I live in North Kent. During this Spring & Summer we were lucky to spot a single robin or blackbird in the garden. Even though both had been common & managed to rear young over the last eight years. However in recent weeks one or two have returned to feed on worms & insects after digging & berries on Pyracantha & honeysuckle. Maybe the long cold Winter killed off alot of our birds last year?
Last year we got lots of birds in the garden and 1 squirrel at a time, which worked as I also provided squirrel food. The birds and the squirrel paid no attention to each other and both got their food.
This year we are getting up to 4 squirrels at a time in the garden and as well as eating the squirrel food they are also eating the bird food, which I don't mind as I enjoy watching their acrobatics as they try to and succeed at getting to the bird food.
However, this year the squirrels are attracting all the local cats and whilst I enjoy watching their antics - the cats stalking the squirrels - the squirrels gaining the upper hand (although I get the feeling that the cats aren't putting all their energies into it!)I am seeing no birds as unfortunately there is always either a cat or a squirrel in the garden.
I regularly scare them away, but I have a feeling that they watch from afar, because as soon as I retreat back inside they are back! I am still enjoying watching their antics and we have more cats in the neighbourhood than I originally thought, but I am getting a little fed up and a little worried that the birds can't get to the food now.
I just hope that as the weather is still pretty mild here the birds are getting what they need, and will brave the cat/squirrel antics when the weather gets colder and they really need the additional supplements.
Do try to give the birds as high energy food as you can muster. I'm really lucky that I'm able to buy 56k bags of sunflower hearts locally and as a result our garden teems with wild birds.The blackbirds and thrushes prefer prosecto insectivorous...a meal mixture..so everyone's happy. But never, never let them down once you have started feeding. In weather such as we have now, it could mean life or death.
I put husk free sunflower seeds on the bird table every day and have sparrows, blue tits and Wood Pigeons that visit every single day and a also a pair of collared doves. I even had a green parakeet visiting ! During the last three months a flock of Feral Pidgeons seem to hang around on the nearby neighbours roof and wait for the food to be placed on the bird table-they then swoop down- push all the other birds out of the way, eat everything and fly off.I have tried not feeding the birds at all for two weeks to try and get rid of the Feral Pidgeons and now am not sure what to do. I want to feed the other birds of course but my neighbour is complaining about the pidgeon mess on her roof. Any ideas on how to get rid of them whilst keeping the other birds ?
if you have a bird table with a roof, wrap plastic covered wire mesh ( with gaps big enough for small birds to get through ) round, and secure with wire ties to enable you to open and refil with bird food,that will stop the pidgeons.it may take a little time for robins sparrows and tits to get used to it, but they will.
I have been feeding birds in my garden for quite a few years and I must say this year I have got so many birds I don't know what to do with them, I think I must have yours. They are great and blue tits also occasionally coal tits, robins, 3 at the moment, chaffinch and as I now feed niger seeds I am getting goldfinches, they are at various stages of growth.Sparrow and dunnocks in abundance, they love fat balls. I stopped feeding seed as you said they sort out what they want and drop the rest, so now its peanuts, black sunflower seeds,fat balls and niger seed, and any good scraps, pidgeon and moorehen pick up anything remaining on the floor. As you can see I have such a busy life watching my birds.
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During this Spring & Summer we were lucky to spot a single robin or blackbird in the garden. Even though both had been common & managed to rear young over the last eight years. However in recent weeks one or two have returned to feed on worms & insects after digging & berries on Pyracantha & honeysuckle. Maybe the long cold Winter killed off alot of our birds last year?
Last year we got lots of birds in the garden and 1 squirrel at a time, which worked as I also provided squirrel food. The birds and the squirrel paid no attention to each other and both got their food.
This year we are getting up to 4 squirrels at a time in the garden and as well as eating the squirrel food they are also eating the bird food, which I don't mind as I enjoy watching their acrobatics as they try to and succeed at getting to the bird food.
However, this year the squirrels are attracting all the local cats and whilst I enjoy watching their antics - the cats stalking the squirrels - the squirrels gaining the upper hand (although I get the feeling that the cats aren't putting all their energies into it!)I am seeing no birds as unfortunately there is always either a cat or a squirrel in the garden.
I regularly scare them away, but I have a feeling that they watch from afar, because as soon as I retreat back inside they are back! I am still enjoying watching their antics and we have more cats in the neighbourhood than I originally thought, but I am getting a little fed up and a little worried that the birds can't get to the food now.
I just hope that as the weather is still pretty mild here the birds are getting what they need, and will brave the cat/squirrel antics when the weather gets colder and they really need the additional supplements.