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What birds or other types of wildlife could I attract by putting rowan berries on these bird tables?

deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
in Wildlife gardening
On the bird tables you can see in the thread I made about the wild corner of our allotment which you can see here: https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1075254/I-decided-to-create-a-wild-corner-for-our-community-allotment as well as putting bird seed and pine cones on them, this morning I decided to add some rowan berries as well, plus a few on the soil next to the shrubs for blackbirds whom I know prefer foraging the ground rather than the bird tables.

Are there any bird types in particular, or indeed any other types of wildlife that have an affinity for these berries that I could attract by adding these berries to the bird tables and the surrounding soil?

Even just more blackbirds and robin visits would be nice. 
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The birds will take them directly from the tree, not from a table. There's nothing to gain by removing them and putting them on tables or the ground. 
    If you're patient, birds will visit when the time is right for the berries to be ripe. It's too early for them. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    I would leave them on the tree as well. The birds know when they are ripe and they last far longer that way. 
    You could try putting some of the windfall berries on the table in the autumn.
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    thevictorian said:
    I would leave them on the tree as well. The birds know when they are ripe and they last far longer that way. 
    You could try putting some of the windfall berries on the table in the autumn.
    I didn't take them from the trees, they had already fallen from the branches. 
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    You will only attract the birds that live in your area . I don’t have a lot of different birds here in my garden just mostly wood pigeons blackbirds sparrows and massive red kites . It doesn’t matter what you put out for the birds if robins don’t live near you then they won’t come regardless of what food you use .
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    deadendwaterfall said:
    thevictorian said:
    I would leave them on the tree as well. The birds know when they are ripe and they last far longer that way. 
    You could try putting some of the windfall berries on the table in the autumn.
    I didn't take them from the trees, they had already fallen from the branches. 
    Are they ripe?  Or have they fallen in the Rowan equivalent of the ‘June Drop’?  If so they’re an important food for small mammals. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    The self sown rowan in my veg garden is visited by fieldfares every autumn. They know the tree is there and include it in their itinerary, but they only stay till the berries are gone and then move on. 
    We quite often get other occasional visitors because our feeders are like a waterhole in a desert. Our garden is surrounded by sheep grazing pasture that is of relatively little value to most wildlife and so our land with its mix of trees, shrubs, meadows and long grass for shelter, ponds and marshy areas, together with the feeders, ensures a wide variety of creatures want to make their home here or visit on a regular basis, while others just drop in occasionally. Birds, like humans, need food, water and shelter in a place where they feel safe. Provide that and they will come. Word soon gets around :)
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    Here's what I've got on the bird table including the berries mentioned:


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I recommend you get this
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Garden-Geoff-Hamilton/dp/0563364122

    An empty coconut shell won't attract anything, the pine/fir cones are only of use to squirrels, and you might get wood pigeons taking those unripe berries, but that's about all.
    Leave the berries where they fall, for anything that might want them, and concentrate in planting useful specimens for wildlife, and creating little spaces for them to hide in. Water is also vital for all sorts of wildlife so that's something you need to have.
    In autumn, or even late summer, put feeders in with appropriate food and see what birds visit. Then you can gradually tailor the garden to suit that, and increase some variety. 
    All wildlife needs a source of the right food, but also predators which need them for their survival. Bats and birds, for example, need insects, and those insects feed on other insects. Some birds need seed, so look for plants that produce those, and add good quality bird food in feeders for winter. Wasps are vital pollinators and they need food too - snails are a great favourite here, so I often squish the big ones for them.  It's all a cycle of life, and every living thing has something it preys on, and something that preys on it. That's how nature works. 
    Look at what's in your local area in terms of planting and wildlife too. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • deadendwaterfalldeadendwaterfall Posts: 70
    Fairygirl said:
    I recommend you get this
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Garden-Geoff-Hamilton/dp/0563364122

    An empty coconut shell won't attract anything, the pine/fir cones are only of use to squirrels, and you might get wood pigeons taking those unripe berries, but that's about all.
    Leave the berries where they fall, for anything that might want them, and concentrate in planting useful specimens for wildlife, and creating little spaces for them to hide in. Water is also vital for all sorts of wildlife so that's something you need to have.
    In autumn, or even late summer, put feeders in with appropriate food and see what birds visit. Then you can gradually tailor the garden to suit that, and increase some variety. 
    All wildlife needs a source of the right food, but also predators which need them for their survival. Bats and birds, for example, need insects, and those insects feed on other insects. Some birds need seed, so look for plants that produce those, and add good quality bird food in feeders for winter. Wasps are vital pollinators and they need food too - snails are a great favourite here, so I often squish the big ones for them.  It's all a cycle of life, and every living thing has something it preys on, and something that preys on it. That's how nature works. 
    Look at what's in your local area in terms of planting and wildlife too. 
    Thank you for the recommendation, the empty shell did in fact have something in it for the birds last week. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited July 2023
    Once pine cones have opened the seeds fall out and there’s nothing left to interest birds or squirrels. 

    In the winter you can melt suet and stir in some sunflower hearts, and then as the suet cools and solidifies you pack it into the crevices in the pine cones. When they’re firm string them up for bluetits and great tits to feed from.  They won’t be of much benefit to birds now because there’s plenty of wild food about which is better for them … but in the winter such things are great for them. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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