Bird Table News

I  get very frustrated with the greedy pigeons, and also spend alot of time chasing them away. I have counted 9 on many occasions!!!! They are insatiable and I begrudge paying the money for all the lovely different types of food!

Ive only really become interested this past year but have always had a bird table. The squirrels aren’t a problem as they only take the nuts and I even put shelled nuts out for them. I love watching them break open walnuts but it is messy cleaning up all the shells!

I used to get lots of bluetits but haven’t seen any for ages, (maybe its all the pigeons). I get robins and a pair of sparrows! It’s the sparrows I’m desperately trying to serve as they seem to only feed on the ground. I put an old hanging table with a roof on the ground with lots of plants round for protection and the sparrows love it and come back and forth constantly but the pigeons found it and dont give up until its empty….and the mess they are making of my garden whilst fighting each other is driving me mad!

I read lots of your comments and adapted the table by criss crossing garden canes and fastening them to the table….. The damn pigeons can still get their heads in…..I went out last week and bought a caged ground feeder, my son cut the bottom off a big plastic plant pot for a roof to keep the food dry…… and guess what…..the pigeons can get their heads in…..do I just give up to keep my sanity and my bank balance or try to come up with another solution???? Aaaaaggggghhhhh I’m starting to hate pigeons!!!!!

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Bird feeding is supposed to be a relaxing way to be close to nature, but we all know that isn’t the case.  Bird feeding can drive you mad sometimes.

Sparrows do feed from hanging feeders.  I’ve never seen a pigeon balancing on a hanging feeder.  Maybe a hanging feeder could be the answer to one of your problems.

Sorry the pigeons are causing such a problem.  I have now put some canes into the soil,  in a small circle.  I’ve put some wire with large holes round the canes.  The smaller birds can get in but the larger birds can’t.  Blackbirds can get in – which is good.  A lot of smaller birds perch on the hedge and fly into this strange feeder from the top.  I will take a photo and put it on birdtablenews.

Trisha

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hi can anyone help, i am a lover of birds and i am trying to attract birds to my garden. i have patio`s and a large wooden gazebo in the corner, i have no hedges or trees in and around my garden. i do have potted pires bushes.

i put a wooden birdtable, and many feeders around the garden. i put out many different seeds,
sunflower seeds,
mealworms,
nuts etc.
but still no small birds,
i get wood pigeon, rooks but they just eat all the food. So recently on my birdtable i put green plastic mesh all around to stop the bigger birds, then cut many little holes in the plastic mesh for small birds. I did this in september 2011, it is now november 29th and still no little birds.please can anyone help,

I know people will say you need bushes or trees for cover,but is their anything else i can try?

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It’s great you are trying to bring birds into your garden.  I remember
when I started putting bird food out, I put a few crumbs on one bird
table.  I now have bird feeders all over the place, but I do live in
the countryside and they come in from fields.

Do you live in a town?  I wonder if there just aren’t any birds in your
area.  Can you see any garden birds or hear them singing.

I do see birds in towns and cities, but they are usually in parks or
where there is greenery, but then again I have seen a bird feeder in a
car part in a town centre.  You have certainly put out a lot of
different bird food and this should attract at least one bird. 

First of all can I ask if you do live in a town or city and if you can
see or hear any birds near where you live

Please don’t give up.  It is getting to the worse weather now and birds
do die from starvation and they can also freeze to death.

Also, do you clean the bird food up every day or do you leave it for
days

So here are the 3 questions

1 .Do you clean the bird food up every day and put fresh food out every
day or is the same bird food left out for days.

2 do you live in a town or city

3. Can you see or hear any birds near to where you live?

Please reply and we will solve this puzzle together.  Anyone reading this?  Lets put our heads together over the internet and help.

Trisha

Bird Table News

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Hi Trisha, 

does anyone recommend the use of an adjustable caged ground table feeder to keep predators and the like out?

I just wondered if the birds inside would panic and not fly out easily if threatened by a hawk etc. I am thinking of purchasing one thats adjustable to let thrushes etc in but not bigger birds such as the pigeons but don’t know anyone who has or is using one at the moment. Any help will be much appreciated.

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Hi,  I find ground caged bird feeders really useful.  I’ve had one for years. 

In winter I put a ‘cover’ over the cage and that keeps the snow and rain off the food inside.  My garden birds have their own little igloo!

My problem is that blackbirds cannot get into bird feeders.  I like blackbirds and have a few in the garden hopping about.  To solve that problem I’ve put some canes in a small circle and then put wire round the outside of the canes.  I put bird food inside this cane circle.  The canes get narrow at the top and this means that all types of birds, including blackbirds, can fly in and get the food from the top.  Pigeons cannot get through the wire and they don’t have the sense to figure out a way to get in from the top.  Blackbird problem solved!

I now have my camera back in action – so photos to follow

Cheers for getting in touch

Has anyone else got any tips and advice?

