Bird Table News

Sunset on the Yorkshire Wolds

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10 Redwings in our Liverpool garden this morning

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Hi Denis,

Thanks for this information.  It’s good to know they are thriving.   I think they often join with flocks of  Fieldfares.  They are one of our winter visitors and don’t often nest here. 

I can’t ever remember seeing one.  They stay in the open countryside and so for you to see them in your garden is a bit exceptional.  I hope it doesn’t mean that bad weather is coming and they are preparing for a winter freeze.  Get the bird food ready

Trisha

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 I’m excited because I’m having this photo put onto Acrylic.  Not sure why I like this phot so much,  but I do

I took this photgraph about a year ago and have it as my screen saver, but I wonder what other people think

East Yorkshire

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Hurray!  A sparrowhawk being chased away from a garden.  Here is what happened.  Thanks Bev for sending this.

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From Bev -

Our feeding station is positioned near the shrubs and surrounded by the canes which seem to deter the sparrow hawk a lot of the time.

As the weather gets worse its not very easy to climb my garden to the higher level as its very steep and slippery, so I am encouraging the jays etc to come nearer the house and gradually they seem to be doing so.

I do this because I and my neighbour actually saw jackdaws and jays chasing off a hawk quite a few times last month . They also mobbed it so maybe they will actually help deter it for the smaller birds to eat in safety. Has anyone else heard of the same thing happening?

I saw them mob the resident tawny owl a few times this year but he comes back daily in the evening ok.

It seems to me that sparrow hawks are getting more determined here even though they aren’t always successful it doesn’t seem to put them of trying so all we bird lovers can do for our garden birds is persevere with our many deterrents!!

Any one else had similar problems ? It would be interesting to compare tactics! I have re positioned the balloon again today,so will see if it makes any difference !! Kind regards and a happy new year, Bev.

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Hope the balloon does make a difference.  I agree all anyone can do is try to deter the hawks so the garden birds can survive.

At the moment in my garden we don’t have any sparrowhawks, but  I see them flying in the countryside.

Amazing that Jays and Jackdaws mobbed a sparrowhawk.  It goes to show birds do think as a group (which I think we know anyway when we see them daily in the garden)

At the moment in the garden I’m lucky that pigeons are the only birds that try to grab the bird food

I am still using the canes stuck into the soil with some wire round as well. Get loads of birds in.  Am also using a makeshift feeder from an upturned plastic tray and an ordinary ground feeder.  I throw seed on the grass near a bush for the blackbirds that are waiting there on a morning.

Take care

trisha

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Hi everyone!
I have great plans for a baking session for the birds – just trying to find the time!

Hopefully it will be this weekend, my daughter wants to join in with the fun too. I thought it would make a nice change from buying the ready made fat products available.

everything is ready and waiting -

• lard from the supermarket,

• a good quality bird seed mix and the exciting bit..

• .lots of different things to make exciting toppings just to let the birds know it’s Christmas!!

I’m using old coconut shells, scrubbed out and dried after the birds have eaten the original fillings. These will be ideal to pack with the melted suet and seed mixture and the string to hang them is still intact. A generous sprinkle of dried mealworms, suet treats, chopped sultanas and papaya will make them look festive as well as delicious! Perhpas I should get some cranberries too?

To make block shapes I’ll use a baking tray lined with cling film, so that I can cut it into squares to fit my holder after it’s been in the fridge overnight. AND I’m wondering if I’ll have the time or the courage to attempt some very special fat snowballs…the plan is to make a seed and suet ball then roll it in peanut granules…how pretty on the tree!!! How tempting for the birds!!!
Wish me luck!!

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This is great.  So many plans and ideas.  Many, Many tanks for replying to my plea for winter recipes for birds.  Sounds like you are going to have fun and the wild birds are going to have a feast.  Have a wonderful Christmas and I’ll be having a go as well

Trisha

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Any winter bird feeding recipes are welcome.

I’m sure there must be many different ways we all feed birds, not just  by putting bird seed out. 

