Ground feeding birds

[dc2009]

Will ground feeding birds use a tray attached to a feeding station's pole? Am reluctant to feed on ground due to possibility of rodents returning. Have a kingfisher feeding station pole which has a tray attached to it and the height can be adjusted - do you think this is sufficient to attract ground feeding birds and if so at about what height and what food is best to put in it?

Thanks :-)

[jaykay]

I have Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Robins using mine. it's about a 2 foot off the floor. I also have a bird table which they all use as well, this is about 4 foot high. hope this helps.

Jaykay

[dc2009]

Brill! Hopefully I can make do with the station then, thanks for the advice!! :-)

Am yet to entice anything to use it lol but hopefully soon... have currently got water and sunflower hearts on it, but will now lower and try some food on the tray also and see what happens! :-)

[teknomage]

I use a feeding station with hooks for feeders and a mesh tray which I have positioned about 4 foot from the ground. Dunnocks, sparrows, finches and tits are all happy to feed from the tray (and the handing feeders). They also feed on the ground under the feeding station (especially the chaffinches & dunnocks), hoovering up all the dropped bits of sunflower hearts the siskins leave behind!

As I write this there is a blue tit pecking away determinedly (and noisily) at the rubber seal round the glass in my double-glazed window. He's about a foot away from me and keeps stopping and looking in at me through the window!

tekno.mage

[Davy Crockett]

you need the tray to be about a foot from the ground to prevent rats reaching up to them. But yes ground feeding birds will hop up there.

[dc2009]

Hi peeps,

followed your advice and now have squirrel/ starlings using the tray part of station feeder!