Feeding the Birds in Autumn

[Garden Manager]

I heard Bill Oddie on 'Autumnwatch' the other night sayin we should be continuing to feed our garden birds through autumn, so that they can build up their fat reserves for winter. This i knew about already so this is not really news to me.

I have been doing this, but what if they wont eat what you put out for them? I regularly put out fresh seed, peanuts and fat balls, which normaly (in spring and summer) would be devoured within a day. Recently though the food is hardly touched and often goes to waste.

I know there are plenty of natural sources of food about at the moment (seeds berries etc), but this goes against the theory that the birds need all the food you can give them at this time of year.

I dont want to stop feeding them, but good food is going to waste at the moment.

What can i do?

[Garden Manager]

[Yellow Petals]

I am glad you have asked this because the same thing is happening within my garden too.  At the moment I have out suet covered peanuts, niger seeds, peanuts, fat balls and stuffed coconuts but none of it has barely been touched in the past 2-3 weeks.  My regular blue tits are still coming down each day but the finches, starlings and great tits have all disappeared.

Like you, Richard, I don't want this food to go to waste either.

[GREENWIZARD]

same problem in my garden  ???

[Carol]

I am the same.  I put out some table seed every morning but only the jackdaws eat it.  I have niger, peanuts and sunflower hearts out, untouched.  They will be ok just hanging there for a few weeks, but i keep checking that the peanuts havent gone off a bit.  I also make sure the water supply is still clean in the dishes.  The cold weather will be here soon enough and the birds from the Continent will be arriving as well so can only keep watching out for them.  I would just put a little food out until you see the numbers returning. 

[angle shades]

It's not cold is it, so the birds are going farther a field for food, safe in the knowledge if it turns cold we have all got bird feeders full of food out for them :)

I have a garden full of sparrows, the odd blue tit ,collard dove, dunnock,blackbird.

I have sunflower hearts,peanuts and budgie seed out for the birds,the really good stuff goes out when its colder :)/shades x

[Garden Manager]

I have a garden full of sparrows, the odd blue tit ,collard dove, dunnock,blackbird.

Same here, plus robins, crows maggies and pigeons!

[Obelixx]

My resident sparrow population has gone forth and multiplied and is getting through 8 to 15 fat balls a day depending on how many I put out plus loose seed and peanuts inholders plus broken fat balls and sunflower seeds for the ground feeders.

However, I haven't seen the assorted tit colonies for weeks, nor greenfinches or chaffinches.  I haven't seen a robin or a wren since the spring and the woodpeckers all stopped coming once the babies could feed themselves form the feeders.   I have recently seen a garden warbler and the blackbirds, magpies etc.  The herons and assorted geese are fine so where is everyone else?

[gardenqueen]

I stopped putting the fat balls out because they were disappearing too fast! However the wild bird seed is being devoured as if there is no tomorrow, but the peanuts aren't and I noticed they had started going mouldy so had to throw them away!

[Obelixx]

My peanuts are disappearing too but only when the daily dose of fat balls is eaten. 

One of the woodpeckers is back this morning.  Still not tits though.

[Garden Manager]

Had a brief feeding frenzy a few days ago which promped a major refill and refresh of the feeder. But since then, guess what? Hardly touched.

As well as our feeders we have a 'ground' table (low rise bird table which sits directly on the lawn). This too has been little used recently, having been popular with the resident wood pigeons in the summer. The pigeons themselves have hardly been around either. Yesterday and again this morning they were back, 'hoovering' up the food on the table. Most odd, but thats birds for you.

[Tulipa]

My feeders are hardly being touched either, also the ground tray which is usually topped up daily.  I do have a wood pigeon sat on a nest in the plum tree though and I am worried that her young will not survive the winter. :(

[STHLMgreen]

Out seed balls go in a day as well, and we're on the 9th floor. You'd be surprised at the beautiful tiny birds that find their way up here!

[gardenqueen]

Crikey! They are high flyers!  ::)

[Garden Manager]

Well I have now cut down the food I put out. Rather than have 1 feeder for seed, one for fat balls, and one of peanuts plus 2 birdtables (1 hanging one ground) for loose food, I have now got just the birdtables and the peanut feeder. They can get seed easily enough next door.

Dont worry, once the weather gets colder I shall start putting more out again. I just dont see th point of putting out food, especialy seed, that is just going to sit out there and decay or even in the case of the seed start to germinate.

PS, The collared doves at least are apreciating the new policy. They have been thoroughly enjoying the food on the ground bird table, and I have even seen them on the hanging one as well.

PPS: Whilst plenty of natural food may be the reason for lack of activity I think the presence of a neighbours cat near or feeders may also be putting the birds off. It seems to like sitting near the feeders watching for birds. Not much I can do about that sadly.

[angle shades]

you haven't got a bird of prey hanging about have you GC?

'my' sparrowhawk is back after its summer hols and caught one of my resident sparrows today which upset me a bit , I know its' natures way, but I don't like seeing it :(

I have 6 bird feeders (3 of sunflower hearts which are eaten each day by sparrows, and 3 of peanuts which last quite a while at the mo)

I have a small dish of budgie food on the bird table which seems to be the favourite food of sparrows ;D/shades x

[ACE]

I expect our scruffy little celebrity twitcher was doing what a lot of bird watchers do in trying to encourage migrant birds on their way through his territory. Then he could tick another one off his list.

Perhaps in colder autumns after the birds have flown south this would be a help. But there should still be loads of seed and bugs about this year.

I might give his advice more thought if he let his co- presenters ever get a word in.

[Garden Manager]

you haven't got a bird of prey hanging about have you GC?

'my' sparrowhawk is back after its summer hols and caught one of my resident sparrows today which upset me a bit , I know its' natures way, but I don't like seeing it :(

I have 6 bird feeders (3 of sunflower hearts which are eaten each day by sparrows, and 3 of peanuts which last quite a while at the mo)

I have a small dish of budgie food on the bird table which seems to be the favourite food of sparrows ;D/shades x

Havent seen one AS, but that doesn't mean to say there isnt one about. I saw one in the garden a couple of years ago so they are about, and we are on the edge of farmland, some of which has recently started to be built on. It spossible that loss of hunting grounds have forced them into domestic gardens.

What we have got is a colony of crows nearby. I beleive they predate small birds from time to time. Could they be partly to blame?

That said it isnt that there aren the birds about, ther are they just dont seem that keen to visit our garden at the moment. Shame really as i try to be as bird friendly in my garden as i can.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've seen crows kill and eat a sick pigeon, but they won't go for healthy adults; they're not quick enough to catch them. I see no reason why gardens shouldn't be perfectly good sparrowhawk territory; they hunt round cover and there's usually plenty of it available. As the numbers increase, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they move into the greener urban areas. I see them regularly on the allotments, but we've never had a resident yet. I live in hope.

[Garden Manager]

I see them regularly on the allotments, but we've never had a resident yet. I live in hope.

You hope for a resident sparrowhawk? Why. They have no benefit to the gardener, unlike lesser birds who eat insect pests etc.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Because they're such gorgeous birds, and a female might get a few of the local pigeons. I wouldn't object to a bit of predation anyway; it's perfectly normal and natural.