Here’s one I received in January

Hi Trish and everybody,

 my cake is

•  lard,
• ground sunflower
•  and peanuts, also whole ones
• all put together with currants and sultanas,

They go down a treat,

I had 9 long tail tits here today,
Not seen thrushes around, am worried,,mum used to come into workshop in breeding season, but offspring not so keen,,

Keep up the feeding everyone, we will get them through,,

Have 5 or 6 blue tits roosting in a nest box they have used twice to breed in,, dont know if the same family have moved in,,R

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NEVER USE VEGETABLE OIL TO MAKE A BIRD CAKE. ALWAYS USE FAT/ LARD OR DRIPPING

R is right IF WE KEEP UP THE BIRD FEEDING WE WILL HELP GET THE BIRDS THROUGH THE WINTER

Look forward to receiving some new bird feeding ideas

Trisha

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Hi, I also have the sparrowhawk problem in a medium sized garden in chorley lancs. I was congratulating myself that we had only lost one bird(sparrow) this year until we lost three more in the last week or so.

My problem is that I have a flock of 40 odd sparrows and another of 20 odd goldfinches. Along with a few tits that makes for a noisy garden and inevitably attracts the sparrowhawk.

For a number of years I have used plastic garden mesh, 50mm hole size, on trellis’ around the feeders. Have seen the hawks splat themselves a couple of times on this. I also use a circle of the mesh around the feeder, hung from an inverted metal hanging basket.Until now this has worked a treat and I have witnessed numerous unsucessful attacks, in one case four in a couple of hours. My feeders are near to thorny cover.

However I am considering building a large cage of plastic mesh in the bushes at the back of the border and putting the feeders inside it. At least then the birds wont be caught napping. I havnt tried canes but it seems a good idea. As does spreading the feeders out. Any good ideas anybody esle has I would love to know. Regards billm

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Hi Bill,

thanks for getting in touch.

First of all here is a link to Song Bird Survival   http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/  They are trying to save songbirds and are doing a lot of work.

I think it’s right what you say about a noisy garden. I hadn’t thought of it before.  Of course sparrowhawks will be attracted by bird song.  I also have a lot of noisy birds in my garden.

the problem is that no matter how many bird feeders you try to make safe – the birds still have to fly to and from the feeders.  I think your ideas and what you are doing are great.  You deserve a medal.  Maybe we all deserve medals! 

At the moment I have stuck canes into the ground and put old boxes etc round the canes to fill in the gaps between the canes.  The only way the garden birds can get in is through the top.  this makes the area safe when they are feeding on the  bird food and also means that blackbirds can get in to get at the bird food.  This seems to be similar to your plastic mesh idea.  As you say at least the birds won’t be caught napping when they are feeding

There is also the idea of balloons to keep sparrowhawks away

Here is the link

http://birdtablenews.com/2011/02/a-brilliant-idea-to-keep-sparrowhawks-away/

and here is a photo

Thank you for getting in touch.  I’ll be writing more about this, but have to go and feed the birds now

Bev, thanks for reminding me about the Hawk deterrant balloons

Trisha

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Hi
Autumn and winter are  approaching fast which got me thinking how much bird seed I have lost over the years in windy weather.

Not only is it expensive but the seeds get every where causing weeds to grow.

Thinking cap on and I thought in places with earthquakes and hurricanes tall buildings have a large weight which can swing when the buildings sway in bad conditions which counter acts the sway.
 
So a simple question can it help with swinging bird feeders.
 
I looked at my Niger seed feeder which seems to be the one that losses most I found a small drain hole on the bottom in the centre. Through this I put some plastic coated wire and hung a couple of fat balls tied to bottom of the wire.(please see attached photo).
It seems to work and I don’t lose much seed so a simple trick that may help other people.
 
It’s not foolproof  maybe other people have a better idea they may want to share
 
Regards
 
Frank

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Tomorrow I am going to be trying to sell a poetry booklet called LEST WE FORGET.

I am going to the Armed Forces Day.  This poetry  booklet has been put

together as a way to raise funds for The Royal British Legion.

Wish me luck.

 By raising money for  the RBL this booklet will help our Servicemen

The Royal British Legion have been really helpful

All the poems have been written by Yorkshire people. 

One of them was written by my father.

All of them, in some way or another, are about war.

I know this is nothing to do with birds and bird feeding, but in some ways it has.

If we had lost the Second World War things would have been completely different. 

Every soldier, sailor and airman would risk his life for this country.

They should be looked after if they are injured

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