Update re: Open garden - how lucky am I?!?

[Michelleatiisis]

After yesterday's post i feel a bit of a fool!
This will teach me to post without finding out the facts first!
So, my garden is deffo too open to attract the birds to feed from it, however, I am blessed in that although I live in a residential area, my house is on the edge, backs on to farmland and we have a couple of acres which adjoins our property.
So, after moving my fat ball thingy yesterday, I woke up and had a look out of my bedroom window - no birds. It was however very frosty, so I left it a bit and then I looked out and the fat ball thing was swinging.... and then a tit!!! Feeding from my fat ball!
Queue my running to the office to dig about, searching for a pair of binoculars!
I found some (pretty basic, possibly some kind of corporate freebie) and managed to study the birds in the tree.
Not only that, but about 50 yards from my house, behind the furthest block of stables, is an area we do not use, it's just a small area of grass and then a concrete area where the old stables used to be when we moved here. It has become overgrown with brambles which have spread and become quite thick. This area is an absolute hive of birdy activity that I had never ever really taken any notice of before!
The birds fly between the tree and hedges next to the house, to the bush, to my roof (they are nesting I think!) and back again.

There I was wondering if will be able to attract the birds to my garden, and the hard job is already done! This morning I have spotted:

A couple of Robins
1 x blackbird
1 x Songthrush
a few sparrows
hundreds of Greenfinch
Loads of blue tits
Loads of what i think are Great Tits (black head, bigger than the blue tits).
Starlings
1 x goldfinch
and one other one that I only saw once and i don't know if it was a chaffinch or a bullfinch. It had a warm, dark peachy colour to it's chest but I didn't get much of a look after that.

So, I am going to stick with my original plan of putting the feeders at the back of the stables, as I am pretty sure I can coax the birds down towards the house from the brambles once all the blackberries are gone. Also, I saw a Robin, Blackbird and 2 x tits all sitting on the edge of the stable roof where I intend to hang the feeders - the tits where under the roof overhang, eating bugs and the Blackbird was drinking from the guttering!

Sorry once again for the essay!
Michelle

[Jonners]

Hi Michelle. I read your thread from yesterday... I don't reckon you need to be apologising for anything. WAB can be a great place to learn though . I have a small garden, with not a huge amount in it, but I do have one of those feeding pole things with some curly brackets at the top from which I hang a couple of feeders, one with mixed seeds (sunflower hearts, small seeds, dried mealworms etc) and one with niger seeds. I also have one lot of peanut, and I have rigged up some old large twigs as additional perching places. This pole is about three or four feet from a shed and the fence, so the birds feel they can approach and depart quite safely/quickly, without feeling too exposed. I have stopped ground feeding in general, because we have had rats previously. I do have one small dog, and she will chase anything that moves, but especially the woodpigeon, even when on one of the perches. I regularly (at this time of year) see Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Goldfinches, House Sparrows and usually Robin, Woodpigeon and Blackbird with the occasional Dunnock. Today, we even had a Great Spotted Woodpecker on the peanuts, and I don't think the moon was even blue!
Oh, and finally, if a little belated, a warm welcome to Wild About Britain
(We can all do essays from time to time)

[Michelleatiisis]

Thanks!
I would love to attract woodpeckers. I haven't actually seen one in ages. I did see one a few years back but it was a green one.

If I can get bullfinches (what i saw earlier was deffo a chaffinch and not a bullfinch) and woodpeckers then that would be nice.

Haven't seen any long tailed tits either.

The bird seem to vanish by 11am and the crows move in from the farmers field. I have also seen a pair of pheasants and a hare this morning!

[rossy]

ok michelle it seems you already have plenty of birds about already, if you can afford it, buy suet blocks in cages which are 2 for £3 at bms, also if you can hang nuts out, take off the netting, as birds can get caught in it, and buy a couple of feeders to put seeds in , good chance you will see a woodpecker, long tailed tits move around a lot at this time of the year, so they might pay a visit, and the birds will not be nesting at this time of the year, good luck rossy.

[Michelleatiisis]

I'm really disappointed. Not one bird today.

i don't understand it? Yesterday was sunny and clear and today is windy, overcast and damp, wonder if that is why?

[artdemole]

It happens like that some days.Don't like to be blown about getting caught in a gust.At least the visitors know where to come.Have you got water down for the birds.In a large area it will easily be spotted and a good attraction.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by Michelleatiisis

Thanks!
I would love to attract woodpeckers. I haven't actually seen one in ages. I did see one a few years back but it was a green one.

A friend of mine had great success in atracting Spotted Woodpeckers by fixing a bit of wire netting around a post and sliding a slice of brown wholemeal bread behind it. He had them visit almost every day once they had found it.
Dorts.