On Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:00:26 -0000, "Bill Grey"
wrote:


"Jake" Nospam@invalid wrote in message
.. .

I've had more sunflower hearts delivered today so I'm alright until
the end of January at current consumption but after that I'll have to
cut down somehow. There's no way I can afford to carry on spending at
this rate.

Cheers, Jake

You could always move to the Mumbles :-))

BTW there's a shortage of birds here too. My Niger seeds haven't attracted
any interest yet.

Bill

That was the root of my mistake. I dispensed with Nyger and the so
called "No Waste, No Mess" mix as the first was getting ignored and
the second only selectively eaten (with the maize element generally
germinating in my borders). I switched to sunflower hearts. Bird
numbers increased a bit initially and then suddenly shot thru the
proverbial roof as did the range of varieties.

What was largely blue tits, sparrows and starlings with the odd
greenfinch, blackbird and thrush and a single woodpecker for variety
has now become blue, great, coal and long tailed tits, gold, green and
chaff-finches, sparrows, starlings, wrens, multiple woodpeckers, and
either marsh or willow tits (I can't tell the difference). Blackbirds
and thrushes are in quantity rather than one or two. Collared doves,
of which we assumed there was a pair locally, now appear in groups.
Mustn't forget robins which, round here are not territorial as there
are several in the garden. The singular nuthatch has become an
entertaining troupe that does everything upside down.

They seem to have realised that the cat will just sit or lie there and
watch them. They're not fazed by his presence at all, just as it's not
unusual for a bird to hang onto a feeder as I take it down to refill.

So try changing what you put out (though make sure your bank manager's
on your side first )

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling (after the great storm) from
the usually dryer (east) end of Swansea Bay.