Topic: How much do people feed the birds?

[sandersj89]

I ask this as it seems year on year I end up having to buy more feed. I feed a straight sun flower seed that is shelled so you get less waste in three feeders, a nijer seed for the gold finches, a no mess sunflower and other seed blend on a table, peanuts, home made suet cakes, dried fruit for the starlings and blackbirds and some live food, wax worms and meal worms, as a treat from time to time.

I have been doing this for a number of years and we have a massive tit collection and are visited by some lovely birds, my favourites are the nuthatches and the long tail tits. Also being in the country we get a lot of starlings and visits from larger birds.

It now has got to the stage that at this time of year I am feeding about 3 pints of sunflower seeds a day in the feeders, the table cleared each day of a cup full of seed blend, the nijer feeder lasts about 4 days and the peanut feeder is emptied once a week. I buy my seed on line in 25kg bags from either CJ Wildbird Foods or Field and Garden.

It is an expensive hobby I guess but I love to see the feeders buzzing with activity. I have 2 feeders about 4 foot from a shed window so do get to watch them up close as well.

Jerry

[derbex]

Not that much Jerry, that's for sure. We've only just got a feeder -the local birds seem to prefer sunflower seeds to our mixed bag.

Before that they've had to make do with crusts and bits of fat chucked out of the kitchen window -and the wild hedge. I try to leave the latter until the berries are all gone before I cut it.

Jeremy

[Mrs Ava]

Our feathered friends only get our table scraps, so toast crusts, stale mouldy bread, cake and biscuit crumbs, mouldy cheese, etc.  We also have a bird bath but they are totally disinterested in it!  We have masses of birds, big like crows and rooks, down to teeny weeny wrens and masses inbetween.  

There are several reasons why I don't purposely feed the birds, one being I want them to come into the garden or plot and eat the pests and bugs for me, secondly, we live in a neighbourhood of cats and I am forever chasing our neighbours cat from the garden for stalking them and she has had the nests out of the tree every year! I love the birds and do not want to see that manky cat attacking them. Thirdly, they poo on my washing!  ;D :o ;D

[sandersj89]

Emma

Interesting approach but I take to opposite one I suppose.

I feed to attract more birds into the gardens, the tits are wonderful at removing greenfly for instance. The dried fruit on the ground attracts blackbirds and thrushes who help deal with the slugs and snails. (This year was the first we had a thrush nest since we moved to the house and I was very chuffed as I like to think I helped them survive)

Also we have a cat, she is a bit of a hunter and takes some birds, but by feeding them I increase their survival rate through the year and so there are more birds around in the first place. We also get a visit from a sparrow hawk from time to time but I cannot complain.

I also have a number of nest boxes around the garden and a sparrow terrace on the house to provide nesting sites, they were all used this year and last.

In times when the house sparrow and starling for instance are in decline feeding and providing nesting locations even in small gardens is key in supporting their survival.

Just my thoughts

Jerry

[Carol]

Well I too spend quite a bit of money on the birds as well.  I put out Table Seed and mixed feed with oats and raisons, nuts, fat filled coconuts, fat balls, sunflower and nijer seed.   This is quite expensive during the winter months especially with the Table Seed.  The nuts do not go quickly so I just buy them at the local pet shop. I buy the rest from CJWildbirdfoods as well.

However, it is now end of November and have hit a hitch in the bird watching.  This is because I am not getting the birds now.  I put out the table seed as usual and any bread left over, but apart from 3 Collared Doves and a couple of greenfinches nothing seems to be of interest.  This is quite upsetting and I am trying to find out why.  The only reason I can think of is the fact that the surrounding field has been as a potato crop this year.  Since I moved here it had been Spring barley.  This year the crop was sprayed about every other week with chemicals.  This I am sure has had an effect on the wild life.

Hopefully, when the weather turns really cold I will have the return of the blue tit, great tit, coal tit and so on.  We get the siskins and goldfinches in the winter.  I have also had up to 23 Red legged partridges in my garden and off course Freddy and his ladies (Pheasant), even he hasnt turned up this year.  

I count the birds for B.T.O.  but have not started this winter - there is nothing much to count.  

I have a Nesting box for Blue Tits which was used this year and a Sparrow Terrace Nesting box.  This was used last year.  Hopefully things will look up in my garden soon.

[JustMarian]

I normally feed the birds from October into May.  However, it seems that all the little birds (tits, blackbirds, etc) have deserted me for an army of pigeons and some doves.  Although we do have one or two robins come very early (when it is still dark) for some food.  Problem is when the army storms down onto the table, the seed goes within seconds.  So we are not sure what to do for the best and keep our robin fed and watered.
I think I will have to design a feeder that only small birds can perch onto.  

[Spurdie]

Gosh, Jerry! You are a true friend to birds!  ;D I put out mixed seed, breadcrumbs and crusts, bits of cake and scones, peanuts and occasionally feed balls. We have a friendly dunnock that follows me all round the garden to see where I'm hiding the food (under bushes and the hedge so that the rooks and jackdaws can't see it!). We've had blackbirds nesting in the honeysuckle over the arch, and plenty of sparrows and swifts nesting under the roof space the house. We counted 21 different kinds of birds in our garden on one day. Have never seen a nuthatch! Only tree creepers up here!
Carol, I'm very jealous of your red legged partridges! Have you an estate near you? We've seen long tailed tits in the woods near us, but they don't come into the garden.  :(

[Mrs Ava]

And that is the other thing Jerry, the sheer expense!  I have chicks of my own to feed, along with a full grown bird of prey and for me, it is more important for me, the mother hen, to keep them fed and watered and let our other feather friends eat what the hedgerows provide or my chicks chuck out of the nest!

