Feeding Birds in Back Garden HELP PLEASE

[bazwold075]

Hi everyone,

I live in a typical town estate but my back garden does back on to a large grassed area. I have always been able to get Blackbrids (using bread) and sparrows into my garden but recently I purchased a feeding station and have put up nyjer seed (great - I have already had a few goldfinches), a normal seed mix which is encouraging sparrows, peanuts which really don't seem to be getting any interest and fat balls/suet bar - nightmare!

What is happening now is a FLOCK of starlings are attacking the feeder station and eating the suet and fat balls - there are so many of them they are discouraging and scaring off the smaller bird.

Questions:

1. What feed can I put out to encourage smaller birds such as blue/great tits, robins, hedge sparrows etc.

2. I do not intend to put out any more suet bars or balls until the winter hoping that this will stop the staring for now which I hope should work - do you agree?

3. What birds will dead mealworms attract and how do I feed them.

Any general advice or help would really be appreciated.

Thanks

Barry

[col188]

Robins and Blackbirds will devour the mealworms, as soon as they know they are there....they love em.
Can't do much about the Starlings and Fat balls, maybe restricting access, using small wire mesh. I never found it worked (starlings seem to get through anything, where fat balls are concerned)
Buy food marked for Small birds.


My problem birds are Wood Pigeons and Collared Doves, they hoover up the table. Wire mesh put a stop to 'em mostly. Though it's surprising how agile they become were food is concerned.
Col
Ps Very important not to forget a fresh water, birdbath even better.

[Tringa]

Sunflower seeds (either the whole ones or the sunflower hearts) will attract Great tits, blue tits etc.

I have never had any success with dried mealworms, but the live ones are eaten by lots of birds. For live ones you will need a steep sided container so they can't crawl out.

Could you put the fat balls in a different part of the garden?

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by bazwold075

2. I do not intend to put out any more suet bars or balls until the winter hoping that this will stop the staring for now which I hope should work - do you agree?

Yes
The starlings attacking the fat and suet will be your local breeding birds and their offspring. In the normal course of events, they will mostly disperse to the countryside for the winter, but if you give them an easy and reliable source of food, they might not bother. At this time of the year, natural food is at it's most abundant so there's less need for feeders anyway, but starlings are opportunists and will always take the easiest option.

I'd suggest reducing the amount of food you put out until late October except, perhaps, seed for finches. You will find demand increases as the weather gets colder, and Blue/Great tits and other smaller birds will start visiting your garden for peanuts and other goodies.

Welcome to WAB
T2

[smartie]

I've never found that the peanuts get much trade when there is ay alternative, so I've stopped using them now. A friend crushes them up and puts them on his bird table, where they do get eaten, But I just use a general table mix and that brings in the same range of birds.

The only thing I'd add to your menu would be sunflower seeds, as already suggested, as all the tits and finches like those.

And, if you are having starling trouble, I would stop putting out fat and suet until later in the year when it turns cold.

[Gill Catton]

I would just perhaps point out that whereas birds like robins, great tits and chaffinches are doing well in terms of numbers, starlings and indeed house sparrows have both made it onto the list of birds of highest conservation concern in the UK due to declining numbers. I would suggest that starlings actually need your help more than the other birds. I appreciate that are rather hooligan in their nature - but its not malicous its just how they are. I would say learn to love them - they're very interesting to watch once you relax into the fact that you have them....

There have been few to none in my parent's garden for years now.....

[vole-woman]

Sunflower hearts are great for tits and finches and sparrows. I've never seen starlings eating them, though. We have even bigger feeder hooligans: jackdaws. They see off the starlings and then some!

Just a reminder that dried mealworms aren't great in early spring, as chicks fed them can dehydrate.

[col188]

Originally Posted by Gill Catton

I would just perhaps point out that whereas birds like robins, great tits and chaffinches are doing well in terms of numbers, starlings and indeed house sparrows have both made it onto the list of birds of highest conservation concern in the UK due to declining numbers. I would suggest that starlings actually need your help more than the other birds. I appreciate that are rather hooligan in their nature - but its not malicous its just how they are. I would say learn to love them - they're very interesting to watch once you relax into the fact that you have them....

There have been few to none in my parent's garden for years now.....

I know you are right about the decline in Starlings, as very few visit my feeders or garden. Compared to earlier years.

However, yesterday evening when watering the hanging baskets, along side the house.
About 50-60 landed on my neighbors small front lawn, they looked in top class condition very glossy and overactive. Stayed about 30secs before wheeling away towards the canal and fields.
Quite enjoyed their nervous chatter and exuberance..... a breath of fresh air!
Col

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by col188

I know you are right about the decline in Starlings, as very few visit my feeders or garden. Compared to earlier years.

However, yesterday evening when watering the hanging baskets, along side the house.
About 50-60 landed on my neighbors small front lawn, they looked in top class condition very glossy and overactive. Stayed about 30secs before wheeling away towards the canal and fields.
Quite enjoyed their nervous chatter and exuberance..... a breath of fresh air! Col

This is exactly what I love about them too! Sometimes they all seem to stop foraging just to stand and all sing together lovely little birds and like fighter planes in the air so fast and manouverable....

[Tringa]

Starlings are one of my favourites too - don't see that many of them now, though the garden is less open than it used to be, but these glossy beauties are a joy to see stomping around the place. At times is as if they are just looking for something to be stroppy about.