Please feed the birds !!!

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Dean
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Please everyone make a special effort to feed the birds this week, this is what my bird table looked like this morning with 18inch of snow, within 2 minutes of clearing it off there were lots of blackbirds and sparrows that were very hungry !!

Dean

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Yes, Cannot stress this enough, before my trip this week I brimmed my feeders and will get back to them when I get home late tomorrow.
Fat balls are good for them in the weather I believe.
Also, Fresh water is needed too, its hard with it freezing constantly - but please try.

If you don't look after the birds in your garden this year, who will? and how will you get those stunning shots of springs young delights?
 
Wow that snow is unreal. Not seen it like that in the UK before, well nothing like that here in the captial.
As for feeding birds - definitely good advice.
 
Wow that snow is unreal. Not seen it like that in the UK before, well nothing like that here in the captial.
As for feeding birds - definitely good advice.

We use to get this when we was kids every year we had snow some years worst then others, then we had summers as well....
 
I think most of us feed them all year round I do anyway, I am also feeding where I take my dog every morning costs a fortune but very well worth it, even got others doing it now over there, but every little helps so keep feeding everyone, my god Dean you have had it bad there
 
My feeders are all full and they had nice warm water in the bath today and were loving it :D
 
If feeding at a remote location, bear in mind that birds expend energy looking for food, if they come to that location regularly then find it empty because you have stopped feeding they have expended vital energy resources for no reward. Certainly put plenty of supplies in your garden, encouraging regular visits there can be no bad thing.
 
Nothing seems to come to my feeder(s), I keep them clean and they are not near any predators, but still nothing, summer or winter. We do have birds in the area as I have seen them but alas they pass me by.
No idea why though, any thoughts anyone?

Matt
 
Just had my first Grey Wagtail on the bird table, it must be hungry at least its finding something on there worth pecking at. The snow is forecast to keep coming over night and wait for it north Scotland is expecting -25 to -30 tomorrow night:eek::eek:

Dean
 
Good post and a timely reminder. (y)

The average life of a lot of our birds is only 12-18 months in many cases. They have a hard time of it in bad weather and these sorts of conditions can just decimate their numbers.

I've noticed the birds not bothering with the fat balls much the last couple of days - presumably because they're frozen hard, so I've doubled up on scattered seed.
 
Nothing seems to come to my feeder(s), I keep them clean and they are not near any predators, but still nothing, summer or winter. We do have birds in the area as I have seen them but alas they pass me by.
No idea why though, any thoughts anyone?

Matt

A pic of your garden/feeder setup might help Matt.
 
We don't get much snow around here as a rule, but we feed the birds all year round, and increase it in the winter. I had a look out of the window just now and we've got starlings, sparrows, blue tits, a pair of blackbirds and a chaffinch on the feeders right now. There's a robin that visits too, and a few other birds I'm not sure of - I'm no expert.

We also get the odd visit from the local sparrowhawks looking for a meal too, and there was a buzzard perching in the garden a few weeks back. They're common around here, but I've never seen that before, and wondered if it could be a falconer's bird but it wasn't wearing jesses. I'll try to post a photograph, but it won't be great - shot through glass.

There was a letter in the local paper recently by someone complaining about a peregrine hunting and killing in his garden - I have seen them in the area - and suggesting that the raptors should be culled because they're impacting the rest of the bird population. Bizarre.
 
The rewards are great too. Last week i had a male GSW, and today a female. Unfortunately, i had the wrong lens on, so a feeder shot was the only option.
Great-spotted%20Woodpecker%20%28fem%29%20001.jpg
 
I've used 50kg of sunflower hearts in the last 2 months along with other stuff and still havent managed a good photo of the goldfinches!!!

Sunflower hearts are great as they don't have to expend any energy taking the black husks off (y)
 
I've noticed the birds not bothering with the fat balls much the last couple of days - presumably because they're frozen hard, so I've doubled up on scattered seed.

Same here Ced`s and yes you are right about them being frozen. I have just stuffed the fatball feeder and blocks of suet food inside a thick Laurel bush which is in the garden. Whilst we have not had the amount of snow some have experienced the wind factor is still very cold. Being an evergreen I believe the Laurel still photosynthesize`s in winter and generates O2, this plus the protection from the wind might help keep the food edible for them :shrug:
 
I put seed out each day and, in this weather keep some water unfrozen during the day, but the real favourite, with my robin and blackbirds, are dried mealworms. I get so much pleasure from seeing my robin looking in the window that I spend lots of money on them, putting some out **** time I see him, in the hope that he will manage to get some before the blackbirds chase him away.
 
I've had home-made fatty cakes out the last couple of days, along with handfulls of seeds. The Blackbirds, which are usually the most timid, can almost be hand-fed at the moment.
Yesterday there were around 150 Starlings at the same time:eek: along with 2 Rock Pigeons, a Turnstone, Snipe, 30ish Sparrows and the 4 Blackbirds.

Toying with the idea of setting the camera outside and operating it remotely for some close-up action shots... Hope it doesn't get crapped on too much!:D
 
I buy food in bulk, from a supplier who does next day.

Hope nobody minds me posting a link

http://www.wildbirddirect.com/index.php

They probably arent the cheapest but they are fair and they deliver on time.

