Well if you want a quality feeder that has a lifetime guarantee I would go for a droll yankee or onyx feeder. They are not cheap but are made in the US where greys come from and you can buy rain guards for them to keep the rain off. You could also try a caged feeder but make sure it can come apart to be cleaned as disease can easily spread from bird to bird from a dirty feeder. Good luck! its weel worth feeding the birds, Ive seen so much that I have never seen before!
I also use Droll Yankees all metal parts so squirrel resistant. also they have a lifetime guarantee if the squirrels do get at them. I wasted a lot of money on cheap feeders made of plastic. I feed sunflower hearts, a good quality feeder mix (no wheat), , niger seed for the goldfinches, and cranberry fat blocks in a metal cage for the great spotted woodpeckers. I get over 20 different types of birds in the garden regularly, as well as the rarities that we may only see once, such as red poll and goldcrest. We also get bats, foxes, and mice and voles. We don't need springwatch, it happens in our own garden.
It's also important that we don't use any pesticides in the garden, so the insect eters have something as well as the seed eaters. A natural balance is soon obtained.
You're right Anne - it does take a little while but balance is the key-and patience! First thing I do whenever I move is get bird food out and get the birds in. If you create too sterile an environment, with weedkillers and too much hard landscaping, pests will take over as there are no predators. Wildlife friendly planting and a pond make a big difference as well.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's taken 20 years, starting with 200ft of grass, but with the advantage of 2 x 150 year old oak tree with preservation orders. Year 1 start digging up the lawn. rip out all the roses covered in blackspot. Buy a big green house. Year 2 Dig a pond. 2m by 5m, with a shallow end for birds bathing and frogs exiting, and a deep end for hibernation.
Propagate like mad, from seeds and cuttings, then start planting.
Feed a mix of bird seeds for differing types of birds. Make sure there are some shrubs for cover. Don't spray pesticides. Barrier methods (nets etc) and pheromone traps in the fruit trees. I adopt a mass slash it all down each spring , scatter seed around, and then give it a good looking at for most of the summer.
Despite doing it all the wrong way, we usually have more fruit than we know what to do with, plenty of veg, flowers for the house, and a grassy space for entertaining. It's not very tidy though, so if you suffer from OCD tidiness it's not for you.
Last year I took over next doors old dog run , churned up by 2 great danes. I'm just waiting for the new wild flower meadow to start flowering. This is to encourage more seed eaters, hoverflies and bats.
Anne it sounds great. I hope you have the health to enjoy it for many more years too! The pond is the greatest source of entertainment isn't it? I was lucky enough to live for a while in a house with a huge pond and a smaller one beside it. You didn't need anything else as it was just terrific watching the wildlife. Dragonflies in particular are so lovely. I had to rescue them frequently from the smller pond as we had some young fish in it and had a net over it. They were quite happy sitting on your hand.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the pond we have frogs , toads and common newts. There are lots of dragonfly larvae, and at the moment, millions of tadpoles. A heron comes to look for food when it's frog gang bang time, and most March's we get a pair of mallards who have a look for a suitable nesting site. They then go back to the Erewash canal, a couple of hundred yards away. We had a Coot once. One of the neighbours said she had seen a kingfisher, but we have never seen one, and the neighbour was awfully fond of the vodka bottle.
I have made an area about 8' x 6' with a weed membrane and gravel, I pushed the birdfedder stand through the membrane and have bird feeders with mealyworms, sunflower hearts, fatballs and niger seed, if the seed germinate s when it falls its easy to pull out.I also have a 2' corner on the patio just outside the patio doors, I have put a glass top on it to keep the food dry, blackbirds, robins, sparrows, and dunnocks soon get used to it, at night I hace 2 hedgehogs who polish off the mealy worms and suet.suietpellets
I moved house a few months ago and I also purchased the Duncraft squirrel proof feeders and they are amazing! Whenever they climb onto them their weight blocks off the food. Also works when bigger birds try and eat the food! Really recommended, they are expensive but will save you money in the long run!
I bought two "mini" ones and can assure you they're quite big and heavy! I also bought the peanut one, again excellent quality. You just need to make sure the squirrels won't be able to reach it from another branch, they are really smart!
I got them from this website, cheapest I could find back then
Posts
Well if you want a quality feeder that has a lifetime guarantee I would go for a droll yankee or onyx feeder. They are not cheap but are made in the US where greys come from and you can buy rain guards for them to keep the rain off. You could also try a caged feeder but make sure it can come apart to be cleaned as disease can easily spread from bird to bird from a dirty feeder. Good luck! its weel worth feeding the birds, Ive seen so much that I have never seen before!
