Wez's Feeding Station Thread

wezza13

wezza13

Messages
3,356
Name
Wez
Edit My Images
Yes
A couple of weeks ago, I sectioned off a corner of the field over at my mother-in-law's farm. The intention is to build a feeding station for the birds with a lightweight, movable hide. I've put up a load of feeders and temporary perches, to get the birds accustomed to the fact that there will now be food available for them. The first few days, obviously, the feeders hadn't been touched much. Few days later, they've definitely been used. Went over there this morning, to check on them and top them up, and there loads of birds already! I could stand there without my bag hide and they (largely) ignored me.

The plan is, in a couple of weeks time, to take away the existing feeders and then build a single (quite big) log pile with 2 or 3 perches and a couple of king-size feeders. Hopefully, this will still be enough to keep them hanging around.

It's very much a work in progress so I'm going to put all of my photo's from it in this thread.

Any suggestions on what or what not to do are greatly appreciated :)

Here are a couple just from today, Dunnock was in the tree, whereas the Robin used one of the perches. The poor little fella has a deformed foot :(

Robin (with deformed foot) by Wez Filtness, on Flickr

DSC_2899.jpg
 
Poor little Robin! :(
Love the Dunnock but poor guy does look out in the cold, really portrays the weather these past couple of days :)
 
Poor little guy, taken a good few photos of song birds with deformities this year, always the feet, some of the ones I have show fishing line and plastic! Sad that people can't pick up such things, also around the lakes even worse, lines with hooks and bait that has been snapped up in trees, sadly too far to get :(

Good going with the feeding, I spent £toomuch quid or so this year on feeders and nuts, mind you, think I have enough food for the next six months :)
 
Last edited:
gramps said:
Poor little Robin! :(
Love the Dunnock but poor guy does look out in the cold, really portrays the weather these past couple of days :)
Click to expand...

I know, it's so cold that I have taken the last couple of mornings off to go out with the camera in the sun. What a shame! ;)

arthurbikemad said:
Poor little guy, taken a good few photos of song birds with deformities this year, always the feet, some of the ones I have show fishing line and plastic! Sad that people can't pick up such things, also around the lakes even worse, lines with hooks and bait that has been snapped up in trees, sadly too far to get :(

Good going with the feeding, I spent £200 quid or so this year on feeders and nuts, mind you, think I have enough food for the next six months :)
Click to expand...

It didn't seem to bother him too much but poor little thing. Shame to hear about the fishing line and that. You'd really hope that people were a bit more aware of littering these days but it seems there're still a lot of ignorant people around :(

tman said:
Pretty cold looking Dunnock, nice shot :clap::clap::plus1:

:exit:
Click to expand...

Thanks, it was even colder photographing him! :)
 
really good project Wez, include a pole, (tree trunk with holes), for Woodpeckers

good luck
 
Last edited:
A couple of points from my station days,a whole raw suet from the butchers wrapped in chicken wire (obviously no sharp wires left) will last for ages,GSW love it,if you ever build a solid sided hide make a viewing window of neutral density perspex or even i suppose the car window tint stuff on clear perspex and you can sit back and watch with out being seen.
 
wezza13 said:
Will do, Male GSW was there this morning at the top of the nearest tree. Had a fly off from a Green Woodpecker too. What's a good way to attract Greenies? Can't really put down a pile of ants! :D
Click to expand...
Pine seeds and fruit ,if its a lawn its feeding on then place some rocks on the ground.
 
Last edited:
mikew said:
A couple of points from my station days,a whole raw suet from the butchers wrapped in chicken wire (obviously no sharp wires left) will last for ages,GSW love it,if you ever build a solid sided hide make a viewing window of neutral density perspex or even i suppose the car window tint stuff on clear perspex and you can sit back and watch with out being seen.
Click to expand...

