Removed finished half coconuts today (2 of them). At the back feeder which is just for smaller birds, blackbird and thrush I have replaced with same. At the front feeder where all the noisy birds congregate I have put a flutter butter feeder, which the starlings will demolish in a couple of days. In the meantime I am looking out for the 3 long tailed tits to reappear but I have not seen them today. I am thinking of ordering a nyger feeder with saucer from Amazon (Peckish) to help eliminate the black mess on the paying slabs. The seeds are a huge attraction for the goldfinches but only at the quiet back feeding station.
Hi @Guernsey Donkey2.The niger seed feeder you are thinking of sounds the same as the one I have from Peckish. It has a saucer underneath which fills with husks (I think) but in spite of that the bullfinches still scattered it everywhere else hence the little mountain underneath Probably will be OK if over paving stones.
They have eaten all of the 20kg sack I had delivered in the 11th January as well as extra sunflower seeds , peanuts and two large blocks of mild cheddar, plus a wholemeal loaf every week and a suet block every day. Im sure I spend more on the birds than us. 😀
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Had to laugh at that Lyn! Can't believe they have got through so much. Was it a sack of sunflower hearts? How many feeders do you have out? Never thought of putting cheese out and that doesn't come cheap. Sounds like a feast. It's a wonder they can take off after lunching at yours.
Good heavens Lyn, that must cost you a fortune. Talking about cheese, I buy mild Cheddar for the grandchildren, who didn't eat it last time they were here, found it at the back of the fridge well out of date and thought I could keep that for the birds, only to find OH had scoffed the lot (even though he doesn't like the mild sort) when I wasn't looking!
I always wonder how They decide when cheese will go out of date. It can sit in a cave to age for months or grow all kinds of exciting moulds and that is fine to sell but suddenly it will just 'go off' in the fridge. You can have soft cheeses that don't seem to be fully ripe and yet the date has gone over.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Hi @purplerallim Only just noticed your text as I must have been posting when it came through. I don't think the nyger seeds germinate either come to think of it, just make a mess and seem to stick together. I am not actually using them from today but was thinking that maybe if the feeder was hanging over the planting area they could be easier to remove or maybe just dig them in with the soil?
Had to laugh at that Lyn! Can't believe they have got through so much. Was it a sack of sunflower hearts? How many feeders do you have out? Never thought of putting cheese out and that doesn't come cheap. Sounds like a feast. It's a wonder they can take off after lunching at yours.
It’s the bag of mixed seeds, usual it last for 4 weeks but this time just not quite! Always use mild cheddar as there’s a lot of salt in strong cheese, stronger the cheese, more salt in it. Niger seeds are the worst for germinating, I won’t use them anymore. Gold Finches prefer sunflower hearts anyway.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
As we had been talking about the mess under the feeders @Fran IOM when I went out this morning to feed I noticed that even though half a feeder of nyger was gone there was no mess under it. Something was eating it all husks as well. My thought is that the woodpideons had been at them again, I don't know how they manage it with such big beaks but they seem to be able to. So much for specialist feeders.🤔
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Im sure I spend more on the birds than us. 😀