My O/H threw some cake crumbs onto the garden path and the wild birds went mad for them. Now he`s hung all these fat balls and birds nuts up for them. So far not one bird has bothered with them. What are we doing wrong? (Its probaly obvious) :(
...top of my head reply before the experts come along :-[...could be that the birds are all ground feeders? But that may be unlikely, so my observation is that birds take a couple of days to get used to coming to suspended feeders, but once they do.... ::) :D
Stay with it they will be along they like to suss things out for a few days .
Any cats about?
Still throw bits of crumbs about to keep encouraging them, trust me they will soon find everything. ;D
Danish Islands
I bought some fat balls in December, and the birds hated them. I have thrown them away.
The first week in January I bought a block of lard, chopped it up and put it out. If the blackbirds and tits can get there before the rooks and my raven have scoffed it all, they love it.
There is no need to make balls or anything, just lay out the slices on the bird table or the ground. The blue tits come down for it even though it isn't hanging; I mean, what in nature hangs so blue tits can eat it?
Quote from: rosebud on February 13, 2009, 15:32:57
Stay with it they will be along they like to suss things out for a few days .
Any cats about?
Still throw bits of crumbs about to keep encouraging them, trust me they will soon find everything. ;D
Agree with this. Birds are always wary of change and like a little time to make sure it stays the way it looks! ;D My birds still do prefer the food on the ground to the food hanging in the tree or on the bird table though. For a little encouragmenet I used to put some hanging style food in it's container (nuts, fat balls etc) down on the floor as well so they recognised it in both places.
Thank you for your replies, I thought things hanging would be better as we don`t have a table and have in the past had the odd Roland Rat. I shall get a bird table as well.
Blackbirds & thrushes are ground feeders, so won't use a hanging feeder no matter what you put in it.
Beware of leaving food on the ground overnight ... this is what attracts rats
Try and throw down just as much as will be eaten immediately (I feed my blackies 2 or 3 times a day with soaked raisins)