Bird Table News

I know what it’s like to have squirrels at the bird tables.  Grey squirrels are a nuisance.  But should we cull them.  Some people think we should.  Other people think we shouldn’t.

I’ve received this comment. 

Kill squirrells. Absolutely not

Squirrels and birds can live in perfect harmony together. I have a tiny garden, but even in this little patch of land, there are designated areas for different types of birds.

I have a ‘hand made’ bird table (essentially an old busted stone bird bath with a paving slab on top of it), where I stick a handful of bird seed mix twice per day - this is eaten by a breeding pair of woodpigeons -this is their area.

I put two great big handfuls of bird seed and sunflower seeds on the ground - this is eaten mainly by squirrels, but also by ground feeders like robins, dunnocks

On a pole I have two feeders, one with sunflower seeds, one with peanuts. This is shared between the squirrels and the tits. When the squirrels are resident (usually twice per day, morning and early evening), the tits divert to a hidden mixed seed feeder in a shrub, where there is also a suet feeder.

Finally, a handful of dried mealworms are hidden under a prickly rose bush, and are snaffled by robins.

All in all it works like clockwork - the tits have gotten used to the squirrels clock, and time their visits to after 10am when the furry critters have shot off to do squirrelly things in the woods.

Once I give the squirrels their own feeder, I suspect it will work even better !

Thank you for sharing that with me.  I’m sure some of you will agree with me when I say it’s great to hear from someone who knows their garden, the wildlife in it and the interaction of birds and animals.  

The comment above reminds me of myself!!

I put different feeders in different areas of the garden.

I thought that starlings don’t come so early as other birds to the bird feeders.  That meant if I put bird food out early the smaller birds would get it.

I’m having two days away soon and writing notes on what bird food goes on which bird table or feeder made me realise I had got into a complicated yet workable bird feeding habit. 

The thing is that everyone seems to have unique bird feeding problems which means there must be unique bird feeding answers for different people.

I’m glad he can put bird food under a bush.  I used to throw some bird food and cheese under a bush for the blackbird and thrush.  I can’t now because the rooks and crows have discovered it.  They fly in, land on the ground and come waddling over as though they own the place - straight to the bush and the food. 

If you have one squirrel that can be a nuisance.  I know this because I had to buy a new bird feeder when we had a thug of a squirrel in our garden.  But to have 18 squirrels around the garden must be horrendous!! 

Would the only way to redress the balance be to kill the squirrels.  I don’t know the answer.  I do know that it’s bad if one species takes over.  I mean look what’s happened since us humans have taken over the earth!

Here’s a poem about a squirrel.  

Like a small grey coffee pot,
sits the squirrel,
he is not all he should be.
He kills trees by the dozens and
eats his red/brown cousins

The keeper, on the other hand
who shoots him, is a Christian and,
loves his enemies which shows
The Keeper is not one of those.

Apologies as I have written that from memory and I know some of it will be wrong. I cannot remember the author either.

Trisha

Tags: birds, poem, squirrel