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New bird feeder advice

CLBCLB Posts: 26
in Wildlife gardening
Hi all, I've just received a new bird feeding station with the various seed and nut feeders etc. I was just wondering, obviously I'll leave the food and water out there all day but when it gets to the night time do you bring the food inside at all or just keep it outside 24/7? I know I have to check it regularly so it doesn't start to rot etc. I'm just not sure if I should bring the food inside at night. 

It's probably a stupid question but I thought I'd ask anyway! Haha thanks in advance. 
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Posts

  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    CLB, I leave mine out 24/7. The birds are feeding early in the morning now.
    SW Scotland
  • Dave HumbyDave Humby Posts: 1,145
    I certainly don’t! 

  • CLBCLB Posts: 26
    I'll leave it out 24/7 then, hopefully I'll have plenty of visitors! Thanks Joyce. 
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    Very important to have it outside 24/7 in the colder months - birds need to feed at first light to replenish the energy they had to use overnight keeping warm.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    When I started feeding birds, it took them 3 weeks to discover the feeders and work out how to get the food out, so you may need to be patient.  I love it when the starlings fledge, and the parents bring them to the feeders and show them what to do.  Lazy little toerags, they'll still squat and gape and cheep pathetically when they're quite capable of feeding themselves.  Typical teenagers.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    My father is an avid bird feeder, but with a limited budget.  On the way into the house each evening after work he puts the feeder on the enclosed porch, and fills it with one scoop of seed, ready to be put out again first thing in the morning on his way out to work.  Once it's gone, that's it for the birds that day.  He follows the same routine on the weekends, but gets to enjoy watching them eat their breakfast.  
    Utah, USA.
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,851
    The birds seem to feed at first light,and that's when I see the most interesting ones.Then when it's dusk,to see them through the night.
    The more common ones are out there all day.
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • plant pauperplant pauper Posts: 6,904
    Josusa your birds must be a bit dopey!  Mine were straight in there! In fact I put a red squirrel feeder up first and as I was weeding I heard tap tap tapping and it was a chaffinch head butting the squirrel feeder!! I was amazed at how quickly they all caught on. I love your story about the teenage starlings! 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited April 2018
    Mine also take over a month to trust new feeder or a new position - even if I move it a foot away. I don't think they are dopey - quite the opposite - very twitchy and suspicious. It's frustrating as, if I swap foodstuff or have to move the feeder, or put up a new one, I will generally lose the first few lots of food to rot. Now, I don't move or change anything. I stick to sunflower seed. Huge wood pigeons get most of it, though as they hang on the tiny bird feeder and shake it all out. Mine is a London garden, not huge on bushy cover, on a street with more cats than people. Little birds certainly seem to love having lots of thick cover near by to disappear into if need be. Like frogs.

  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494

    Hello Fire, sunflower seeds are quite expensive and far too good for wood pigeons!

    I've got the kind of bird feeder that has drop down steel shutters over the seed holes to stop squirrels and/or big birds from getting at the seed. It was expensive but has saved us lots of money buying seed.

    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
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