Continue putting out bird seed?

BenEadir

Hi all,

I just want to check if putting out bird seed (I use a general seed mix) is the right thing to do this time of year? In spring it is very popular with tits and robins etc but they seem to have stopped using it in the last while.

In cold frost/snow type weather (Dec-Feb) I usually put out some fat balls also which go down a treat.

Am I doing something wrong??

Ben

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Nothing wrong whatsoever. I was thinking of putting a thread up reminding people, who stopped feeding garden birds in summer, to start again now that October is here.
A general seed mix is as good as anything - I usually add porridge oats and some cheap currents or raisins to the mix. An odd chopped apple is appreciated as well. A few peanuts in a feeder goes down well too. I restrict fats until the really harsh cold of Dec to Feb myself. Seed on a bird table with a little on the ground, if possible, will work a treat. Don't put too much out as it goes to waste and can attract rodents.

magicbastarder

our birds have yet to discover the seed heads on the sunflowers.

BenEadir

Tinley Careful Grocer wrote: »

Seed on a bird table with a little on the ground, if possible, will work a treat. Don't put too much out as it goes to waste and can attract rodents.

The problem I have is when I put anything out like that the magpies are the only ones who get it, the tits, robins etc don't get a look in hence I use a seed feeder with a guard but it's being ignored :-(

Ben

OpenYourEyes

BenThere wrote: »

The problem I have is when I put anything out like that the magpies are the only ones who get it, the tits, robins etc don't get a look in hence I use a seed feeder with a guard but it's being ignored :-(

Ben

If its being ignored, maybe just half/third fill the seed feeder until you start to notice some visitors - and you can increase the amount you put out from there.

Have you put it out in a place where it has been used before?

magicbastarder

the birds have been ignoring the peanuts in our garden for months too; i end up throwing most of them out.

plus, my birdfeeder managed to attract a different type of bird over the summer - what i think was a sparrowhawk took a sparrow at the feeder while i was only about ten foot away, which i was chuffed to see in a dublin suburb.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

BenThere wrote: »

The problem I have is when I put anything out like that the magpies are the only ones who get it, the tits, robins etc don't get a look in hence I use a seed feeder with a guard but it's being ignored :-(

Ben

Move the feeding station closer to the house to deter magpies. I used to put separate scraps further down the garden for the crows. I never found feeders with guards very effective and indeed don't use feeders for seed at all now. I just put a handful on the table and scatter some on the grass each morning. In winter I'll throw some out early afternoon as well. I average 21 species feeding each week with a garden list of over 60 species since 1997, so it works.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

magicbastarder wrote: »

our birds have yet to discover the seed heads on the sunflowers.

In 20 years of growing sunflowers I never actually saw a bird feed on the seed heads - maybe they find the seed at the feed station easier.

BenEadir

OpenYourEyes wrote: »

Have you put it out in a place where it has been used before?

Yes, its in the exact same place it was in spring when it was being emptied every 3-4 days!!

Ref the magpies, the seeder is hanging down from the kitchen window lentel so I can't get much closer to the house!! The magpies in my garden are cheeky fcukers and will sometimes divebomb the feeder against the window to knock some seeds to the ground which they then feed on :eek:

Ben

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

BenThere wrote: »

Yes, its in the exact same place it was in spring when it was being emptied every 3-4 days!!

Ref the magpies, the seeder is hanging down from the kitchen window lentel so I can't get much closer to the house!! The magpies in my garden are cheeky fcukers and will sometimes divebomb the feeder against the window to knock some seeds to the ground which they then feed on :eek:

Ben

They'll be back so, when they are hungry.

One of the reasons I don't use seed feeders is the spillage from both bigger birds and smaller - very wasteful.

Hondo75

And always remember to clean the bird table regularly , to avoid transfer of diseases.