Bird Table News

Marjorie asked

I have bought my 10 year old grandson a bird table for Christmas.  He is home educated and is fascinated with the birds who have now started coming into our garden to the bird table.
We have put out grated cheese, a coconut fat thingy, a fat ball and some bird nuts.
Yesterday he read in his book that sunflower hearts are popular.
The birds don’t seem to want the bird nuts and they have been left untouched.
Can someone tell us why that is?  Is it because the nuts are too large?

I replied

Thanks for getting in touch. It’s great that your grandson likes feeding birds and is fascinated with them.  There are so many sizes and colours aren’t there?  Only certain birds like peanuts and if you aren’t getting that type of bird at your feeder then they won’t be eaten.

Is the cheese being eaten?  I bet it is.
Sunflower hearts are really good enery food for birds.
If you click on this link you will see a list of some birds that do like sunflower hearts
http://birdtablenews.com/2009/04/some-birds-that-eat-sunflower-hearts/

If you click on thE  link below it gives a list of the favourite bird food of some garden birds
http://birdtablenews.com/2009/02/favourite-bird-food-of-some-garden-birds/

Below is a link to soft bill bird food.  Some birds have beaks that can only eat certain food.  Soft bill food helps these birds

http://birdtablenews.com/2009/07/softbill-bird-food/

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Hope that info helps you.  I’m really pleased your grandson is enjoying watching birds

If you click on the link below you will be able to hear some birdsong.  At the end of the article there is a DVD of birdsong for sale, in case your grandson would like to listen to some birdsong

http://birdtablenews.com/2010/01/birdsong-from-my-east-yorkshire-garden/

It’s really great that your grandson is fascinated by birds.  It is a link to nature which must be good.

Trisha

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I had another question that asked about GM bird food.  What is your opinion

I am having the same problem. The birds aren’t eating the bird seed. Do you think that the seed is genetically modified? I read somewhere that chickens won’t eat GM chicken feed. The animals must know that GM foods are not safe.

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I have had lots of problems with squirrels eating bird fat cakes that I put out.  I remember reading somewhere about adding a large spoonful of chilli powder to stop this, as birds are not affected by chilli.  But I don’t want to do this if the birds will be injured in some way.

The above is a question I’ve received from Mike

Ages ago I myself had trouble with squirrels and tried chilli pepper.  I had read that the RSPB said it was a way to keep squirrels away.   So I tried it.  It did not work.  I know coating birdfood with chilli pepper  did not work, but I could not remember the reason why.  I looked up some notes and saw that I had written this on 17 November 2008

Notes below have been taken from 17 November 2008  Chilli pepper and keeping squirrels away 

I have taken the RSPB’s advice about how to keep squirrels away from bird food.  It hasn’t worked.
The RSPB report that chilli pepper powder on bird food keeps squirrels away but does not bother birds.  

RSPB advise that the bird food is put in a bag with the pepper powder and shaken together.

Tell that to the birds.
None of the bird food that I covered with the pepper powder has been touched by birds.
The bird food was on the ground feeder and bird table.  I even took the meshed cover off the ground feeder and still the bird food was not eaten.  Not one seed was touched
On the other hand I haven’t seen a squirrel today.
Have brought the bird food inside and will put it outside again tomorrow.
Has anyone ever used this method to keep squirrels away?

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Has anyone else used chilli powder to keep squirrels away?

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I do have some squirrel proof bird feeders and a meshed garden feeder.  They are brilliant, but, of course,  blackbirds and thrushes can’t get to the food and I wanted to keep some open bird feeders for the blackbirds and thrushes. 

It does seem though that squirrel proof caged feeders are a good way to keep squirrels off any type of bird food.

What do you think?

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By coincidence I have been talking to two people over a period of 3 days. 

