Yesterday for the first time for about 6 months we had at least 6 pairs of Long Tailed Tits feeding on the suet fat balls in our garden , never seen so many in one visit .
Had a thought, maybe a bird of prey was around? Might have scared them off. Though usually it is only for a short time on any given day here, it might be a bit different for you @InTheMoorlands If something was kicking around nearby for a few days.
Predator was my first thought too. I have at least one sparrow hawk that swoops by the feeders 2 or 3 times a day then all goes quiet. By far the worst culprit however is next doors cat which takes up residence in the undergrowth at my bird table.
I do like cats but hate the effect they have on wildlife.
I had to refill the feeders every couple of days, but recently the food is going mouldy. The birds must be elsewhere i assume, as i don't even see many flying around.
I bought squirrel/rat proof bird feeders which close up when a bigger bird or animal lands on them. The seed feeder is fine, all the normal small birds use it but the fat ball feeder is completely shunned. I thought at first that it was different fat balls so reverted to using the old feeder and they returned to using that one so that was obviously not the problem. I've had them now for about 3/4 years so it's not a question of the birds getting used to something new. In the mean time the old feeder has given up the ghost so now I just squash the fat balls up a bit and throw them on the lawn where they get snatched up immediately and the single fat ball in the feeder gets ignored completely.
A few more mysteries. Sunflower hearts and peanuts are both as popular as ever, but why oh why are the dried worms left. I would have thought the robins would have loved them.
I've tried various seeds over the years, at the moment Peckamix No Mess and Robin Mix are proving popular in my 5 port pole feeders and the window feeder and need to be constantly refilled. The spare food (some birds are picky) bounces off the squirrel baffles to feed the ground feeders. Daria and millet have not proved popular over the years and I avoid wheat.
Numbers have been low in my garden lately though today has been quite busy, mainly tits and robins, but also saw collared doves and a blackcap.
The only things my birds seem to care for are sunflower seeds (hulled and whole black ones which the coal tits like to stash) and peanuts. Though I haven't tried fat balls since I'm vegan. Nyger seed has never been touched; there are plenty of goldfinches in the area but I've only seen them on my feeders once, and then they went for the black sunflower seed. I tried mealworms and calci-worms (battling my vegan conscience here) but again no interest.
I have a resident pair of blackbirds who get half an apple between them every morning, and they are usually waiting for me when I throw it out. They also get any squashy blueberries or strawberries. The female always appears if I am digging in the garden and will get right under my feet. Last year there were two broods of baby blackbirds and at one point the female was feeding 5 on the lawn right outside the window.
We have a small NT garden a few hundred yards away, so there are lots of birds which don't tend to come in on a regular basis, but they'll appear now and again. There are plenty of gold, bull and greenfinches around, but again, they get plenty of food in the general area, as we also have farmland and woodland close to the houses, so many birds don't appear regularly, unlike the small birds. It can be rough here at breeding and fledging time, so it's less stressful for them if they get a regular supply. I feed mostly sunflower hearts, and only put a small amount of a good seed mix out for ground feeders. Plants which produce seed aren't always very useful here as the seed often rots by the time birds need it most. Apples for the blackbirds are useful when ground's frozen, so I'll put a couple out today. I put them on a spike, shoved into the ground among plants/shrubs. Lovely to have blackbird youngsters @Escarpment. We often get sparrows with their families. Is there a reason you buy your bird food in Morrisons @InTheMoorlands? There are lots of very good suppliers online which will make it far less pricey.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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Might have scared them off.
Though usually it is only for a short time on any given day here, it might be a bit different for you @InTheMoorlands
If something was kicking around nearby for a few days.
Might have scared them off.
That's an interesting idea and one that I had not thought off. We live in some interesting countyside so it's to be expected.
We have had some interesting visitors over the years including one of these that used to perch on a stump next to the bog garden:
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/herons-egrets-spoonbill-and-crane/grey-heron
The cats kept their distance
I've had them now for about 3/4 years so it's not a question of the birds getting used to something new. In the mean time the old feeder has given up the ghost so now I just squash the fat balls up a bit and throw them on the lawn where they get snatched up immediately and the single fat ball in the feeder gets ignored completely.
The only things my birds seem to care for are sunflower seeds (hulled and whole black ones which the coal tits like to stash) and peanuts. Though I haven't tried fat balls since I'm vegan. Nyger seed has never been touched; there are plenty of goldfinches in the area but I've only seen them on my feeders once, and then they went for the black sunflower seed. I tried mealworms and calci-worms (battling my vegan conscience here) but again no interest.
I have a resident pair of blackbirds who get half an apple between them every morning, and they are usually waiting for me when I throw it out. They also get any squashy blueberries or strawberries. The female always appears if I am digging in the garden and will get right under my feet. Last year there were two broods of baby blackbirds and at one point the female was feeding 5 on the lawn right outside the window.
I feed mostly sunflower hearts, and only put a small amount of a good seed mix out for ground feeders. Plants which produce seed aren't always very useful here as the seed often rots by the time birds need it most.
Apples for the blackbirds are useful when ground's frozen, so I'll put a couple out today. I put them on a spike, shoved into the ground among plants/shrubs.
Lovely to have blackbird youngsters @Escarpment. We often get sparrows with their families.
Is there a reason you buy your bird food in Morrisons @InTheMoorlands? There are lots of very good suppliers online which will make it far less pricey.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...