Topic: But not the ones in trucks.....!!

[tim]

All set to catch 2 pairs on the prunus outside the kitchen window - doesn't often happen. One nice one, & then a truck comes past.

So I then had to go out into the road to find them way up on the other side. Couldn't get close enough.

[Paulines7]

Lovely pictures Tim.    :)   I very rarely see bullfinches where I live.

[Whippet]

Aren't they beautiful colours.

[lorna]

Tim. More cracking photos. I do wish I could get some different birds in my garden.
Maybe the lack of hedgerows in the Fens has something to do with it.

[Juliet]

Keep putting out the food, Lorna - I think it takes birds a while to start visiting new places.  We had hardly any birds - just blackbirds, robins, starlings, and the occasional thrush - when we moved here - five years of organic gardening & providing food & water later we're getting sparrows, greenfinches, chaffinches, collared doves, blue, great, & long-tailed t*ts on a regular basis.

No bullfinches here though - more lovely photos Tim.

[lorna]

Juliet. That's encouraging, I will make sure and keep the feeders full. I "conned" the starlings a bit today. I broke up a loaf of bread and put out on the lawn. The starlings devoured it but it gave the sparrows and blackbirds a better chance.. Hope bread doesn't harm them!!

[telboy]

Bullfinches?

[Carol]

They are lovely birds and I had the pleasure of their visit not so long ago.  Wish they would hang about more but they are bad news for buds on trees and bushes.  I had no pyracantha berries this winter cos the Bull finches ate the buds last year.

Great pics.  Tim,  I am so pleased to see you back.

 :D :D :D :D

[Paulines7]

Juliet. That's encouraging, I will make sure and keep the feeders full. I "conned" the starlings a bit today. I broke up a loaf of bread and put out on the lawn. The starlings devoured it but it gave the sparrows and blackbirds a better chance.. Hope bread doesn't harm them!!

Just remember to soak the bread first, Lorna, so that it doesn't swell up in their little tums when they drink.

[lorna]

Pauline.. OOPS! Will make sure and remember that next time.. Sorry to go off Tim's original post but hope I am forgiven as it is still wildlife. One more question!! I have got a box of porridge
oats... got the wrong brand and I don't like it. Can I feed the oats to the birds?? Seems such a waste to dump.

[Juliet]

Oats should be fine for the birds, Lorna - so long as they are just oats, & don't have any funny additives!  I buy bulk bags of sunflower seeds, millet, oats, and sultanas and mix them together to feed mine - it all seems to go.

[lorna]

Thanks once again Juliet. Must look in to buying bulk. The birds are sure getting through the seeds and fat balls very quickly.

[Juliet]

Lorna - I get my bags from a local shop, which works out cheaper than buying from bird food suppliers - fine for everything except peanuts (which have to be the right kind or they'll poison the birds so better to get from bird food supplier to be on the safe side).  I got about 5kg of sunflower seeds and 1 or 2kg each of the others, I think - it's going pretty fast, but they do like the sunflower seeds best.  I also got about 8kg peanuts which was a big mistake - they are going, but very very slowly - next time I'll get a much smaller bag.

If you don't have a good local shop where you can bulk buy, I did at one point do a chart comparing the prices of the main online bird food suppliers - the cheapest I found was Wiggly Wigglers.

[Svengali]

Seed from local shops is usually cheaper than that from birdfood supplies - BUT! - it is usually 80% or so wheat, which looks great for bulk, but will have every pigeon & collared dove in the county making tracks for you. It will also have hull-on sunflower seed, which results in the most awful mess. Better to buy the specialist mixtures from the speciallist suppliers. After dealing with CJ Wildbirdfood for years, got totally p***ed off with their lousy quality control, and am at present buying from Ann Kennedy - early results are very promising.

[Juliet]

You may well be right, Svengali, but I don't buy seed mixes from my local shop - I buy sunflower seeds (without hulls), millet, pinhead oatmeal, & sultanas & mix them together myself.  It works out about half the price of the seed mixes from the specialist suppliers.

[Carol]

Svengali

I buy from CJ Wildbirdfoods as well and I find their quality is good  BUT last year I had a bag of Table food and it was really bad, mostly dust and just not their usual seed so I complained.  I received another 10kg bag 2 days later without charge.  So it pays to complain, they dont like to hear of their food not being good stuff.