Number Of Feeders To Use?

[Dolby]

Hi folks.

I'm not new to feeding the birds in my garden. But I do wonder if I am going about it blindly without much thought going into it, are there an optimum amount of feeders that I should put out in my garden?

At the moment I have 9 seed feeders, 1 nut feeder, 1 low table feeder, and 1 small tray feeder dotted about the garden, with the prospect of a higher bird table being installed shortly. The size of my garden is approx 45' x 25'.

I did plant my garden up a number of years ago to try and create some kind of a woodland edge (in my mind anyway). I have a couple of taller trees at the back, followed by holly bushes and other mixed smaller decidious and ever greens towards the front of the border.

I am getting a decent selection/number of birds in my garden, but they do seem to feed in ten minuit blocks of time, and then disapear for a while.

Would I be better off with a fewer amount of feeders, which might also lessen the risk of disease? and maybe possibly prolong feeding periods?

Is it a matter of suck it and see? are there any guide lines as to how many feeders to the size of garden being used?

Would fewer feeders (without depriveing the birds ) actually be better.

Thanks in advance.

[Wild-Woman]

I think what you've done is fine. At least with a decent number of feeders, there's more to go round your garden visitors, giving them all vital feeding time and less energy expenditure in this particularly cold weather. It also means that the birds are in less contact with each other, cutting down on the chances of passing on diseases and giving you the time to keep the feeders clean in rotation.

[jaelen]

Hello, Dolby- and welcome to WaB!

I do move and change my birdfeeders if I think they're not being used, or sometimes I experiment with different things.

I have realised there are times when the birds seem to go off some food and start preferring one they've not been keen on before, (for example, the sparrows are now eating the nyger seed they've ignored all summer... might be a seasonal thing, I don't know.)

My garden isn't as big as yours, but I have 18 feeders at the moment. (Not as impressive as Cordaline's feeder tree, which is amazing!) The only thing I would recommend, is that you seem to have a lot of seed feeders... have you tried filling them with a variety of things? (black sunflower seeds in the shell in one, sunflower hearts in another? Or even different seed mixtures might work.)

I have two peanut feeders- one for perching birds, and one for those that prefer to cling... and suet and fatball feeders are welcomed by the birds in the winter. I have one squirrel-proof feeder just for mealworms, else the starlings hoover them up before the robins and blue tits get a single one!

I think the ten-minute blocks of feeding times are normal- they come to my garden sporadically throughout the day, too... and then disappear for a while. I think they're doing the rounds. Word obviously gets around amongst the flocks as to who's putting out superior Chapelwood suet and berry pellets, and they all fly over to have a taste.

[rossy]

there is no limit to how many feeders you need. but food variety will bring different spieces of birds, what id recomend is only half fill them , so not much will be wasted if they dont feed from them. always change your water daily, and the main reason for the birds to come and go in 10 minute phases, is so there is less chance of being predated. rossy.

[Dolby]

Great replies.

I have gained something from each of your replies. Some which were obviouse, such as time spent by the birds feeding before they flew off. That reply is bang on the money when I think about it, as I do have a Sparrowhawk visiting twice a day which I know of.

Only half filling the feeders is sound advice, something which I will do in future. Also more variety of seed is now on the menu.

Thanks to all for restoring my confidence, and for the aditional advice.