Feeding station advice appreciated

dc2009 · #1 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 12:30 PM

Hi everyone, after several months I'm still yet to have any luck with my kingfisher wildbird feeding station.

It is situated approximately 9 or 10 feet away from the house and about half a metre (50cm) away from the garden fence (to help shelter it from the wind). The garden is on a new estate with not much established growth though I have planted lots of things including: pyracanthas, buddleias, honeysuckles, jasmines, clematis, passion flower, solanum jasminoides 'album', japanese maple, ivy etc.

The pole has on it a seed feeder filled with sunflower hearts and a water bowl which are both regularly changed but never used! I have fat ball/cake and peanut feeders ready to use but took them down as they kept going off. Can anyone suggest how to encourage it to be used? I can't put a photo on here - have tried but couldn't get it to work... Does the positioning of it sound ok or not?

Bird table at bottom of garden is used by woodpigeons and magpies and was previously used by starlings etc earlier in year.

Any help would be much appreciated as i really want to try and attract some birds to the pole too and have seen blue tits etc in the local area... just think i must be doing something wrong as have waited about 5 months now probably...

Thanks for your time everyone :-)

valleyforge · #2 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc2009

Hi everyone, after several months I'm still yet to have any luck with my kingfisher wildbird feeding station.

On initial reading I thought maybe you were hoping to attract Kingfishers to your feeding station

... then realised that this is a brand name.

Welcome to the WAB forum by the way ... I think you probably just need to be patient a little longer ... often on new housing estates, birds may take a little while to get to know where food can be found regularly.

Just at the moment, the breeding season is past, there is ample natural food around and many birds are in the midst of their annual moult, all of which means fewer garden birds around.

However, once the colder weather sets in and once word gets around that you have some nice food on offer, I'm sure you'll gather your fair share of regulars.

Might be an idea to move the feeder pole a little further from the fence though ... birds may be wary of cats appearing suddenly from behind it within leaping distance to the feeder station.

dc2009 · #3 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 01:10 PM

Hi, and thanks for the advice. Lol, did think that myself after writing it! But yes it's just the make.

Hope you don't mind me asking, but you think the distance from the house is ok (9 or 10 feet)?

How far away from the fence would you suggest (it is quite a small garden also lol)? Maybe one metre away? Have avoided putting the pole by the table at bottom as thought the larger birds (magpies and woodpigeons) may put any other potential visitors off.

Thank you for your help :-) Fingers crossed in winter we get some more regular visitors to the garden (and pole in paticular) other than just woodpigeons and magpies!

Agrotis · #4 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 01:34 PM

I also think your to close to the fence. Its easy for a Cat to jump that distance.

valleyforge · #5 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc2009

Hope you don't mind me asking, but you think the distance from the house is ok (9 or 10 feet)?

How far away from the fence would you suggest (it is quite a small garden also lol)? Maybe one metre away?

I think distance from your house is OK ... you still want to be able to see them. But, for the smaller birds, they may feel a little more secure if they were further from the fence, but nearer a tree or bush ... that way they could make a dash for cover away from predatory birds too.

dc2009 · #6 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 02:48 PM

Hi and thanks for your replies. There aren't really any cats around here and there's a big dog in the next door garden which lives outside so cats wouldn't go on the fence through fear I don't think. The magpies go and nick his food mind and it just lets them lol.

Can move it further away from fence but it will be onto grass as it being a small garden everything is planted around the edges... There are the climbers growing up fences though. How far away from the fence does it need to be? It's now about 50 cm? How far do other people have theirs? With it being a small garden I could move it but not too much...

Thanks for everyones help so far :-)

jay2 · #7 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 05:46 PM

I have just read this, sorry a bit late!
Anyway hope you now have had some results.
I have a VERY small garden and seed feeder on a pole near ivy covered fence, with
12+ house sparrows visiting daily, and occasionally other species (I am in S london!). I also have a seed feeder that sticks on the window and the sparrows and tits use that greedily.
Good luck

Tursiops2 · #8 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc2009

Any help would be much appreciated as i really want to try and attract some birds to the pole too and have seen blue tits etc in the local area... just think i must be doing something wrong as have waited about 5 months now probably...

Thanks for your time everyone :-)

I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Summer is always the quietest season for feeders (particularly new ones), and the lack of mature vegetation in your vicinity will mean a lack of diversity. You will find that visits increase through the winter, particularly if we get a really cold spell like last season, and the range of species will increase as the gardens around you mature. Don't fret about the positioning of your feeder, it sounds OK, see what happens over the winter bfore you start moving them around.

On the subject of "cats and fences", speaking as a former cat-owner, I think the threat of cats using fences as launch pads to catch birds is greatly over-rated. Cats are ambush hunters, relying on stealth, and it's very difficult to hide on top of a fence

T2

dc2009 · #9 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 06:15 PM

Hi Jay2, that's good to know - can I ask how close to your fence roughly your pole is as mine's about half a metre away and am unsure whether to try moving it?

Thanks

jay2 · #10 (**permalink**) 22-09-2009, 06:26 PM

Hi
About half a metre, as yours. The birds perch and hide in the ivy, and fly out to the feeder, when it's filled!
I do limit the amount at this time of the year to one yogurt pot of seed a day, every morning early. If I gave more it would all be eaten and I would have no money for my own food!
I chase any cats that appear in my garden, and yes TURSIOPS2, cats would have to balance on top of ivy flowers on top of my fence!
I think the position of bushes is crucial for the birds to quickly fly into when siting the feeder.
Hope this helps