I want to attract more bird species to my garden

FutureTeashock

At the moment I have a bird feeder with suet balls and as a result my garden is full of beautiful Tits of all kinds.


I of course love Tits -- who doesn't?-- but I'd like more variety.


What is the best way to attract a wide variety of birds?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Before even considering food, a garden will always attract more birds if there is sufficient cover for them in hedges, shrubs and trees.

Without going in to speciality foods aimed at particular species, like nyger seed for Goldfinches, the best start is to provide a decent general seed mix. Ensure that some foods, like peanuts, are in hanging feeders but that you also put some seed on a bird table and, if possible, on the ground. Many species will not use hanging feeders and will sick to ground feeding. Provide peanuts, but avoid suet or fat balls unless it is a particularly cold snap. Always have water available. Keep cats away from the area. Don't put too much loose seed out at once, to avoid the risk of vermin. Have patience, as sometimes it can take a while for birds to find a new feeding area. The numbers should increase as we progress into Winter and natural food is less plentiful.

FutureTeashock

Jax Mammoth Foxhound wrote: »

Before even considering food, a garden will always attract more birds if there is sufficient cover for them in hedges, shrubs and trees.

Without going in to speciality foods aimed at particular species, like nyger seed for Goldfinches, the best start is to provide a decent general seed mix. Ensure that some foods, like peanuts, are in hanging feeders but that you also put some seed on a bird table and, if possible, on the ground. Many species will not use hanging feeders and will sick to ground feeding. Provide peanuts, but avoid suet or fat balls unless it is a particularly cold snap. Always have water available. Keep cats away from the area. Don't put too much loose seed out at once, to avoid the risk of vermin. Have patience, as sometimes it can take a while for birds to find a new feeding area. The numbers should increase as we progress into Winter and natural food is less plentiful.

Great info, thanks.



I hope I haven't been harming the birds by feeding them suet balls! :eek:

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

FutureTeashock wrote: »

Great info, thanks.



I hope I haven't been harming the birds by feeding them suet balls! :eek:

Fats aren't very good for them in summer. It's empty calories and they'll wolf them down - like giving children sugary treats instead of a balanced diet.

FutureTeashock

Jax Mammoth Foxhound wrote: »

Fats aren't very good for them in summer. It's empty calories and they'll wolf them down - like giving children sugary treats instead of a balanced diet.

Oops! At least I now know for next year. The regular birds don't look too unhealthy, but I guess that's because there's a lot of natural food nearby.

corks finest

Vermin will come though,I stopped feeding nyger seeds etc

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

corks finest wrote: »

Vermin will come though,I stopped feeding nyger seeds etc

I've fed birds all year round for over fifty years and only once, about 35 years ago, did we have any issue with vermin. And we are in a rural setting. The secret is to avoid leaving loose food overnight and avoiding spillage.

Snowc

Nyjer seed seed will attract the widest variety of birds to your garden. In the winter I have goldfinch,chaffinch,redpoll ,greenfinch ,bullfinch,,linnet,siskin and brambling all fighting over the nyjer feeder .From November more birds will come to your garden

Keplar240B

water birdbath , keep it clean

FutureTeashock

Keplar240B wrote: »

water birdbath , keep it clean

I actually have one but the birds don't use it for bathing, more for drinking.



Why does it have to be clean? Surely natural drinking sources-- rivers ,ponds-- are not "clean"?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

FutureTeashock wrote: »

I actually have one but the birds don't use it for bathing, more for drinking.



Why does it have to be clean? Surely natural drinking sources-- rivers ,ponds-- are not "clean"?

It'll be used for bathing during moults and sometimes when nesting. The important and more frequent use is for drinking.
Being a small stagnant source frequented by several birds it can harbour disease so, just like the bird table and all feeders, it should be cleaned periodically. Garden feeding can cause a high concentration of birds in a small area, so it's important to guard against disease and cross contamination.

FutureTeashock

Jax Mammoth Foxhound wrote: »

It'll be used for bathing during moults and sometimes when nesting. The important and more frequent use is for drinking.
Being a small stagnant source frequented by several birds it can harbour disease so, just like the bird table and all feeders, it should be cleaned periodically. Garden feeding can cause a high concentration of birds in a small area, so it's important to guard against disease and cross contamination.

Of course, but it rains so frequently here that I don't see the need to clean the bath regularly.



But I'll take your message on board and try to keep the feeder and bath as clean as I can.

Stop moaning ffs

FutureTeashock wrote: »

At the moment I have a bird feeder with suet balls and as a result my garden is full of beautiful Tits of all kinds.


I of course love Tits -- who doesn't?-- but I'd like more variety.


What is the best way to attract a wide variety of birds?

Talk to them in Irish




Seriously though bird feed = inevitably rats.

Go carefully.

magicbastarder

how inevitable is inevtiable?
asking as someone who has been feeding birds for 15 years with no rat issues.

Stop moaning ffs

magicbastarder wrote: »

how inevitable is inevtiable?
asking as someone who has been feeding birds for 15 years with no rat issues.

Had three feeders out the back. All going swimmingly. Then the dog going mad to get into underneath the decking they were on. Not long after saw two rats or the same one twice searching the deck for spillage the birds leave and another climbing the arch to get to the feeders.
Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean They’re not there.

Mine isn’t necessarily your experience I was just making him aware there’s a real risk.

FutureTeashock

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Had three feeders out the back. All going swimmingly. Then the dog going mad to get into underneath the decking they were on. Not long after saw two rats or the same one twice searching the deck for spillage the birds leave and another climbing the arch to get to the feeders.
Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean They’re not there.

Mine isn’t necessarily your experience I was just making him aware there’s a real risk.

I did have a rat problem, so I moved the feeder to an out of reach location and that solved the problem.



Having the birds around is visually, audibly and spiritually so important to me.



The birds are so grateful and actively display it. I never realised just how anthropomorphic these creatures are.

Stop moaning ffs

FutureTeashock wrote: »

I did have a rat problem, so I moved the feeder to an out of reach location and that solved the problem.



Having the birds around is visually, audibly and spiritually so important to me.




The birds are so grateful and actively display it. I never realised just how anthropomorphic these creatures are.

Of course they are



What are you doing about the spillage from the feeders onto the ground though.

FutureTeashock

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Of course they are



What are you doing about the spillage from the feeders onto the ground though.

Nothing, because as long as the "francaigh" don't appear before me or invade my house, I couldn't give a fook.

Stop moaning ffs

FutureTeashock wrote: »

Nothing, because as long as the "francaigh" don't appear before me or invade my house, I couldn't give a fook.

Just cos you never see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

It’s a very thin comfort blanket but here we are

FutureTeashock

Stop moaning ffs wrote: »

Just cos you never see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

It’s a very thin comfort blanket but here we are

It's a bit like this forum then. You think asking a question about birds is safe and one just turns up out of nowhere.

Stop moaning ffs

FutureTeashock wrote: »

It's a bit like this forum then. You think asking a question about birds is safe and one just turns up out of nowhere.

Go back to your chaos Irish language thread and leave the natives alone dear

Obvious is obvious

OpenYourEyes

Mod Note: Warnings issued. Keep it on topic on civil!