[georgiesgirl]

Hi All.
I feed the birds on a daily basis.
I put out mixed seed in seed feeders for the tits greenfinches etc;
The rooks and jackdaws devour all the bread and old fruit that is placed on the ground.They have tried the seedfeeders but so far not very successful.
I have recently been able to get from my Edinburgh Costco 12.75kg bags of mixed bird seed for £3.99. A good buy and have bought eneough to see me through winter without breaking the bank.
Anne

[Gardengirl]

I too buy my bird food from CJ's - large bags of sunflowers hearts and smaller bags of peanuts.  They absolutely love the sunflower hearts, can't keep up with them -  cost me a fortune :o but it is well worth it to see so many of our feathered friends visiting our garden.  We have mainly finches of all kinds, blue & great tits, collared doves, the occasional wren, robins, blackbirds (who also love my pyracantha bush). We also have an army of starlings who frighten the smaller birds away when they appear. We don't have to put water out as we have a pond with a stream which the blackbirds love - it is great watching their antics in the water.  We keep the fountain pump running all year so the water does not completely freeze over.  We have cats, but they are getting old now so mainly just tend to sit and watch the birds.

[Val]

 ;)Yes it is expensive, I get the nuts and birdseed from the local market and the fatballs from the £1 shop.6 balls for a £1...I don't put out scraps the dog would eat them also it might attract the mice....yuk, yuk.

[William O]

I think a little goes quite a long way, and I'm just feeding them, not stuffing.
They get fatballs, mixed birdseed and apples. If it were up to the birds I could provide fatballs by the shipload. I put new ones out on e regular basis, but not straight away after they have ravished yet another one.

[Val]

Hi Wills, loved the card thanks, good to hear the kids enjoyed your santa..I'll look in on the beeb later.Saw a great big magpie on the fatballs, no wonder they go quick.I feel guilty when they've run out. I can see them when I'm eating all gathered round the plastic net, I'm sure they do it on purpose, they'll be knocking on the window next.

[William O]

Hi Val, Magpies don't fit the feeder so that is a bonus, although sparrows (?) [the speckled ones???] do and are rather agressive towards their smaller cousins... A couple of weeks ago I saw that Bill Oddie had some feeders inside some sort of bird cage, letting the small bird in and have a nice meal, without being chased away by the big ones. I do hope that next spring some Great and Blue Tits will move into the nesting boxes....

Take Care

William

[Val]

 ;DYes those feeders are sold in most garden shops here, starlings, they feed in mobs and are bullies to the smaller birds, but I've noticed they all come together and leave together, so the robins, tits and sparrows just wait until they've gone.We had a pair of magpies and crows in the trees, it was a bit spooky. The crows are great big things, maybe they were ravens...but whatever, they were chasing each other round the trees, not a sign of any other birds anywhere. It gave me the creeps. Like that Alfred Hitchcock film the birds.....

[DolphinGarden]

Hi,
I think 1pound stg is good for 6 fatballs. I pay 3euro, and 2.50 euro for one big one the size of a bowling ball, lawn bowling, not 10 pin. I get sparrows and tits, occasionally robins. in 2002 we had a nest of robins in the hedge with 4 babies.  About 6 weeks ago I was looking WAY down the end of the garden at the hedge and saw an old nest, presumably this year's that I'd missed any action with.

There are several, perhaps a dozen rowans across the road from me, aswell as ten times that in sycamores, and the wrens seem to stick to that side of the house.  Like others mentioning here, they come in gangs alright.
The last week ago, I saw a magpie hanging around surreptitiously, casing the joint. Will have to keep an eye out for him.  Up to about 5 years ago or so the magpie was quite rare, then there was a plague of them. Guess mother nature was responible....  There are also crows about, but we only get the small birds in the back garden at the feeders.  Though, having said that, we've a cotoneaster that hasn't been touched this year yet. Berries are really red. Crows eat them, I suppose they're not ready yet. This year I've also a pyracantha, but it's in a sheltered spot.  The berries look ripe, I suppose they'll be eaten if there's nothing else.

I used to get loose seed, from Holland, by the 1.5kg. I forget the name, but the sparrows and tits are so messy, they spill most of it, and pigeons tended to make an appearance, so I went to the fat balls then. I think the sunflower seeds are a bit big, but I can't see them on the ground that easily. I was getting rape seed and wheat growing in my small borders!!!!

Occasionally, I'll cut up with a scissors a piece of bread into cubes and throw it onto the shed roof where it's protected from larger birds by a roll of wire. Or onto next door's extension


excuse the grammatical errors...

regards,
Ciaran
the pound sign should be by my nr. 3 but comes up like so #. Under the # button I get |.  And no euro sign at all. Can anyone help me get a euro sign. I have Windows ME.  Thank you

[William O]

Hello DG, last year I had also grasses popping up in my borders, as a result of the scattered loose birdseed, so this year I've hung the feeders over the concrete paving instead of the fertile borders. I hope that will help next years weeding

[Val]

 ;DThey pop up in the cracks of paving...what is the blue flower that comes from the seedlings, does anyone know?I thought it looked quite pretty. I'm not that tidy in my garden so I'll just hoe the seedlings away when I can't stand them anymore. but must admit I do leave them just to see what they are.

[William O]

Isn't that cornflower (Centaurea cyanus),

We also had some lobelia sprouting up, between the paves...  :)

[sandersj89]

;DThey pop up in the cracks of paving...what is the blue flower that comes from the seedlings, does anyone know?I thought it looked quite pretty. I'm not that tidy in my garden so I'll just hoe the seedlings away when I can't stand them anymore. but must admit I do leave them just to see what they are.

Probably linseed.

I have made wooden trays, about a foor square, that I hang to the bottom of the feeders, this catches most of the spilled seeds and also acts as a bird table.

Jerry