Thanks for your words of warning. I have never witnessed birds with feet or beaks caught in the ball nettings, but I understand this may happen from time to time.
I was not aware that birds might bite off plastic pieces as well. I will keep a close watch on my system. Other than my device what do you suggest to attract tits and keep sparrows away?
Do you have a France Rurale near you Papi Jo? I bought a wire ring to hold 10 fat balls at a time form ours and have a similar but sturdier version I bought in a GC in Hasselt years ago. I also have mesh columnar fat ball holders. I always take the net off.
I also have rectangular holders for fat and fruit or fat and insect blocks. The its especially love the insect blocks.
My seed, peanut and fat ball feeders attract tits and sparrows in roughly equal numbers and at the same time and i'm happy to see them. Sparrow numbers are declining and both species hoover up insects and larvae to feed their chicks in the breeding season which is great for me and my treasures.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Not here, nor in Belgium. They swing on a bird feeder with the best of them but will go to the ground more readily that tits when I put out ground food for the chaffinches..
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
We have a spiny Berberis bush next to the feeders the sparrows tend to use that and then pick up the seed dropped from the feeders as well as dunnocks a robin and chaffinchs.
I am really pleased with my recent purchase from the RSPB. I sent away for the Annual Bird Survey special offer - which is a suet block feeder, which is beautifully made, heavy duty and far superior to any feeders I have ever bought in the local G.C's. The offer was for this feeder and 50 fat/meal worm balls for approx. £12/£13.00. Now all I need is some hungry birds to come to the garden!
Cornelly - I have cats so the bird feeding station is well away from any shrubs or walls or other structures behind which pussies can hide and then pounce. Robins and dunnocks and even an occasional wren fossick about with the chaffinches for bits of dropped food but also get their own loose seeds.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Papi-Jo, I'm in France too. The local hypermarkets and the Garden Centre sell bird feeders and fat ball holders. I always remove the green netting from the balls.
We have a cottage in Norfolk and I've noticed there that the fat balls don't have netting on them. We bought a bird table in the GC (damaged, greatly reduced price, OH mended it) and have filled it with sunflower seeds and hung a fat ball holder on it but not a single bird came in 2 weeks. Here there are loads of birds, mostly the tit varieties.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Busy - when we moved to our house in Belgium it took nearly 2 years for the local birds to come to our feeders because the previous owners were farmers and had cattle pasture right up to the house rear and side. Once they cottoned on and we planted shrubs and trees and ornamentals they came in increasing numbers and varieties and we ended up with a whole colony of sparrows living in the eaves and some interesting visotrs.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
@Lyn and cornelly,
Thanks for your words of warning. I have never witnessed birds with feet or beaks caught in the ball nettings, but I understand this may happen from time to time.
I was not aware that birds might bite off plastic pieces as well. I will keep a close watch on my system. Other than my device what do you suggest to attract tits and keep sparrows away?
Do you have a France Rurale near you Papi Jo? I bought a wire ring to hold 10 fat balls at a time form ours and have a similar but sturdier version I bought in a GC in Hasselt years ago. I also have mesh columnar fat ball holders. I always take the net off.
I also have rectangular holders for fat and fruit or fat and insect blocks. The its especially love the insect blocks.
My seed, peanut and fat ball feeders attract tits and sparrows in roughly equal numbers and at the same time and i'm happy to see them. Sparrow numbers are declining and both species hoover up insects and larvae to feed their chicks in the breeding season which is great for me and my treasures.
Sparrows tend to be ground feeders they clear up below the feeders as do blackbirds and chaffinchs.
Not here, nor in Belgium. They swing on a bird feeder with the best of them but will go to the ground more readily that tits when I put out ground food for the chaffinches..
We have a spiny Berberis bush next to the feeders the sparrows tend to use that and then pick up the seed dropped from the feeders as well as dunnocks a robin and chaffinchs.
I am really pleased with my recent purchase from the RSPB. I sent away for the Annual Bird Survey special offer - which is
a suet block feeder, which is beautifully made, heavy duty and far superior to any feeders I have ever bought in the local G.C's. The offer was for this feeder and 50 fat/meal worm balls for approx. £12/£13.00. Now all I need is some hungry birds to come to the garden!
Last edited: 21 December 2017 23:13:18
Cornelly - I have cats so the bird feeding station is well away from any shrubs or walls or other structures behind which pussies can hide and then pounce. Robins and dunnocks and even an occasional wren fossick about with the chaffinches for bits of dropped food but also get their own loose seeds.
Cats won,t hide under a spiny berberis bush no comfort there, we have pyracantha where the fat feeders are, that helps as well.
Papi-Jo, I'm in France too. The local hypermarkets and the Garden Centre sell bird feeders and fat ball holders. I always remove the green netting from the balls.
We have a cottage in Norfolk and I've noticed there that the fat balls don't have netting on them. We bought a bird table in the GC (damaged, greatly reduced price, OH mended it) and have filled it with sunflower seeds and hung a fat ball holder on it but not a single bird came in 2 weeks. Here there are loads of birds, mostly the tit varieties.
Busy - when we moved to our house in Belgium it took nearly 2 years for the local birds to come to our feeders because the previous owners were farmers and had cattle pasture right up to the house rear and side. Once they cottoned on and we planted shrubs and trees and ornamentals they came in increasing numbers and varieties and we ended up with a whole colony of sparrows living in the eaves and some interesting visotrs.