Thanks Mike. I was thinking of making a portable one out of tarpaulin and maybe a wooden pallet, maybe not portable per se, but something that can be taken down and put back up relatively quickly. It's a field that's used for the horses but it's out of action for them, for the time being.

den said:
Pine seeds and fruit ,if its a lawn its feeding on then place some rocks on the ground.
Click to expand...

Thanks Den, will definitely try that for the Green Wp's.

It's a field that normally has horses in, situated next to a massive hazelnut orchard, not accessible to the public. I was thinking about putting up a trail cam there too. She only lives 10 mins away from us, so not too tricky going backwards and forwards to try new things.

We're staying over there Xmas and Boxing day, so you can guess where I'll be on Xmas morning.........that's right, watching the kids open their pressies! ;)
 
Trail cam is a good idea ,when i start a project i usualy buy one then sell it on afterwards(when i have enough info for what i want ),you may find that you get a certain subject coming in that could lead to a longer project in order to achieve some unique shots,Fox etc ...its surprising ,it can take time but you only reep what you sow ,i have been trying all week to get the Goldrest on a perch i have set up , ive had the blue tit,wren and coal tit land but not the Goldcrest ,comes a point were i have to resign myself to the fact that it aint going to happen ,but its not for want of trying,...back on your set up ,a lot can be down to trail and error in postioning ,the more you watch the more you get to know about the subjects ,to the point were they will be predictable...
A good project is a reflection pool ,i have some of the plastic trays that i tried for the owl that i gave up on ,as i just didnt like the result ,could keep you busy for months ,i know if i didnt have a full time job ,i would have a little owl set up all year round as the list is endless as to what i could do......
On the green woodpecker ,i tried for one a couple of years ago ,i did get shots but found the bird was coming in just before dusk ,what i did was call it 30 mins or so before dusk when it was coming in and just hope that it was already around as to hear the call ,at the end of the day i suppose its down to what you want to get out of it ...
 
den said:
Trail cam is a good idea ,when i start a project i usualy buy one then sell it on afterwards(when i have enough info for what i want ),you may find that you get a certain subject coming in that could lead to a longer project in order to achieve some unique shots,Fox etc ...its surprising ,it can take time but you only reep what you sow ,i have been trying all week to get the Goldrest on a perch i have set up , ive had the blue tit,wren and coal tit land but not the Goldcrest ,comes a point were i have to resign myself to the fact that it aint going to happen ,but its not for want of trying,...back on your set up ,a lot can be down to trail and error in postioning ,the more you watch the more you get to know about the subjects ,to the point were they will be predictable...
A good project is a reflection pool ,i have some of the plastic trays that i tried for the owl that i gave up on ,as i just didnt like the result ,could keep you busy for months ,i know if i didnt have a full time job ,i would have a little owl set up all year round as the list is endless as to what i could do......
On the green woodpecker ,i tried for one a couple of years ago ,i did get shots but found the bird was coming in just before dusk ,what i did was call it 30 mins or so before dusk when it was coming in and just hope that it was already around as to hear the call ,at the end of the day i suppose its down to what you want to get out of it ...
Click to expand...

We see Fallow deer over there occasionally, so hopefully can incorporate that into the station. Going to have a look this weekend for a half-decent trailcam.

Green Woodpecker is a shot in decent light that I've wanted to get since I started wildlife photography. Suppose it's just because it's a tricky but beautifully coloured subject. We all know how twitchy they are, so will hopefully get a go at one. (y)

Watching them yesterday morning, there was a particular branch out of the whole tree that the Great Tits preferred to land on and then take off from. So will look to make the most of those.

I set it up on the edge of the field, so I could take advantage of most of the sun. About 40 feet away, there's a big woodland with a stream running through it. I was going to put it next to the edge of that but as it's a slope leading down to it, a lot of the time, I would've been in lowlight conditions, which is a shame.
 
Great idea Wez and some nice shots to start off with. Look forward to seeing how this progresses!
 
Put food and they will come - also water in the summer! Focus on teh poerches and the background with respect to the light. Good luck and I look forward to seeing teh results
 
Nice start.looking forward to the updates.