Trisha

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 i have a problem keeping pigeons away from hanging bird feeders. they pick up crumbs little birds drop and making such a mess off my lawn. whaat caan i do. help please i look so silly to my neighbours constantly rushing in and out my back door chasing them away

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Trisha

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I’ve had this question. Can anyone help?

Starlings – and how to keep them out of the bird feeder. We have a caged bird feeder, which is meant to keep out squirrels and larger birds, which it does, up to a point. The problem is that although the starlings, pigeons, jackdaws, magpies etc. certainly can’t get through the mesh, they can perch on the outside and reach inside to gobble up the suet/fat. i.e. the cage is too near the food. Do you have a feeder cage which is large enough to prevent even the most persistent starling from stretching his/her neck through the mesh?

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This is what I replied.  Any advice from anyone else?

Let me know how you come on

Trisha

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Hi folks,
Very sad to have to say that last week, I saw a male sparrowhawk sitting in one of the hanging baskets below this deterrent.  I dont know if this is going to be a regular occurrence but has really upset me at the thought of what the Summer maybe like when the baby birds are hatching.  I daresay the Dazer people will say it is because it wasnt rigged up high enough on a line, so I dont know what to do now.  I might still go for the poles and line and perhaps add another balloon to it, this will be difficult and the poles could prove expensive. I will still investigate further other devices and also hang up some cd’s as was suggested.

I replied

Hi Elaine, Sorry I have not replied before. What a shame the sparrowhawk is back. I hope it does not come all the time to your garden. And after you have taken so much time as well. Sparrowhawks can decimate a garden.  You are not alone with this problem. 

I think I have said that some people say poles set out in a garden stop the line of flight of a sparrowhawk. Also prickly hedges stop sparrowhawks. Could you put the bird food inside a prickly hedge – such as hawthorne.
Take a look at this website – Songbird Survival – http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/  are trying to protect our songbirds and on the website it says

‘That populations of many predators have increased in the last 20 years or so is not in dispute. The reasons for the increase are not always clear-cut. For instance, some are protected by legislation, others are not. While some, such as the sparrowhawk occur widely over the UK others are more localised.

The sparrowhawk, magpie and fox have quickly become less wary of man and continue moving into the urban environment, badgers are expanding their range and beginning to colonise urban locations while mink remain in rural areas.’

Song Bird Survival are doing a lot of good research and trying to help song birds in the long term.  I have joined and hope they keep going for years to come.

Maybe the answer for you is to feed inside a caged feeder.

I have stuck some 5 ft canes in the ground in a circle and I put bird food in that. Is that an idea?
Let me know what is happening with this sparrowhark.  I would put a photograph on of these canes, but I have lost the charger for my camera.

A few years ago I heard of someone in York who had to stop putting bird food out because the sparrowhawk killed the birds as they were on the bird table.  There was always blood on the birdtable.  Other people are having the same problems as you and it is so difficult to find an answer.

Let me know how you get on.

Trisha

This is in reply to this previous article  -   A BRILIANT WAY TO KEEP SPARROWHAWKS AWAY

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 I wrote about how I managed to feed birds through the winter by covering the bird feeders.  This is the link  http://birdtablenews.com/2011/01/feeding-garden-birds-throughout-the-bad-weather/

I have been lucky enough to receive a reply from Australia

This was really interesting to read. Where I live it doesn’t snow near my home, would be weird for you. But I’m down in Melbourne, Australia. But I do things to help the birds. We have quails and finches in a huge avery and the bird seeds that fall to the ground, I collect and give to the wild pigeons that come and visit.

 It’s really good to see you are helping the birds in the snow. Great to read people making a difference in this world. Keep it up.

I know it looks a mishmash, but under the snow is an igloo-like shelter made up of loads of bits and bobs. Inside this ‘igloo’ was a safe, snow free shelter that was usually full of some kind of bird food and a lot of birds.  There were so many birds went inside all through the winter.  If there was a blizzard outside it was snow free inside.   My garden birds used it all the time – it was a noisy area .

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Why do garden birds sometimes foresake garden feeders that they have used for years?

Is it that someone else nearby is putting out more tasty bird food?

Is it that there are berries in the hedgerows or insects that they prefer instead?

Is it that birds cover alarge area and have more than one birdtable they go to?

Is it that garden birds  know a bird of prey is nearby and dare not come near the bird food?

Is it that we put a different type of  bird food out,  that our usual garden birds do not eat.  There are so many different types of bird food and not all bird food suits every type of bird.

Is it  because when we feed birds it usually means that a lot of birds congregate in one area ofthe garden and this can lead to a lot of germs / disease in one area.  We should  clean the birdtables and feeders .  Here is a little information about TRICHOMONMIASIS 

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Has anyone else had this happen?  Did the birds come back?  Is there a reason?

Debbie told me that her birds disappeared for almost a week after Christmas.  They didn’t see one bird!

She is now wondering if it has more to do with what’s been happening in the news lately, regarding birds falling out of the skies. Some of her birds have returned, but not all.

