Hi From Plymouth Devon

Stomperone · #1 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 01:56 PM

Seems the done thing to introduce yourself here so Hello all.. I found this site accidentally while doing a search for some help.
I love Wildlife and enjoy photographing it even more.
I have a reasonable sized garden backed by a devon hedge containing hazel, holly, elderberry, oak, sycamore and a large climbing rose(I think it is a wild one). The plants growing in between the trees are great for several types of moths and butterflies..
The problem I have is that I cannot seem to attract any birds to my feeders in my garden apart from Wood Pidgeons and Magpies.. I know there are small birds in the hedge like wrens robins and finches but they really do not seem at all interested in any type of food I put on the table .. What am I doing wrong? Could it be the lack of bushes in the garden? or, is the fact there are magpies around?.. I would appreciate any help anyone can give me..

kshotton45 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 02:16 PM

Hi Stomperone, Welcome to WAB. You've just found the best wildelife site on the web.
Look forwards to your posts.

Keith.

naturelover · #3 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 03:00 PM

hi stomperone welcome to wab hope you enjoy it,as for your birds it could be the magpies the little birds know they steal eggs and baby birds so they are a bit wharey of them.

Tursiops2 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 03:46 PM

Hi stomperone, welcome to WAB

I doubt if the presence of a few magpies would stop other birds exploiting a food source. It may just be down to the time of year, wild food is plentiful at the end of summer, so there's no pressure on birds to find alternative supplies. How long have your feeders been in place? If they're fairly new, the birds may simply not have found them yet.

Lack of shrubs may be a contributory factor - a lot of birds don't like to feel exposed when they're feeding, so feeders should placed close to good cover. Do you have a water feature? A supply of drinking/bathing water helps attract birds into a garden.

HTH
T2

goosey · #5 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 04:38 PM

Hi Stomperone, the robins and chaffinches in our garden always feed on the ground - I put out a soft-bill mix and they eat that. Green finches use to eat from the feeders and the peanut feeders and I have never had goldfinches so don't know.
I agree with Tursiops2, it just may be the case there is plenty of natural food around and as it becomes scarce the birds will come to you then. Your hedge probably supplies all their needs at the moment. Good luck and be patient.
Welcome to WAB and hopefully we will get to se some of your garden birds in the Gallery very soon

.

badger426 · #6 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 04:40 PM

Welcome to WAB! You'll find this addictive.

buzfuz8149 · #7 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 05:18 PM

Hi Stomperone,

A warm welcome to WAB, looking forward to your posts and photos.

Carol.

Stomperone · #8 (**permalink**) 07-10-2007, 05:27 PM

Thankyou to all for the warm welcome. Also a thank you for the suggestions of how to get birds into the garden. For those who wanted to see some of my photographs I have posted a few here on this website.. I do have more recent shots but have not posted them anywhere yet

jdurbo · #9 (**permalink**) 08-10-2007, 08:25 AM

Hi Stomperone
Hello and welcome to WAB from me

Lovely photos!!!!

jen xxx

glsammy · #10 (**permalink**) 08-10-2007, 10:05 AM

Welcome to WAB Stomperone.

As for your feeders, I was in the same position. This time last year we were lucky to get a Blackbird, a Robin and a Dunnock. Nothing else. I extended our feeders and kept at it. Now this year it's all different, we've counted up to 15 Greenfinches at a time, which according to some experts means we're feeding a flock of around 300!

It certainly seems so as we're having to fill our feeders on a daily basis now, instead of the once a month if lucky we had to do last year.
As well as this, we've now got regular Sparrows, 4 Dunnocks, 3 Robins, 4 Blackbirds and Starlings.

One idea which did help a lot, which was suggested by Pauline (PMG) was to supply the birds with some off feeder areas, i.e. branches to rest on. This has the added benefit of providing much better photographic opportunities.

This is our set up:

Stomperone · #11 (**permalink**) 08-10-2007, 07:50 PM

Thank you Graham, For giving me hope... I shall definately try your idea I am sure I got room for something like that and the natural braches will have to be a must for photographic reasons... I have seen some beautiful photos of birds spoilt by wire feeders or plastic perches ..