Forum home› Talkback
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Talkback: Birds and bird feeders

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
Im quite new to bird feeding but i'm hooked already! I bought myself two feeders a couple of months ago and was lucky enough to have a beautiful bird table made for me for Christmas.
I love watching the birds from the kitchen as they race around helping themselves to the nuts, seeds, mealworms, mashed potato, bread and fat balls I leave out for them. We are very lucky as we have such a wide variety of birds that visit our garden, from blue,great and coal tits, to starlings, black birds, dunnocks, greenfinches, robins and our resident pigeon named Dick and his girlfriend! They bring me so much pleasure, I wouldn't be without them now.
«134

Posts

  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    The RSPB recommends that we should always remove the nylon netting around the fat balls for just the reason highlighted by Pippa - it's so easy for little feet to become entangled. Unfortunately there appear to be more and more hooks and hangers on sale encouraging people to hang up the fat balls by the netting - and these hooks and hangers are not much cheaper than a proper fat ball feeder. Haiths.com sells a variety of fat ball feeders (narrower than peanut feeders so there's no need to get yourself in a mess!). Prices range from £2.25 for a green wire feeder that holds 4 small fat balls (there's also one that holds 2 large fat balls), to a caged version that prevents access to larger birds for £14.95. I've also seen similar products at B&Q and at a number of local garden centres (ranging from £2.50). Bird lovers who spend money on fat balls to feed their feathered friends would willingly, I am sure, spend a further £3 or so to present them to the birds more safely. The difficulty is in highlighting the danger of leaving the fat balls in the nylon netting.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    There are feeders on the market specifically designed for these fat balls. I have had 2 for several years - 1 takes 2 of the large size fatballs and the other holds 4 of the small ones. I always remove the nets before placing in these holders and they have been a huge success and I have seen a greater spotted woodpecker on them as well as bluetits,great tits, sparrows and starlings
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I always put them in a mesh holder, the starlings enjoy them, and break off bits, which drop for other birds. A friend, several years ago, packed a coconut shell for me with bird food,but with no hanging thread, I jammed it into the fork of a tree, unfortunately the squirrels competently removed it!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Gosh. I had seen the balls on sale and wondered if perhaps the plastic may get swallowed by the birds (could this happen?). I hadn't thought about the birds getting tangled. Emptying them into another container is a great idea. Thanks for the tip Pippa!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    We put bird food out but the birds around were we live prefer whole nuts on our bird table, but the sea gulls also like the nuts . So most of the time we don't put any out because they eat all the bird food and don't leave any for the robins and the tits.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I use fatballs from Aldi less then £6 per big tube of 50. Unlike at G/C which charge about £10 per tube containing the same number of fat balls.
    I use the mesh feeders and I have also I have one feeder in a hedge which has sparrows they have now been nesting here for over 3 years they are great. Do not forget birds need food when nesting to help feed their young. I also smash up the fat balls for ground feeders this is far better then buying loose feed which can blow all over the place.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I used to take the mesh of the fat balls then I began to wonder what a waste! All that making nets from nylon for me to fling into landfill I now rather make my own as earlier suggestion though I use a suet lard mix cos its less messy also some places like the RSPB now supply fat balls without nylon netting around them at a competitive price.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Can't cope with making my own fatballs (a rampant veggie and the idea od melting lard in a saucepan doesn't go down too well!) BUT really admire and respect those of you that go to that effort, yes I agree too that it seems the craziest waste of energy (not mine this time!) to remove the balls from the bags before use - platic, colouring, mesh-making and fixing machines etc etc, crazy, but interested to hear that the RSPB does bag-free versions maybe when I've finally come tot he end of the two huge tubs of 50+ that I bought just before my near disaster, I'll get myself some!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I have one of those fat ball feeders that take 4 small balls at a time. I cut the nets off of the fat balls first and just pop them in. Never thought about birds getting caught up in them, so quite pleased I never put them out with them still on. Birds also like the fat blocks you can buy with peanuts, fruit and flies (lovely) in them. Also have a feeder that they just pop into and it is hung up with the rest of the feeders. Sometimes, when I look out at the feeders, it is a mass of birds and you wouldn't know there were feeders there. I love that!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I thought about the nets ,perhaps we should suggest the manufacturer stops selling them with the nets,as other wildlife could get at them, as they often blow away!! I live in Rural Lincolnshire after moving from SE London & enjoy sharing my garden with Wildlife.
Sign In or Register to comment.