What food do you put out on your bird table?

dc2009 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 08:19 AM

Currently I put out some wild bird mix, sunflower hearts, peanuts and dried mealworms. When the weather gets colder I may also put out some fat balls/ fat cake and suet pellets (have found they melt and make a mess in warm weather plus there's less demand for these from the birds). Have not had much in the way of luck when putting household scraps on the table in the past (e.g. bread, apple etc).

Was just curious what combinations or solitary food people put on their bird tables or what they find to be the most successful food?

Cheers! :-)

earthdragon64 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 08:35 AM

I mostly put out Sunflower hearts, Nijer seed, peanuts and suet balls or coconut shells with fat and seeds. I also put out berries, grapes or apples if they are past their best and in the autumn buy cheap apples specifically for Redwings, Fieldfares and Thrushes.

Bishopswood · #3 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 08:54 AM

On our bird tables we put out a mix of wholemeal bread, grated cheese, dried fruit, grated peanuts, Dry porridge, crumbled digestive biscuits,sunflower hearts.
Hugely popular with a wide variety of birds (especially the grated cheese).
A similar mix is scattered on the ground but with mixed seed added (we don't put mixed seed on the tables as they are mostly over flower beds and the extra weeding is a pain!)

Tringa · #4 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 05:02 PM

No bird table but the feeders have sunflower hearts and nijer seeds. The first disappear quickly, the latter last for ages - usually until I have to throw them away. We do get goldfinches who really go for them, but its usually only for about a couple of weeks at the most in early spring. The coconuts filled with fat and seed also do really well

Jenny W · #5 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 07:18 PM

Sunflower hearts will always be the most popular - or one of the most popular - as they are pre-dehusked and so the birds don't need to expend energy removing the husk before eating. If you have a variety of different seed types though, they you will attract the greatest variety of species.

Pippa · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2009, 07:22 PM

My main feed now is Sunflower hearts.

All the birds seem to love them but i am especially inundated with Goldfinches.

lincs lass · #7 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 08:31 PM

Niger/nyger seed, fat balls, suet pellets, peanuts, bird seed, now and again soaked bread, leftover fruit, crumbs, scraps of cheese, coconut, wheat & corn for the pheasants that come into the garden, then there are the shrubs that have berries. Most of this goes out on a daily basis.

bob.phillips · #8 (**permalink**) 12-09-2009, 08:44 PM

sunflower hearts work well for me. Mainly greenfinches and goldfinches

Bob P.

teknomage · #9 (**permalink**) 13-09-2009, 08:00 AM

De-husked sunflower seeds, peanuts, thistle seed, fat blocks & balls, berry-flavoured suet treats are the main stays, supplemented with kitchen scraps like trimmings of meat & fat, left over berries like cherries or strawberries, crumbled up crusts of bread or cake, cooked rice, pasta or potato.

I gave up with mixed wild bird seed as most of it was wasted - the birds sort through it for the sunflower hearts and chuck most of the rest on the ground. The other thing nothing around here will touch are mealworms, so I don't bother with those any more either.

tekno.mage

dc2009 · #10 (**permalink**) 11-12-2009, 10:59 PM

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Tried using Dawn Chorus Original Mix but the birds waste/ ignore alot of it - reverted to rspb table/ ground mix and they love it - not a bit wasted and new species attracted. Wish it was cheaper or there were equally good but more economical alternatives! Let me know if you hear of any please!! ;-)