IIRC, you are a D500 man...what glass are you using on it ?
 
Mate lots of words to repeat here but just brief monster luck and love the start:cool: I know a spot, wood edge, where fallow come to food put out they could well show mate
Cool can't wait for more

take care kiddo

Stu
 
Great idea. In our garden the one food that is liked by all the birds are sunflower hearts. Even the goldfinches, which are supposed to really go for niger seed, tend to ignore the niger in favour of sunflower hearts, and ground feeding birds such as dunnocks like them too. We use sunflower hearts to reduce the mess from sunflower seeds but as your set up is in a corner of a field the mess would not be a problem, I guess; and the sunflower seeds are cheaper. You could drill a few holes in some of the logs and plug them with peanuts and or suet. If the holes are in the right place they would not be noticeable in photos.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Great idea. In our garden the one food that is liked by all the birds are sunflower hearts. Even the goldfinches, which are supposed to really go for niger seed, tend to ignore the niger in favour of sunflower hearts, and ground feeding birds such as dunnocks like them too. We use sunflower hearts to reduce the mess from sunflower seeds but as your set up is in a corner of a field the mess would not be a problem, I guess; and the sunflower seeds are cheaper. You could drill a few holes in some of the logs and plug them with peanuts and or suet. If the holes are in the right place they would not be noticeable in photos.

Dave
Click to expand...

Indeed Dave, the sunflower hearts are my go-to as well. The Goldies have never got on with the Niger seed that I used to put out. Had a nice 25kg bag of sunflower hearts delivered last week ;)
 
wezza13 said:
Thanks, Stu.

Any idea on what'd be good to maybe tempt them out?
Click to expand...
Buddy I visit a hide (rarely it has to be said,I feel uneasy there as there might be potential conflict between togs and public) that is fundamentally baited for birds. Mate they are using left overs from a restuarant,bread rolls veggies that type of thing. As well as peanut feeders for the birds.

The deer, part of the vast huge wild herd I go after have found it and visit regularly. I've only ever seen fawns and does Wez never a mature buck,but also both sexes of muntjac. Ha I have some damn funny pics of deer with a roll being munched tongues allways.:D They come close there Wez...yards...... there is a constant bussel from the hide and they have obviously got used to that,even though they are incredibly jumpy.

Wez back to those peanut feeders,hole saw into a log,cover with that thick plastic mesh for birds to peck through held in place by screws. Good for us mate as can be very descrete if placed at the right angle to your hide. Much better than the conventional mesh cylinder thang for us trying to grab natural looking images. bit of a fiddle but worth it GWS love them,but never seen a green on them,mind Den has you there,me too buddy still want a really good green woodpecker shot.;) Dupiclating Dave's post a bit mate but the idea works really well for us easpecially

Wez it is a vast fallow herd here,they are frankly out of control number wise at the site where I go. So that density of population may be a factor in why some have been tempted by the grub on offer at the hide, I adore the fact that little human kids see bambi at the hide, yards away ,so tend to leave the hide for those kids and tend to go after them via for the deer stalking as you know. I think it may well be worth you trying to scout the land see if you can find runs etc. It's plausible you might find better photo chances elsewhere to your feeding station with a bit of fieldcraft. That said they could come it is def possible:).

Mate one thing I'd add as the cautious old sod I am:rolleyes: It might be worth chatting about rodent control with the farmer. There is always an influx of rats etc towards farmbuildings at this time of year. ,With food available constantly this is a facet to address early on. Mate obviously rats might be something you want to photograph they have appeal to some,not so much too many,But it is certainly something that I would chat about early on in a project like this with the farmer :numbers can get silly and that might be a situation you would want to avoid
All the luck bro I hope this helps, really get a handle on that land Wez who goes where look hard for runs, hair on bramble or wire...pooh footprints in soft mud etc.... might help ID who moved camera traps confirm While I feel your feeding station and hide might be only part of the potential for you, I hope this helps a bit mate as before can't wait to see your progress

All the luck bro

take care

Stu
 
Sounds a great project.

