Drought causing feeding frenzy?

[KentYeti]

The Mid Kent drought, probably as bad as almost anywhere in the UK, (last decent prolonged rain nearly 3 months ago), has seen my garden become incredibly dry.

Could this explain why my bird feeding station is seeing almost a feeding frenzy at times? Not just morning, but often right through the day now.

Used up 5 fat balls yesterrday. And if I'd put them out before mid day and filled the fat ball feeder when it was emptied in the afternoon I could have seen ten go in the day. Have doubled up on peanut feeders and am making sure the seed feeder is kept full as well. Only thing not seeing constant attention is the newly installed niger feed seeder.

Just get the feeling there is a distinct lack of normal food around in the rest of the garden now due to the arid conditions.

PS. Gave the feeding station a good clean yesterday, ending with boiling water on most surfaces. Want all my visitors to see that Yetis can be clean and tidy! LOL!

[jaelen]

I came across a fatball feeder in my local newsagents marked down to £1 and I got it, because the one I already had is emptying faster than I can keep up with it- and I'm topping up the seed feeder almost daily.

I noticed a flock of young sparrows in the branches of the apple tree that I hang the seed feeders from, and they would wait while their mums flew back and forth from feeder to their chicks, stuffing seeds into them as fast as they could.

At one point, there was two mother sparrows and about seven young ones, all fluttering and demanding to be fed... I did get a photo, but it's not great- (the mother is taking a break in the centre of the top image- those are all young ones fluffed up and fluttering to get her attention- "Me next!! Me, me me!!")



Maybe this is a possible reason our feeders are emptying so quickly- The parents are using them to feed their young?
jaelen

[htcdude]

I've notcied I'm having to change my water tray twice a day now, morning and evening, which makes sense if there's been no rain and warm temperatures.

Fatballs have gone down a lot, I have a pair of Blue Tits that fly back and forth all day from their nest down the way, also had a GSW on the feeder which I haven't had before (they must be desperate!)

Nyjer seed and sunflower kernels are now regularly visited several times in the morning and evening (probably during the day too) by a pair of Goldfinch and a Robin.

Also the ground feeding birds I get, Dunnock, Blackbird & Pigeons & Doves all seem to be back and forth often.


Still I have no idea why, maybe your reasoning is correct! Maybe just the baby boom

Nige

[~T~]

Up here in Glasgow I have the same thing going on particularly with the fat balls but we have plenty of rain, in fact its rained near enough non stop for the last week.

[Hedera]

I have a song thrush visiting and thwacking snails on my patio every day.The snails are contracting into their shells because it is so dry and she is having a job extracting them. I'm collecting snails from behind pots etc and throwing them where she can get at them. Keeping bird baths and saucers well-filled with water ,too.