Trisha

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I have been asked this question by Toni -

I have recently bought an RSPB Classic birdtable which has very wide open sides. 

My previous one which rotted had 4 arched openings.  I have a beech hedge adjacent to the table which is home to dozens of sparrows and dunnocks which used to frequent my table.  Sometimes there would be dozens of them along the edges and on the table. 

I got doves feeding on the ground and one dove could fit uncomfortably on the table but didn’t deter the smaller birds.  I also got robins & chaffinches. 

The new table had a black plastic removable tray and I knew it would be a while before the sparrows would be brave enough to use it.  I had to have a new feeding tray put on my old feeder some years ago and it had been varnished and I think the smell put them off and I know they are very cautious and suspicious and it was about five days before the sparrows would use it.

However, what happened with the new table was that the doves found a way to drop down from the ridged roof which they could sit on and turn around in the air and get on the table and eventually the table would have a half dozen doves and sometimes a pigeon on it.  So the sparrows didn’t even try to use it. 

In about 5 weeks I saw a sparrow about three times on the table and almost instantly doves would come and it would disappear.  The doves would be waiting on the roofs of adjacent houses in the morning and as soon as they saw me put on the food they would descend.  

I discussed the problem with the RSPB and have stopped feeding the birds altogether for the time being to get rid of the doves but I know they are out there and the pigeons.  I see them on my neighbours’ bird table.  I thought I would try to guard the table on some way with either wooden trellis cut to size (like a curtain) hanging on hooks from the roof which I could lift up like on a hinge and put seed on the table and remove the tray for cleaning;  or perhaps make panels or a cage with square  plastic covered fencing. 

I am really sad as I have been feeding this sparrow population for very many years and used to get such a lot of joy from them.  I’ve read the various comments on pigeon proofing my table like the canes but I’m not convinced that would keep the doves out.  I did try bracing some short canes from the inside of the roof to the opposite side of the bottom of the table.  I put four crossing one another but the doves still got on the table and either knocked the canes off or just managed to squeeze in and eat. 

I’m desperate for a solution.  Does anyone have any really practical and tested ideas.  I did write the RSPB but didn’t get any very helpful feedback.  Help.

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This is my reply, but advice and ideas always welcome -

Thanks for getting in touch.  I have had a struggle with large birds pinching the food for years now. 
One way I have found is to put garden canes around the birdtable.  Your problem is that the birds come down from the roof, but if they cannot balance because canes are there it may work.  The smaller birds can get through the canes, but the larges ones cannot.  Here is a link  to an article.  http://birdtablenews.com/2009/02/how-to-keep-pigeons-off-a-bird-table/
At the bottom of the article is a photo of the canes round my birdtable.  They do get blown about a bit, but I’ve found this is the best way.  It allows blackbirds and thrushes to get in.  One other way is to just use caged bird feeders
For years I’ve had pigeons, rooks and crows descend when I put bird food out.  We just can’t afford it can we?
Making a cage  with square  plastic covered fencing is a good idea. 
I can imagine that you feel really sad, especially as you have been  feeding this sparrow population for very many years

I don’t think it’s any good you waiting until the doves go away.  A practical solution is needed. 
Could you buy a hanging feeder and put it in the hedge.  I have hanging feeders and birds soon get the hang of them.
Here is another link showing a ground feeder that has a cage round it. It also shows my canes round the bird table

http://birdtablenews.com/2009/07/keeping-pigeons-away-from-bird-tables/

Here are some more ideas from readers  - 
I would first of all like to thank Trish for her inspiration.

I cannot stand grey pigeons, as they finish enough food to feed 4 or 5 of the smaller birds in my garden. So through searching for advice on how to keep pigeons away from the bird table I stumbled upon Trish’s idea of placing canes around the table.

I thought I might take this a step further and incorporate the canes into the table itself creating a more aesthetically pleasing table. I ended up purchasing a table  along with a strip of floor edging to act as my canes.
Instead of boring you with the details of how I made the table pigeon proof, I thought I might post pictures up instead (as soon as I know how) which are self-explanatory.

The pigeons have tried to enter the ‘house’ but being too big they couldn’t balance on any part of the table apart from the roof.

All other birds however have been enjoying the treats I have put out for them which in previous days would have been finished by the pigeons before the smaller birds even got a taste. This has all been happening while the pigeons sit on the fence and wonder how they are going to enter, but all their attempts have failed!
Thanks Trish!
(Pics up soon!)

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What a lovely comment.   It’s wonderful how practical ideas can be spread by the Internet.

Toni here is another idea

April 2010  – Another way to help small birds from Arlene

My bird table has a roof and has been enclosed by my husband on three sides by the largest plastic mesh I  could find~ the open side nearest the lounge window.

It took  awhile for them to get used to it but they hop through as though it wasn’t there now.
All the little birds hop through the mesh or through the side bits under the roof and the bigger birds such as Blackbirds come round the back.

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Let me know what you think

Trisha

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