I also use Droll Yankees all metal parts so squirrel resistant. also they have a lifetime guarantee if the squirrels do get at them. I wasted a lot of money on cheap feeders made of plastic. I feed sunflower hearts, a good quality feeder mix (no wheat), , niger seed for the goldfinches, and cranberry fat blocks in a metal cage for the great spotted woodpeckers. I get over 20 different types of birds in the garden regularly, as well as the rarities that we may only see once, such as red poll and goldcrest. We also get bats, foxes, and mice and voles. We don't need springwatch, it happens in our own garden.
It's also important that we don't use any pesticides in the garden, so the insect eters have something as well as the seed eaters. A natural balance is soon obtained.
You're right Anne - it does take a little while but balance is the key-and patience! First thing I do whenever I move is get bird food out and get the birds in. If you create too sterile an environment, with weedkillers and too much hard landscaping, pests will take over as there are no predators. Wildlife friendly planting and a pond make a big difference as well.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's taken 20 years, starting with 200ft of grass, but with the advantage of 2 x 150 year old oak tree with preservation orders. Year 1 start digging up the lawn. rip out all the roses covered in blackspot. Buy a big green house. Year 2 Dig a pond. 2m by 5m, with a shallow end for birds bathing and frogs exiting, and a deep end for hibernation.
Propagate like mad, from seeds and cuttings, then start planting.
Feed a mix of bird seeds for differing types of birds. Make sure there are some shrubs for cover. Don't spray pesticides. Barrier methods (nets etc) and pheromone traps in the fruit trees. I adopt a mass slash it all down each spring , scatter seed around, and then give it a good looking at for most of the summer.
Despite doing it all the wrong way, we usually have more fruit than we know what to do with, plenty of veg, flowers for the house, and a grassy space for entertaining. It's not very tidy though, so if you suffer from OCD tidiness it's not for you.
Last year I took over next doors old dog run , churned up by 2 great danes. I'm just waiting for the new wild flower meadow to start flowering. This is to encourage more seed eaters, hoverflies and bats.
Anne it sounds great. I hope you have the health to enjoy it for many more years too! The pond is the greatest source of entertainment isn't it? I was lucky enough to live for a while in a house with a huge pond and a smaller one beside it. You didn't need anything else as it was just terrific watching the wildlife. Dragonflies in particular are so lovely. I had to rescue them frequently from the smller pond as we had some young fish in it and had a net over it. They were quite happy sitting on your hand.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In the pond we have frogs , toads and common newts. There are lots of dragonfly larvae, and at the moment, millions of tadpoles. A heron comes to look for food when it's frog gang bang time, and most March's we get a pair of mallards who have a look for a suitable nesting site. They then go back to the Erewash canal, a couple of hundred yards away. We had a Coot once. One of the neighbours said she had seen a kingfisher, but we have never seen one, and the neighbour was awfully fond of the vodka bottle.
What a fantastic response from all of you - thank you! I am off to my local garden centre to check out the dogs' B*** of bird feeders then
My paltry sunflower shaped feeder looks kind of rubbish now...
I have made an area about 8' x 6' with a weed membrane and gravel, I pushed the birdfedder stand through the membrane and have bird feeders with mealyworms, sunflower hearts, fatballs and niger seed, if the seed germinate s when it falls its easy to pull out.I also have a 2' corner on the patio just outside the patio doors, I have put a glass top on it to keep the food dry, blackbirds, robins, sparrows, and dunnocks soon get used to it, at night I hace 2 hedgehogs who polish off the mealy worms and suet.suietpellets
I moved house a few months ago and I also purchased the Duncraft squirrel proof feeders and they are amazing! Whenever they climb onto them their weight blocks off the food. Also works when bigger birds try and eat the food! Really recommended, they are expensive but will save you money in the long run!
I bought two "mini" ones and can assure you they're quite big and heavy! I also bought the peanut one, again excellent quality. You just need to make sure the squirrels won't be able to reach it from another branch, they are really smart!
I got them from this website, cheapest I could find back then
http://www.vinehousefarm.co.uk/our-shop/Squirrel-Proof-Bird-Feeders/Squirrel-Buster-Feeders/52
I use the metal Adventurer 6 port feeders from CJ Wildfoods. Squirrels can't chew through them but they can get to the food though.