Look forward to seeing results, especially the woodpeckers...............

(why did the owl howl??

Cos the woodpecker would peck 'er)

Keeping the day job.....................

Mj
 
Popped over there this afternoon to refill feeders. Shame I couldn't get over there until about 2.30pm and the sun had already gone below the tree line.

As I started to walk over to the feeders, once in the field, I heard and saw a Jay in the tree above. That was promising. One more step and it flew off. I saw orange to my right. There, by the patch of brambles, was a fox staring at me. I slowly took my camera out of my bag, which was on my shoulders, and ever so steadily lifted it. He sat there watching me for what felt like an age. As soon as I pressed the shutter...bang, he was off! Got a couple of snapshots but it's nice to know he's around :)

DSC_3855.jpg

DSC_3857.jpg
 
Nice to have him there Wez, time to make it attractive for him :)
 
Have been over to the feeding station every few days to top up the feeders. Unfortunately, weather hasn't been too favourable the last couple of weeks and when it has I've had to work as much as possible.

Went over to them yesterday as was over there for Boxing Day. Lots of tits around mainly Blue's and Great's. Saw a few new species too.Female Kestrel circled a couple of times in the hour and a half I was there. Hundreds of Fieldfare and Redwing flying overhead.

I think the station may be a bit close to the nearby trees though, as they're still quickly flying in, grabbing something, then back to the cover of the trees/scrub. I don't want to move it too far away from them though as I can imagine they'll be put off from it.

Managed to get a few pics yesterday. Have hired a Nikon 200-500 for this week, so these were taken with that - hand-held.

They just didn't want to leave the scrub! :)

Blue Tit by Wez Filtness, on Flickr

Long-Tailed Tit by Wez Filtness, on Flickr


And, a little visitor hanging around (clearest shot I could get of him!)

Goldcrest by Wez Filtness, on Flickr
 
Last edited:
Nice results,you can often make them stay longer to have their pictures taken by putting peanuts through the blender.
 
Fieldfare & Redwing can often be tempted by apples :)
 
Morning Wez

if you do see (small) birds using the same perch, (they quite often will) ...... think about cleaning a few branches up around and in front of the perch so that they do not interfere with your shots
 
BillN_33 said:
Morning Wez

if you do see (small) birds using the same perch, (they quite often will) ...... think about cleaning a few branches up around and in front of the perch so that they do not interfere with your shots
Click to expand...

Morning Bill,

Trying to keep an eye on which ones they tend to use but it does seem to be any branch in the load of trees that are around the station. Thinking of moving it further away from them.

The perches that I do have setup specifically for photographic purposes have lovely clean bg's. Yesterday, it was a case of getting a few photo's rather than none :)
 
Looking forward to seeing more from your fantastic project Wez :clap::clap::clap::clap: Great interesting thread that should go on for ages(y)
 
Some excellent shots considering its relatively new - nice selection of birds. You may want to think about creating some simpler backgrounds for some of the perches to get the better bokeh (IMHO).
TFS and look forward to seeing more!
 
charlychuckchuck said:
Looking forward to seeing more from your fantastic project Wez :clap::clap::clap::clap: Great interesting thread that should go on for ages(y)
Click to expand...

Thanks Charles, certainly hope it does :)

nc_killie said:
Some excellent shots considering its relatively new - nice selection of birds. You may want to think about creating some simpler backgrounds for some of the perches to get the better bokeh (IMHO).
TFS and look forward to seeing more!
Click to expand...

Thank you :)

If you look at the Robin at the top of the thread, I've got about 5 perches setup with OOF bg's (y) (Trying to get them to land on them though!)
 
Put some new feeders out in our garden this last week and we've now got another bossy female Blackcap trying to chase off the Sparrows. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top