the sunflower seed runs out.

 

[arclight]

Thanks folks - I suspect the problem is, as suggested, mouldy peanuts.

 

[scottthehat]

I have found sunflower seeds to be far better than peanuts, if you can get/afford the husk free ones even better. I have a 4 perch feeder that is refilled every 1-2 days with sunflower seeds, peanuts and niger seed are only eaten when the sunflower seed runs out.

sun heart seeds (golfinches and sparrows love them)

 

[mrtoad]

the seeds and feeds hanging there make a stopover risky for the birds..being in an easily predated position in full view
scatter seeds in the underbrush and towards the patio or clear area etc
set up and wait
you will get all sorts browsing...even a wren

 

[Galaxy66]

Thanks folks - I suspect the problem is, as suggested, mouldy peanuts.

Also in warmer weather they can dry out and and become stale.

 

[artyman]

Placing feeders near some bushes gives them a place to hide if predatoors are about or they feel threatened. What about neighbourhood cats, any of them ever appear.

 

[arclight]

Placing feeders near some bushes gives them a place to hide if predatoors are about or they feel threatened. What about neighbourhood cats, any of them ever appear.

No, I don't get cats and there are no bushes or shrubs.
I changed my garden over to low maintenance - decorative stone & gravel, apart from a lawn.

 

[Byker28i]

I've got a big ball feeder filled with cheap seed from Asda that sits in the climbing rose about 24" from out lounge window. The sparrows love it and generally hog the place, but we've recently got Tit's feeding from it now.

 

[Yv]

the peanuts in my feeders get eaten mainly by squidgers, however this is partly deliberate, because whilst there are peanuts there, they leave the stuff the birds prefer alone, so the sunflower hearts, homemade fat & seed balls, etc, feed the birds. The birds will eat the peanuts, but as a last choice.
However, I do put out whole peanuts, as in still in the shells, in another spot in the garden, as the magpies and jays love them [they take them and bury them in the grass too and then come back for them later, its quite amusing watching them foraging around trying to remember where they left them] and also serves the purpose of keeping the bigger hungrier birds off the smaller feeders.

oh yes, I can even get the flighty magpies landing on the windowsills now using the monkey nuts, they love em so much

 

[artyman]

No, I don't get cats and there are no bushes or shrubs.
I changed my garden over to low maintenance - decorative stone & gravel, apart from a lawn.

Low maintenenace might be OK for you but it doesn't look attractive to birds, so you either need to make some changes or accept that you may find it hard to get them visiting. Is there a water source for them to drink from and to bathe

 

[Yardbent]

Placing feeders near some bushes gives them a place to hide if predatoors are about or they feel threatened. What about neighbourhood cats, any of them ever appear.

small pieces always fall from seed feeders onto the ground.....:thumbsdown:

RSPB advice is to place feeders about 6' FROM bushes so cats cannot ambush

 

[arclight]

Low maintenenace might be OK for you but it doesn't look attractive to birds, so you either need to make some changes or accept that you may find it hard to get them visiting. Is there a water source for them to drink from and to bathe

Yes, that is quite correct and when I changed the garden over too that the birds did disappear for a while and there are definately far fewer in summer.
However, there is no shortage of them just now because they are hungry and I put out plenty of food.

 

[LCPete]

I actually find that our birds ignore the nuts and go for the seeds and fatballs too thought it was just me

 

[Scarecrow]

Refilled the seed feeders and suet ball stations a little earlier. Birds were back on them feeding before I had managed to get back in and wash and dry my hands.

Really ought to try and get some photos as besides the usual plethora of sparrows, we have been seeing a family of long tailed tits and the occasional spotted woodpecker.

 

[easylife]

Had nuts and suet balls out for years, this year we tried niger seeds and sunflower hearts as well, had three pair of goldfinches all summer, they loved the sunflower hearts

 

[Yv]

Refilled the seed feeders and suet ball stations a little earlier. Birds were back on them feeding before I had managed to get back in and wash and dry my hands.

Do they sit in the surrounding shrubs sounding for all the the world like they are shouting at you to hurry up?

 

[Scarecrow]

Do they sit in the surrounding shrubs sounding for all the the world like they are shouting at you to hurry up?

It sometimes sounds like it. Had a little robin sitting in the hedge singing his heart out earlier, and that was after I'd done the refill!

 

[Crazyhorse]

Had nuts and suet balls out for years, this year we tried niger seeds and sunflower hearts as well, had three pair of goldfinches all summer, they loved the sunflower hearts

Hi

Do you put the niger seeds and sunflower hearts in feeders, or just put them on a table or something?

