"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:22:07 +0100, Jake
wrote:

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:31:23 +0100, Pendrag0n wrote:

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:00:18 +0100, Jake
wrote:

On Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:17:49 +0100, Pendrag0n wrote:

Looking for a decent birdfeeder for the small birds. Any suggestions?

Had a plain feeder but the fussy buggers seem to drop most of the
seed, or rather spit it out in disgust! This in turn encourages ratty
to show up a little too frequently. I no longer have a table because
the pigeons seem to think its a toilet, and the doves think its a
bed!!
I put a tray underneath the feeder to catch the spill. Now the smart
ar** rooks have discovered they can cling to the tray and pinch the
seed...lol so thats no good either.

Any tips for a hanging feeder?

There are loads of hanging feeders out there but if the birds don't
like what's on offer they'll still chuck it around. I now only put out
two types of food - peanuts (in a hanging peanut feeder; they're not
"table food") and sunflower hearts. Very little mess now and that's
only accidental and cleared up quickly by the ground feeders.

Cheers, Jake

Thanks Jake. Aside from the expense, I did not really want to
specialise in specific birds. I only really get passing trade anyway
here being surrounded by open fields. My nuts are wasted in more ways
then one! Chaffinch is my only resident I reckon. But as I said I am
reluctant to specialise.


You won't be specialising with sunflower hearts if my experience is
anything to go by. When I had the so called "high energy no waste"
mixed seed, nyger seed, fat balls and peanuts I was visited by
collared doves, blue tits, thrushes, starlings and blackbirds plus
occasional robin. Now with just peanuts and sunflower hearts I can add
to that list long tailed, coal and great tits, chaffinches,
goldfinches, greenfinches, bullfinches, nuthatches, woodpeckers and
the occasional sparrowhawk zooming down after the aforementioned lunch
selection.

and parakeets and jays. The wood pecker dines next door.
Tits are very fussy about the seed they eat.
--

Martin


I've always fed mixed seed and I've tried various "no mess" mixes over the
years in a variety of feeders and always had birds rejecting some seeds from
the mix. I've always taken comfort in the knowledge that ground feeders
come and clear up (most of) the rejects.

Late last year I started feeding sunflower hearts, replacing mixed feed with
sunflower in one feeder. I only bought a small bag first time just to see
how they worked. When it became clear they were a hit I started looking
for a bulk supply and came across a company called Brinvale. Since I
needed mixed seed at the same time I ordered a sack of each. Their mixture
is different to others I have used in a way that I find difficult to
describe. However, the result is that I now have almost no mess and no
ground feeders. I'm thinking that next time around I'll go back to a
different make of no mess mixture and mix with Brinvale!

"Our" Woodpecker dines on the peanuts but I sometimes wonder if it's the
nuts or insects between the nuts he is after.

I've currently got peanuts, sunflower hearts, mixed seed, niger and the
remains of a couple of fat balls on the go.

Started feeing in a suburban garden in East Berkshire and now a rural garden
in South Somerset.