Both  asked me why birds have suddenly stopped coming to their feeders when it is the coldest winter for years and there has been snow, frost and blizzards.   They both live on the Yorkshire Wolds

It transpired both families had bought RSPB bird food for the first time – they both said they bought the expensive  RSPB bird food.  It was at this time that birds stopped visiting the feeders.

Is this coincidence?  What would suddenly stop birds coming to bird feeders that they have been coming to for ages. 

Should they  ask the advice of the  RSPB  advice?

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I’ve received this question from Liz.  I don’t know the answer for certain. Can anyone help?

I put out loads of food for birds but it goes mouldy in the containers.  Although I live in the city and have a small garden, i have hedges and shrubs to provide cover but simply cannot attract birds.  Have you any idea why?

 I  replied -

First – He glad you got in touch. 

You have a garden with  hedges and shrubs but cannot attract birds.  Strange.

Could you let me know what food do you put out and if you see birds around your area.  Are they in the next garden?

It could be that there is a predator about, say a cat or a sparrowhawk and the birds know this. 

Different birds eat different food. Maybe there aren’t the type of bird about that would eat the food you put out (but this isn’t likely)

I would take the feeders in and  take all the mouldy food out.  then soak the feeders in water, say in an old bucket, to get rid of any bits of  mouldy food.  Dry the feeders out .  Let me know what type of bird food you use. 

I will see if I can think of any other reason. Look forward to hearing from you. Trisha at Bird Table News

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I need help here.  The weather is freezing, there is bird food about but the birds aren’t coming for it.  I have just been writing how important it is to put bird food out for birds – life is strange sometimes.

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I’m really pleased that I’ve received two more ways to avoid large birds getting all the bird food

First way  is From Merry

 Hi Trish!
I have hidden some RSPB Sprinkles under the fallen leaves in the hope that the blackbirds will find them and the woodpigeons won’t! Probably won’t work but worth a try. I put out a whole fat ball on the ground. The blackbird was having a wonderful feast until a carrion crow swooped down and took off with the whole ball in it’s mouth! I was furious! Mind you, it was funny watching it trying to keep it from all the seagulls which suddenly appeared

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The good news is this idea did work -

Hi Trish,
Thankyou for replying to my comment. We have now bought a bird-table to ‘adapt’! Meanwhile, hiding the ‘Sprinkles’ under the leaves and scattering them in the rockery seems to work a treat. The thrushes all seem to find them with ease and the pigeons don’t even think to look under the leaves! I’m a bit worried about the Sprinkles rotting, though, if the birds don’t find them quick enough. What do you think?
Regards,
Merry
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So pleased the idea worked.  I don’t think that the sprinkles will rot in this weather. Thanks for getting in touch

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The second idea is from Sherry

I have this problem too but i find if i put out a lot of bread on the garden they tend to eat this instead of the seed.

i also put corn out for the pigeons.i know they can be a problem but i still would not like to see them go hungry all creatures great and small still count.

sherrylee

 

 

 

This is a true comment.  There are two sides to everything.  I cannot afford for the large birds to eat all the bird food – yet large birds need to eat as well. 

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So there are two really good ideas. 

Put  food under leaves.  I often see blackbirds on the ground and among the fallen leaves.  Good idea.

The second way is also a good way.  Spread the bird food out in different parts of the garden and put different food in different parts of the garden.  I have heard of this working before

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Here is a lovely and practical comment I received

It is in reply to an article I wrote about how I keep pigeons off bird tables and yet let blackbirds and thrushes in.  The way I found that worked is to put a circle of canes in the ground around the birdtable . 

Click the link to see the article  -  http://birdtablenews.com/2009/02/how-to-keep-pigeons-off-a-bird-table/

Here is another way -

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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Brilliant idea to put the canes on the birdtable itself.  I would never have thought of that in a million years.

I’m really looking forward to seeing the photographs

It is true that pigeons can eat so much bird food which would feed 5 or 6 small birds.  It is also true that this costs money that I cannot afford.  So I have had lots of enjoyment seeing smaller birds on the birdtable and inside the ring of canes. 

