In our garden I have 11 separate feeders + 3 bird tables + 2 ponds stocked with large and small fish (my Kingfisher 'feeder'
The feeder contents include Niger seed (1); peanuts (6); sunflower hearts (1); mixed seed (1); fat balls (2) and on/below/around the bird tables I put a mix of seed/peanuts/sunflower hearts/mealworms and broken-up fat balls + occasional bits of cheese, bacon fat, pieces of fruit, etc. I also hang up strings of shelled monkey nuts - the Jays love these!
Birds using the feeders include - Blue Tit; Great Tit; Coal Tit; Long-tailed Tit; Green Finch; Chaffinch; Goldfinch; House Sparrow; Starling; Robin; Collared Dove (regulars on the Niger seed); Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay.
Other birds frequently seen beneath the feeders and on the bird tables include:- Blackbird; Song Thrush; Woodpigeon; Carrion Crow; Dunnock; Jackdaw; Magpie; Mallard; Moorhen; Pheasant and Rook.
As for other visitors, I've maintained a list of birds seen in or from the garden since my wife and I moved into our present home 30 years ago this Easter. To date, the list is up to 70 - here's the full list:-
Nesting species:-
Blackbird
Blue Tit
Collared Dove (and in flocks of up to 30!)
Great Tit
House Martin
House Sparrow
Robin
Song Thrush
Starling
Woodpigeon
Wren
(Sub-total = 11)
Other regular visitors:-
Carrion Crow
Chaffinch (in large groups)
Dunnock
Goldfinch (in groups)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (daily – up to 4)
Greenfinch (in groups)
Green Woodpecker (heard daily and feeds on ants in lawn and in dry stone walls alongside stream linking ponds)
Grey Heron (in flight & occasionally in pond!)
Jackdaw
Jay (often a pair)
Kestrel (in flight & nested in adjacent meadow)
Kingfisher (regular pond visitor since Spring 2006)
Long-tailed Tit (groups of 6 -8)
Magpie (often a pair)
Mallard (usually 2 or 3)
Moorhen (sometimes a pair)
Pheasant (up to 6 at once)
Rook
Sparrowhawk
Tawny Owl (heard often & nested in trees around
adjacent meadow)
(Sub-total = 20)
Seasonal visitors:-
Chiffchaff (heard in meadow annually)
Fieldfare (winter visitor)
Redwing (winter visitor)
Spotted Flycatcher (annual visitor & nested once)
Swallow (in flight)
Swift (in flight)
(Sub-total = 6)
Occasional visitors/sightings:-
Black-headed Gull (in flight)
Coal Tit
Cormorant (in flight)
Lapwing (in meadow/flight)
Linnet (a pair in stream since April 2005)
Mute Swan (in flight)
Pied Wagtail
Red-legged Partridge (in meadow)
(Sub-total = 8)
Rare visitors/sightings:-
Blackcap (in stream – June 2005)
Brambling (in March 2005 on nut feeder)
Bullfinch (regular up to early 80’s but not seen since)
Buzzard (in flight – Feb 2007)
Canada Geese (in flight)
Cuckoo (seen in flight & heard annually)
Garden Warbler
Goldcrest
Grey Wagtail (in stream – August 2005)
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (twice – in 1978)
Lesser Whitethroat (twice – in 1978)
Little Tern (in flight)
Mistle Thrush
Ring-necked Parakeet (seen daily for week or so in 1978)
Siskin (in stream – May 2005)
Skylark (in/over meadow)
Snipe (once – in boundary ditch)
Stock Dove
Treecreeper (twice– in 1977/78)
Tree Sparrow (nested up to 80’s but not seen since)
Turtle Dove (but not for many years)
Wheatear (female in meadow– in 1978)
Willow Warbler (once – in 1978)
Wood Warbler
Yellowhammer (once – in 1978)
(Sub-total = 25)
Is 70 seen in or from the garden a record???
Jeff