Thanks

Lisa

 

[Trev4]

I changed my garden over to low maintenance - decorative stone & gravel, apart from a lawn.

I made the same mistake, just great for ease of maintenance and it looks good, but it stopped all the visiting birds. We kept a few shrubs around 4 feet high in the borders, and used bark around the borders, the rest is rocks and pebbles with potted flowers.

Its been 2 years now and even though there has been fresh seed, fat balls, meal worms, water etc, it was only at the start of this winter that we saw a couple of sparrows feeding. There has now been the odd GT, BT, blackbird and a regular Dunnock and Robin, but their visits are short and not every day either.

If I had realised this, I would have thought more about changing the garden in the first place.

The foods I have available are: Mixed seed, sunflower seeds (black and white), peanuts, nyger seed, fat balls, dried meal worms, these are on both hanging feeders on a bird table and on ground feeders under feeder cages, plus a good supply of water for drinking and bathing. All the feeders are close to the shrubs to give cover. I'm going to try Yv's recipe and suet to see if it helps.

All I can suggest to arclight is to be patient and keep trying, hopefully in time they will return but it seems a long job.

 

[Yardbent]

Hi

Do you put the niger seeds and sunflower hearts in feeders, or just put them on a table or something? Thanks Lisa

either...................
if on a table their poo can get mixed up with the feed - so must be changed and cleaned regularly - daily ?

i prefer hanging feeders

niger seeds are very small and will fall out standard feeder
P&H do a niger feeder which has smaller holes

dont buy black sunflower seeds - they are cheaper but the discarded husks make a god damn mess

sunflower hearts are super calories but expensive

fat balls provide a good source of easily digested fat

 

[Yardbent]

Yardbents SUPER SUET SONGBIRD SUPPER STICK.................

cut top off 1L cardboard milk carton

attach cardboard top to 1M fine chain

insert into carton and fill with peanuts

melt 2 packs Suet - pour into carton - chill in fridge

with a Stanley knife, score down each side and peel away carton

hang in tree ................sorted ........lasts a week minimum

Good project for the sprogs - except the knife bit ...:nono:

 

[easylife]

Hi

Do you put the niger seeds and sunflower hearts in feeders, or just put them on a table or something?

Thanks

Lisa[/QUOTE

Nuts in mesh feeder
Niger seed (transparent niger seed tube)
Sunflower hearts go in tube feeder,
The only things that go on the table are the meal/meel? worms (dried and live ones) they are for robins, small amounts daily as robins tend to feed off of flat surfaces,
Also in Spring, after grooming the dog (soft haired) I put the hair on a bush and the birds come for it to line there nests

 

[A.Gibson]

we put a little bit of everything on our ground feeder including nuts, seed, sunflower hearts, meal worms (dried), and a suet ball (out of the bag) for the black birds as we get about 20 in the garden every morning as none of them eat off the feeders. they love it.lol

 

[arclight]

I actually find that our birds ignore the nuts and go for the seeds and fatballs too thought it was just me

Neighbours have said that to me too.

 

[arclight]

I made the same mistake, just great for ease of maintenance and it looks good, but it stopped all the visiting birds. We kept a few shrubs around 4 feet high in the borders, and used bark around the borders, the rest is rocks and pebbles with potted flowers.

Its been 2 years now and even though there has been fresh seed, fat balls, meal worms, water etc, it was only at the start of this winter that we saw a couple of sparrows feeding. There has now been the odd GT, BT, blackbird and a regular Dunnock and Robin, but their visits are short and not every day either.

If I had realised this, I would have thought more about changing the garden in the first place.

The foods I have available are: Mixed seed, sunflower seeds (black and white), peanuts, nyger seed, fat balls, dried meal worms, these are on both hanging feeders on a bird table and on ground feeders under feeder cages, plus a good supply of water for drinking and bathing. All the feeders are close to the shrubs to give cover. I'm going to try Yv's recipe and suet to see if it helps.

All I can suggest to arclight is to be patient and keep trying, hopefully in time they will return but it seems a long job.

I really did not expect the drop in bird life to be so dramatic and coupled with the general drop in this area it has made it quite severe.
However some broadleaf trees have been planted just outside my boundary at the top of the garden so that may help in time.
I may plant a few largish specimens next year to help things.

 

[wack61]

but not a single bird will go on to the nuts despite them having done so in the past.

Sounds familiar

 

[cowasaki]

Sounds familiar

There's always one

 

[wack61]

I'm surprised it took that long

 

[towershot]

Well I only just saw this, been greasing me nuts...................................so they don't go rusty....