Fairygirl - love your idea of making a cage that only the little birds can get in to - hubby's on a mission now! Also some good tips around timing the feeding, the magpies come regularly at about 4, 00 p.m. (in a gang of about 6 to 8) and the pigeons follow to clean up what the magpies have dropped for them, so maybe if I put ground feed out in the morning we might at least get some finches back and we'll make a cage for the tits. Well worth a try. Thanks everyone.
It works very well Sue. I'll be making a deluxe model later this year
You can buy a similar thing for putting on the ground, but some chicken wire and timber will do the job if your hubby's handy with a saw and a screwdriver!
Persevere - birds of any kind were thin on the ground here when I moved in three years ago. Having some cover for small birds and putting feeders in different places will eventually pay off. I have regular robins now, and this winter I have two pairs of blackbirds as well as loads of tits, sparrows and dunnocks etc.
Sorry Hazel - great that you have plenty of folk feeding. If only more of them did. There aren't that many round here who do
At least they don't go hungry chez Fairy Towers
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We have various bird feeders which are topped up each morning and again at lunch time - the birds tend to feed around 8 - 10 a.m. and then again mid afternoon. However I have noticed birds on the feeders until dusk - we have a local kestrel as well as crows & gulls who all do their best to scare the smaller birds - but luckily we have hedges near the feeders which provide shelter for the smaller birds. I have been banned from putting food on the grass for the birds to forage for - in case this food encourages rodents - we have a few due to the field alongside our garden.
We have started to see Red Kites, they don't come into the garden, just circle above but the small birds are frightened off by them. We also have a lot of seagulls about & we are nowhere near the sea, it's strange to hear them calling, reminds me of being on holiday.
In a world where you can be anything, always be kind.
Thank you. Lots of good ideas, here. We live near a rookery and I gave up feeding the birds because I found the rooks drove the smaller birds away. Even when they couldn't reach the seed, they wouldn't allow anything else to approach. They attacked my (red) squirrels and raided nests. Rooks are fantastic birds: intelligent, resourceful, wonderful parents but not loveable. But I may well try some of the ideas here. Thanks again.
Posts
I only buy shelled peanuts and sunflower hearts, as Obe says, they make such a mess to have to clear up.
we are plagued with starlings at the moment, they look so funny hanging on the feeders though, not designed for it
Fairygirl - love your idea of making a cage that only the little birds can get in to - hubby's on a mission now! Also some good tips around timing the feeding, the magpies come regularly at about 4, 00 p.m. (in a gang of about 6 to 8) and the pigeons follow to clean up what the magpies have dropped for them, so maybe if I put ground feed out in the morning we might at least get some finches back and we'll make a cage for the tits. Well worth a try. Thanks everyone.
It works very well Sue. I'll be making a deluxe model later this year
You can buy a similar thing for putting on the ground, but some chicken wire and timber will do the job if your hubby's handy with a saw and a screwdriver!
Persevere - birds of any kind were thin on the ground here when I moved in three years ago. Having some cover for small birds and putting feeders in different places will eventually pay off. I have regular robins now, and this winter I have two pairs of blackbirds as well as loads of tits, sparrows and dunnocks etc.
Sorry Hazel - great that you have plenty of folk feeding. If only more of them did.
There aren't that many round here who do 
At least they don't go hungry chez Fairy Towers
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
We have various bird feeders which are topped up each morning and again at lunch time - the birds tend to feed around 8 - 10 a.m. and then again mid afternoon. However I have noticed birds on the feeders until dusk - we have a local kestrel as well as crows & gulls who all do their best to scare the smaller birds - but luckily we have hedges near the feeders which provide shelter for the smaller birds. I have been banned from putting food on the grass for the birds to forage for - in case this food encourages rodents - we have a few due to the field alongside our garden.
We have started to see Red Kites, they don't come into the garden, just circle above but the small birds are frightened off by them. We also have a lot of seagulls about & we are nowhere near the sea, it's strange to hear them calling, reminds me of being on holiday.
What attracts the gulls apart from fish - perhaps a rubbish tip or fish 'n' chip shop?
Gulls are greedy birds - we no longer put bread out for the birds - it isn't good for them and attracts vermin as well as hungry gulls.
Anything free and plentiful attracts them GDonkey - that's the problem
Bread's a real no no for birds.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Bumping up for Posy
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you. Lots of good ideas, here. We live near a rookery and I gave up feeding the birds because I found the rooks drove the smaller birds away. Even when they couldn't reach the seed, they wouldn't allow anything else to approach. They attacked my (red) squirrels and raided nests. Rooks are fantastic birds: intelligent, resourceful, wonderful parents but not loveable. But I may well try some of the ideas here. Thanks again.