feeding stations to target wrens, is it possible?

[scarymonster]

Hi all,

I was attempting to lay food down for the wrens today as we have more snow and I always see them bumbling around and not taking any of the seed.

I was laying meal worms into crevices in the stone wall where I sometimes see them and also between rocks where I had seen them feeding this morning.

The problem is the food is always spotted and eaten by other birds, today because of the snow, starlings. Then 5 minutes later the wren comes back and searches the same areas but the food I put there has already been eaten!

Has anyone successfully set up a feeding area or station that targets the small birds where the larger ones cannot access but without endangering blackbirds or starlings that may get stuck in any fencing / mesh trying to gain access.

I have a 1/3 acre garden and lots of room for everyone but want to specifically target wrens in this instance.

Thanks for any advice.

[Littlesparrow]

I have been seeing quite a few wrens this year in the garden, they seem to sit quite low down in the shrubs and are feeding on the ground.
The Blackbirds, Robins and Sparrows tend to be first in line to get fed in the morning, but then they clear off somewhere else, so if I put some more food out later on I get a different group of birds including wrens.

[actionfinch]

I have the same problem with the wood pigeons getting at the ground food first, but what i do is put it on the table and on the ground in a designated place, so they congregate in them areas, then i sprinkle 1-2 small handfulls over the rest of the garden ,and even on the pond.( i see mr wren on there alot )

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by scarymonster

Hi all,

I was attempting to lay food down for the wrens today as we have more snow and I always see them bumbling around and not taking any of the seed.

I was laying meal worms into crevices in the stone wall where I sometimes see them and also between rocks where I had seen them feeding this morning.

The problem is the food is always spotted and eaten by other birds, today because of the snow, starlings. Then 5 minutes later the wren comes back and searches the same areas but the food I put there has already been eaten!

Has anyone successfully set up a feeding area or station that targets the small birds where the larger ones cannot access but without endangering blackbirds or starlings that may get stuck in any fencing / mesh trying to gain access.

I have a 1/3 acre garden and lots of room for everyone but want to specifically target wrens in this instance.

Thanks for any advice.

I would imagine the Wrens know a lot more about what food they like and need than you do. It seems clear they are not interested in your worms.

Why not just leave them be, to do what Wrens do, and derive pleasure from that?

[scarymonster]

We have had some terrible weather lately and temps down to -17 with snow and frozen ground. I believe from what I have read that wrens do suffer in this type of weather due to the lack of insects available to them.

If I can introduce a feeding station for the smaller birds they may remember where to go for food in times of very bad weather.

I am just trying to learn more about them and find out what they can eat in times of food scarcity. I also want to position some roosting boxes as providing somewhere for them to shelter overnight in bad weather seems to be beneficial to their chances of survival.

If they choose not to eat it or I am advised by others that they are known to be difficult to provide for then I will have to accept that. I do not have a problem with that, I am just trying to learn more about them and all the birds in my garden.

[thebeard]

Originally Posted by Doggle Avaddit

I would imagine the Wrens know a lot more about what food they like and need than you do. It seems clear they are not interested in your worms.

Why not just leave them be, to do what Wrens do, and derive pleasure from that?

surely then we should just stop feeding all birds...

i think wanting to aid a bird in survival which is particularly susceptible to cold weather is fine. its just a bit harder for some species as they have different preferences.

i would think for a wren, which is largely a ground/shrub feeding bird, perhaps scattering food in 'hard to reach' places on the ground and in the undergrowth, for example undrer bushes, etc, would be best. I mainly scattered food on the ground at my old house, blackbirds and dunnocks took most of it, but now and again i would see a wren flitting in and out under the bushes picking up scraps

[healfdan]

Not everyone appreciates bramble in their garden but a controlled thicket in the corner is great for the smaller birds such as Dunnocks, House sparrows and Wrens. You can control the growth of bramble stems by pegging them down to grow in the direction you want. For the small amount of work involved you can create a tangled bush that keeps the big guys out.

[kimmy]

[quote=scarymonster;720740]We have had some terrible weather lately and temps down to -17 with snow and frozen ground............

I find your post very interesting and also have lovely little Wrens and have never yet noticed them eating anything and was thinking about that in the bad snow too. I read somewhere that they love a Cotoneaster bush with red berries as a lot of insects on the branches for them or something like that........... I set one and have noticed them scuttling along the fence and down into the bush often enough so true although it seems to be a bit slow growing but getting there. I also see them a lot in the thick ivy on my Ash tree ............

[Bellfamily]

Hawthorn is also great for little insects that Wrens like. We have a hedge of it and often see a little wren darting around inside.