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Feeding the Birds Some tips
There has been quite a few post recently on this
topic, but I've not seen any mention of locating feeders etc, so I thought I would pass on my own experience. The most important thing in locating a feeder is to make sure that it is sufficiently clear of walls trees etc that predators can hide in/behind. It also needs to be near a good source of cover for small birds to dart into. I would say no more than about 4 meters away. I have a trellis thingy (diamond shaped wood, partly covered with ivy, which is about 2 meters away, and the birds love it. Some trees overlooking the feeding site also seem to help as they can look on at who is feeding, instead of arriving and getting chased off by woodpeckers and the like. I have two feeding stations, which I tend to move around (to save the lawn!) and also vary which food is where. What you feed is really a matter of choice and experimentation. I gave up sold mixes years ago, as they contain lots of wheat, and most birds just throw this out. At certain times of the year this can be a bonus, as the pheasants come and clean up, but from now on, those that are left are too busy hiding from the guns, and then the wheat will start to grow! My own preference for feed is a mixture of kibbled sunflower hearts and dried meal worms in a feeder, peanuts and fat balls. I do also make a fat based feed with lard, sunflowers, meal worms and breadcrumbs, which I pack into old marg/spread containers. I put these out on the ground, held down by pegs, when rain is not forecast. Recently I also put some peanuts through the liquidiser and the birds seem to love that, scattered on the ground - don't chop it too small it will blow away! Apple cores or part bad apples are popular with the blackbirds, but hey don't often eat the peel. Hope all this helps! -- Roger T 700 ft up in Mid-Wales |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 19/01/2013 15:41, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Apple cores or part bad apples are popular with the blackbirds, but hey don't often eat the peel. Hope all this helps! Will they eat butternur squash? i cut one in half and roasted it the other day but then frogot it so it's now three days old and starting to get mouldy . Would they eat that if i put it out? Janet -- Janet T. Amersham |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:31:19 +0000, Janet Tweedy
wrote: On 19/01/2013 15:41, Roger Tonkin wrote: Apple cores or part bad apples are popular with the blackbirds, but hey don't often eat the peel. Hope all this helps! Will they eat butternur squash? i cut one in half and roasted it the other day but then frogot it so it's now three days old and starting to get mouldy . Would they eat that if i put it out? Janet One way to find out. -- http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 20/01/2013 11:43, mogga wrote:
One way to find out. :) yes i gathered that ! though mine can be picky, NEVER eat niger, and i got a feeder for christmas which I stuck in the ground just a way from the other one, hung up peanuts and seed. Not a dickie bird! (literally) -- Janet T. Amersham |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 20/01/2013 11:45, Martin wrote:
Perhaps. It depends on how hungry they are. What did you do with the seeds? saved some for sowing and others I have in the strainer still drying out, they are big but will crucnh them up a bit and put them out. -- Janet T. Amersham |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 2013-01-20 11:43:48 +0000, mogga said:
On Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:31:19 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote: On 19/01/2013 15:41, Roger Tonkin wrote: Apple cores or part bad apples are popular with the blackbirds, but hey don't often eat the peel. Hope all this helps! Will they eat butternur squash? i cut one in half and roasted it the other day but then frogot it so it's now three days old and starting to get mouldy . Would they eat that if i put it out? Janet One way to find out. I think that if they did eat it, the mould might be bad for them? -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 20/01/2013 13:14, Sacha wrote:
I think that if they did eat it, the mould might be bad for them? yes but they eat rotten apples and stuff. Never mind, decided it was too risky and put it in green bin. Such a waste though. I'm sure Kay would have managed to get a meal out of it :) Janet -- Janet T. Amersham |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 20/01/2013 12:33, Martin wrote:
The blackbirds & pigeons always eat stuff off the ground including the seed from the feeders Wish i could identify this washed out looking kingfisher shaped bird, seen it three times today, brother has no idea what it is and he is a bird watcher! Flattish head which is why it has a similar shape to a kingfisher (to my eyes) very pale colours eats seed from perches on hanging feeder. Smaller than KF though. -- Janet T. Amersham |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
In article ,
Sacha wrote: On 2013-01-20 11:43:48 +0000, mogga said: On Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:31:19 +0000, Janet Tweedy wrote: On 19/01/2013 15:41, Roger Tonkin wrote: Apple cores or part bad apples are popular with the blackbirds, but hey don't often eat the peel. Will they eat butternur squash? i cut one in half and roasted it the other day but then frogot it so it's now three days old and starting to get mouldy . Would they eat that if i put it out? I think that if they did eat it, the mould might be bad for them? Quite probably. Overripe and even rotting fruit is a very different matter from mould. On the other hand, I would simply cut the mould off and eat the squash - we don't have trouble with mould! Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
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Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 2013-01-20 14:54:12 +0000, Janet Tweedy said:
On 20/01/2013 13:14, Sacha wrote: I think that if they did eat it, the mould might be bad for them? yes but they eat rotten apples and stuff. Never mind, decided it was too risky and put it in green bin. Such a waste though. I'm sure Kay would have managed to get a meal out of it :) Janet I suppose with apples it's a bit slower to mould. Or something! -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.com South Devon www.helpforheroes.org.uk |
Feeding the Birds Some tips
On Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:14:02 +0000, Janet Tweedy
wrote: On 20/01/2013 14:59, wrote: Quite probably. Overripe and even rotting fruit is a very different matter from mould. On the other hand, I would simply cut the mould off and eat the squash - we don't have trouble with mould! Probably neither do i but I wasn't su) Birds not eating from new feeder put up at christmas, picky beggars ............... One of the woodpeckers that visit the hanging peanut feeder has discovered the bird table and seems to like sunflower hearts! Cheers, Jake ======================================= Urgling from the East End of Swansea Bay where sometimes it's raining and sometimes it's not. |
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Funnily enough, I was just about to ask you whether it was the cooked half that was going mouldy or the uncooked half. I've never had any qualms about cutting off the mouldy edge of an uncooked squash (and about an inch beyond it) and cooking the rest - you'd never get through a full sized pumpkin if you didn't! |
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Feeding the Birds Some tips
On 20/01/2013 14:57, Janet Tweedy wrote:
On 20/01/2013 12:33, Martin wrote: The blackbirds & pigeons always eat stuff off the ground including the seed from the feeders Wish i could identify this washed out looking kingfisher shaped bird, seen it three times today, brother has no idea what it is and he is a bird watcher! Flattish head which is why it has a similar shape to a kingfisher (to my eyes) very pale colours eats seed from perches on hanging feeder. Smaller than KF though. Could it have been a nuthatch? Relatively smaller beak, too, but generally rather the same shape with a short tail like a kingfisher. -- Jeff |
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