When can I expect birds feeding?

[DING]

After a long wait I finally attracted lots of different birds to my garden. In July I went for rather a long holiday and left lots of people keeping the feeding going while we were away. We have just returned and the birds seem to have vanished ( although there was plenty of seed in the feeders). I don't know what to think. I've just read that this is a quiet time for birds but I can see them in the trees. I've cleaned everything and started from fresh. Can I expect them back soon or will I have to wait all over again? Or is it a quiet time for feeders and if so when do things get busier?

[Jason Green]

I think it's the traditional period when birds leave garden feeders to make the most of summer berries n the countryside. They'll return in the colder months.

You may see them in the trees, but I think it's berries they're after. When they are gone, they'll return to you.

[Geoff F]

Are you feeding a good mixture of food? Bird's needs change over the year. At the moment I find little demand for fat balls, except from a young magpie. The tables, with mixed seed, are used by a few adult birds; but this year's fledglings are empting the peanut cage every couple of days. But only if I hang it up amongst large shrubs, they don't like to be feeding on my tables in the open garden.

And, as Jason said, they are also eating a lot of berries from my shrubs now. But they will all be squabbling over the table feeders as soon as winter arrives.

[Ollie]

Just the time of year I would say. Although we have still got our regular Goldfinches and House Sparrows and Robin visiting the feeders we aren't getting the Tits, Chaffinches Starlings etc that we get during the winter. There is obviously plenty of natural food out there for them
Roger

[DING]

Thanks for the advice. Should I just keep putting small amounts and throw it away every few days?

[Tangaroa]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

At the moment I find little demand for fat balls, except from a young magpie.

The Starlings here are getting through 3 fat balls an hour (almost ) its costing a bloody fortune

[Little Bird]

lol, starlings are so funny on fatballs, I've got a crow and a magpie with real klepto tendancies, both of them like the fatballs so much that they wrench them free and fly off with them! Last year it was a degenerate squirrel. Mildly irritating but I can't help admiring the ingenuity and the determination lol Hang in there Ding, they'll come back

[sometimes]

Originally Posted by DING

I've cleaned everything and started from fresh.

A good thing to do irrespective of visits.
Another cause might be other people feeding, while the food might be the same, perhaps there's more cover (safer) to approach the feed from?
It seems a waste to fill feeders that aren't emptying. On tray /ground feeding, I don't put much out if it's not going, it will only rot go bad or attract rats.
I've found the birds round my way do a circuit, much as birds seem to do in the woods during the winter.

[Hedge Witch]

I've kept at least one of my feeders going all year and they've been visited by the odd blue tit. Then just last week I was rewarded with the sight of coal tits and great tits on my peanut feeder. Consequently it got a clean and a refill

I think it's just a case of playing the waiting game.

[hurricanhoney]

Its a quiet time at the moment as there is lots of natural food about. My starlings only come first thing and the evening they go off to the fields for the rest of the time. The only regulars that come all day at the moment are the goldfinches a lot of the food I put out for the starlings just doesn't get eaten.

Keep putting small amounts of food out so they know its there.