I feed Nijer for Goldfinches

Mixed seed for the sparrows

Sunflower including the husks for the Tits. The Pigoens get the husks. I hate Pigeons except the woodies but fairs fair they still need food.

I feed fat balls for everyone plus my family of Squirrels, they love them.

And peanuts for Mr Squigge and family just because they pose for me in return.
 
Forget the birds,,,,, my wife is feeding me 'home made' fatty cakes as we speak. ;) It is cold.:eek:
 
Ive got the black sunflower seeds which bring in Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Nuthatch, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin and even a brief cameo from a Goldcrest....other garden regulars have been Blackbird and Mistle Thrush...Kestrel made an appearance a few weeks back to.

Have Meal worm in the feeder at the mo but nothing seems fancy them...maybe they are frozen?!?!

How do you make the 'fat ball's' ?
 
Actually it's very rare for that cat to have a bird, he's way too stupid.

The female cat we have is much more clever, she gets rid of the bell first then gets the birds.
 
Seem to have a Robin, Blue Tits, Starlings, Pigeons (the big variety!), 2 squirrels, Blackbirds visiting the bird feeder.

Got some suet pellet things from the RSPB which are going down very well! The Robin particularly loves them. Yesterday the Robin sat less than 2 feet away from me whilst I replenished the suet pellets and then promptly eat away whilst I stood there.

I notice the Robin swallows Snow as well!
 
The_hide.jpg

This was how my hide looked when I got there on Monday (4 mile walk)
You can now double the depth of the snow. This morning it was 20 inches deep so I dug out an area for the ground feeding birds. While I was doing that I was being divebombed by Coal Tits!
Not sure what I will find there tomorrow as it is still snowing.
Friendly farmer has snowploughed a road to help me get food to the hordes with the quad bike.
 
Loaded up my feeding tray this afternoon and our resident blackbird sat on the fence watching me. Moved away and so did the blackbird and never saw it again!! Couple of wages came and had a feed so they were happy. Hopefully Mr Blackbird will come back in the morning.
 
James said:
This was how my hide looked when I got there on Monday (4 mile walk)
You can now double the depth of the snow. This morning it was 20 inches deep so I dug out an area for the ground feeding birds. While I was doing that I was being divebombed by Coal Tits!
Not sure what I will find there tomorrow as it is still snowing.
Friendly farmer has snowploughed a road to help me get food to the hordes with the quad bike.

Wow! That's a Hilton of a hide James, you could get a stove in that, and coupled with a friendly farmer, its a winter bird photography holiday break.;)
 
I can't feed the birds.

My cat ate our last Robin...

My two cats eat my Robin and they are dead meat. But then the wife would kill me :puke: Them Robins are the cause of all domestic arguements :LOL:
 
Hell's teeth ! That is what you call snow !!!
Strangely my garden visitors are not eating as much at the moment as they were emptying a good sized feeder of black sunflower seeds a day up until last weekend !?
John
 
A pic of your garden/feeder setup might help Matt.


Had birds visiting last year, I've also spread some seeds on the upper patio, which now has bird "footprints", so hopefully they will visit the feeder soon.
Matt
 
Nothing seems to come to my feeder(s), I keep them clean and they are not near any predators, but still nothing, summer or winter. We do have birds in the area as I have seen them but alas they pass me by.
No idea why though, any thoughts anyone?

Matt

do you leave peanuts out more than 5-7 days in the feeder - they go mouldy - and the birds seem to know

chuck some ground seed down - maybe the birds will gain confidence seeing others feed
 


Had birds visiting last year, I've also spread some seeds on the upper patio, which now has bird "footprints", so hopefully they will visit the feeder soon.
Matt

put the feeder at the other end of the shed near the tree

birds love an escape area in case anything startles them - my 50+ ground feeders swoop up into the tree at any 'fright'
 
Same amount of birds coming to me at the moment, with the added bonus of the GSW. Didn't even know we had any close by, never seen sight nor sound in the local park.

At the moment, just after light, around 8:00, the robin is first to appear, followed by a few blackbirds. Then come the goldfinches, who are roundly chased by the robin and then the plethora of great, blue and coal tits. Woody usually turns up at around 8:20

Late for work every day this week :D

If you can, put apples and pears on the ground for blackbirds - they love 'em
 
Please everyone make a special effort to feed the birds this week, this is what my bird table looked like this morning with 18inch of snow, within 2 minutes of clearing it off there were lots of blackbirds and sparrows that were very hungry !!

Dean

DSC_0029.jpg

:agree:(y)
 
put the feeder at the other end of the shed near the tree

birds love an escape area in case anything startles them - my 50+ ground feeders swoop up into the tree at any 'fright'

I'll give it a go and see if I get any results, cheers.
Matt
 
I'll give it a go and see if I get any results, cheers.
Matt

Hi Matt,

Another thought is to try a different feed I have got 5 feeders up and very seldom does anything come to the nuts, I get lots at a good quality seed mix, sunflower seeds with husks get fabulous results and the Niger seed gets the goldie's. It took a while to get established but even the coal and blue tits turn there noses up at the nuts in favour of the sun flower seeds ??

Dean
 
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