Help the birds

[carthorse11]

Winter is here and our native birds arefinding food scarce. Please go to the petshop and buy a bag of nuts for our feathered friends. There is no finer sight on a winters morning than a pair of tits around your nut sacks.Just remember however its a bit early in the year to expect a Swallow!!!!

[Kleftiwallah]

Is it just my warped sense of humour, or am I reading something else into this communication that just aint there? ? ? Perplexed, Tony.

[Beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Kleftiwallah

Is it just my warped sense of humour, or am I reading something else into this communication that just aint there? ? ? Perplexed, Tony.

Ha ha, i am with you on that one Kleftiwallah

ian

[Dulcebella]

I do try to support our feathered friends, we have a substantial feeding station at the bottom of our compact rear garden, on a metal pole so that the neighborhood killers (cats) cannot get to the birds. I have fashioned plastic coated wire mesh cages that totally enclose the bird feeders, so the tits and finches can feel and be safe whilst feeding, we have a busy local Sparrowhawk that visits regularly. The containers contain white heart seeds, which cost a fortune, wild bird seeds and peanuts, also there are a number of the ever present fat balls around. This time of the year I find the the birds drop off visiting, usually it is a daily occurrence to refill all the feeders, at present it is down to a weekly refill. And for some reason the nuts may well not be there, I keep on having to throw them away as they go off, the birds just aren't touching them. There is plenty for them to eat and I make sure that the garden pond is always running for them to get their drinks, things must be o.k. out there for we have the Robins and the Blackbirds showing signs of becoming territorial now. It cannot be much fun living in a hedge in minus temperatures.

[Swindoom]

For these freezing days and nights, I put out extra suet pellets, dried meal worms and grated mild cheddar, they seem to be the birds favourites as they always eat them before anything else. Luckily the weather has turned where I live and it is quite mild, +6 during the day and above freezing at night.

[fairplay]

A lot of well meaning family's will simply be throwing whole or broken slices of (usually white) bread into the garden and end up disappointed when a load of noisy gulls come crashing down and take the lot in 10 seconds.

If bread is all people have to feed the birds, please use wholemeal bread, and break it up into really small pieces on a newspaper and then spread the lot under a tree.
Blackbirds will then take the bigger bits, if the starlings don't get there first, followed by robins, chaffinches and dunnocks (who get the crumbs).

By breaking it up really small, the birds will be there longer and it must be better for their digestive system.
Of course, it is always better to purchase proper bird seed/nuts or make your own fat balls.

Neil.

[AndrewB]

I have been putting a sprinkling of seed out each morning on top of the frozen snow and generally making sure the feeders arent blocked, but I have been a bit surprised at the general lack of activity. I thought there would be more given the recent weather.

The greenfinches who were quite active couple of weeks ago seem to have gone, although I have had some robins and a pair of chaffinches.

[Dutchess]

Originally Posted by Kleftiwallah

Is it just my warped sense of humour, or am I reading something else into this communication that just aint there? ? ? Perplexed, Tony.

D.