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

It’s lovely to be called an inspiration – and all because of some garden canes and a bird table

What a lovely way to start 2010

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 Have just put together three articles about birds  in winter that I have written previously

Thought they may interest you.  They are below these notes I’ve written

There has been so much snow here and I have been shovelling snow away from the feeders.  There has been so much snow it has covered the ground feeder and the old containers I put on the ground to throw bird food in.  It was freezing.

I used the coal shovel to shovel the snow away and leave green patches of frozen earth near the garden bush where I put the bird food. 

The blackbirds and thrushes were unusally brave and stayed close by watching me shovelling the snow and putting the bird food out.  There is now a frenzy of feeding at the feeders so it was worth it.

Funnily enough the main problem I had was trying to get fresh water for these birds.  The pond has frozen over and is covered in inches of snow.  Yesterday I put some water in a container and within two hours it was frozen solid.

BIRDS CAN SURVIVE THE WINTER IF WE PUT FOOD OUT  -   One of the things it says is if we put bird food then birds don’t have to spend hours using their engery scratting for food.  They will have more engery to survive the freezing nights  

WATER FOR BIRDS -  This was written in Summer – but birds do need water all year round .  Our pond is frozen over and is covered in inches of snow.  This morning I’ve spent a while looking for water container for fresh water for the birds.  Photos to follow

BIRDS IN WINTER  -   Things don’t change much round here.  I’m still putting bird food out.  The birds are flocking to the feeders because of the snow and freezing weather. 

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Photos to follow when I find the lead that goes from the camera to the computer

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I have received this question from Mary -

I wonder if suet can spread disease amongst birds because they share it. should i worry about it.

I replied -
I understand what you  mean, but I don’t think you should worry about suet spreading disease among birds because they share the sute.

Suet is a good bird food.  Birds share a lot of things – they share bathing water, they roost together, they use the same feeders and the same bird tables.

It is good of you to worry about it.  Do you use suet a lot and do you enjoy bird feeding?  Thanks for getting in touch and happy bird feeding

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What do you think about suet as a bird food?

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A while ago I had this question from America -

It’s fall and I wonder  if the birds store sunflower seeds for winter.  My feeder has always had sunflower seed and the chickadees, nuthatchers and finches are steady.  Will it confuse or hinder winter feeding it I change to nyjer seed?

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Hi, Believe it or not this is a tricky question.

Whenever I put a different kind of bird food into a bird feeder the bird food is never eaten.  When I put the original bird food back in the feeder it is soon eaten and emptied. 

Birds do rely on the food we put out – it does help them survive.  With winter coming on I think it will confuse them if another type of bird food is in the fooder.

Some of the visiting birds would have to look for food elsewhere and this at a time of year when they need their energy.

Could you try changing the bird food in summer when there is more food about for them?

Another idea – could you buy a new small feeder and put the nyjer seed in that.  Have two feeders side by side.   Or put a little food in a dish in the ground.

It seems a shame if you are having a steady stream of birds, to change the food and upset them.  Maybe I am biased because I never got any birds at my nyjer feeder.  In winter I still pour melted fat over the bird food which sometimes includes njyer seeds and put it on the bird table.

I put different types of bird food in the bird table and that seems to get eaten. I don’t know why different food on the bird table gets eater,but different food in the bird feeders does not.

You ask if birds store food.  In England Coal Tits hoard food.  They take the food, hide their food away, sometimes in the ground, sometimes in a tree.  They carry off nuts and store them in hiding places.  Nuts are nutritious and store well.  They also collect and store insects for a timd when there is no food.  The bird remembers the exact location.

 I know not every bird stores food.  So again the answer will be different depending on what bird we are chatting about.  That is why birds are so interesting isn’t it?

By the way good to hear from you.  You must live in America.  Can I ask which area.

Hope this answer helps.  Let me know how you get on.  Best. Trisha

Has anyone else any ideas or suggestions

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