Putting food out for the birds…

I do think nature sorts itself out. I had a neighbour with a dovecote and the sparrow hawk looked on it as their Macdonalds drive thru. She was always saying that she had “ lost” all the squabs to the predators. Since she has gone into a home I haven’t seen a single kite or sparrow hawk. Some years we have two magpies,some years ten. We have a family of woodpeckers and quite a few jays. Pigeons come and go.occasional goldfinch. Plenty of tits and blackbirds. DH feeds them with seed and fatballs. I put out surplus fat with crumbs in small pots. We put out carcasses for the badgers and foxes after I’ve made stock. There are plenty of berries in our garden for all. They also are brutal in killing each other. If hungry the foxes will go after anything ,. We don’t get seagulls as there re too many trees for them for take off and landing. Live and let live . The squirrels are a pain and the rabbits tend to get drunk on overripe apples in the autumn . The deer only seem to eat the roses.

I think that cooked chicken bones might be dangerous for foxes given that they splinter and cause problems for dogs? I had a neighbour who was angry with the Sparrowhawk for killing the birds on his bird table but I pointed out that, as the bird table was a smorgasbord for little birds it was also a smorgasbord for their predators too.

This in response those who are expressing their disapproval about “wasting” food stuffs.
I think the days of eating every last morsel of food are long long gone.

We - in Uk, are not in a state of rationing, and have purchased the food so it is ours to dispose of albeit with care.

However something that would make a huge difference to me personally would be the option to choose to purchase smaller quantities of pre packed foods.

I’m thinking smaller tins (I only ever see tinned tomatoes and baked beans ) because I probably won’t want to eat them again within the same week and find stuff sitting in the fridge in containers for several days unappealing.

I’d love to shop every 2 or 3 days for fruit and veg and buy “just enough” so they are eaten at their best

I could thrive very well I think on smaller portions at each meal but still enjoy shopping for a variety of ingredient to cook and create meals with.

It is not just a cost issue. It is a quality of life issue now for me.
I want to eat what I love and love what I eat ..without filling the rubbish bin up every week.

My brother used to put food out for the birds, and when they turned he would shoot them with his airgun. They always came back.

Post pandemic I went to a local fruit and veg shop with the intention of buying smaller quantities of everything and using my own mesh bags. But it had closed down. Another smaller shop in another part of town has closed down, too, and I really wanted to support them. I would like to buy more from markets but can’t really carry large amounts if the car is a distance away. Our village shop, that sold everything, closed down years ago. It was a post office, too, and a sale had been agreed that would keep it as a post office but, when the sale went through it turned into a coffee shop. I had to throw out lots of larder food last year because I had a flour mite infestation. I felt awful about it although most of it went into the brown bin. I’ve learned my lesson, though, and flour is now frozen and everything is in airtight containers.

Put it in a brown paper bag, and then in a plastic bag, and take it to a meadow or a public garden. You are inviting rats and mice and cockroaches, even if there is no food, because there might be crumbs, or the gravy scent, left.

wibblywobblywobblebottom

My brother used to put food out for the birds, and when they turned he would shoot them with his airgun. They always came back.

Disgraceful.

wibblywobblywobblebottom

My brother used to put food out for the birds, and when they turned he would shoot them with his airgun. They always came back.

That’s disgusting.

I have a three foot square bird table made of stone. I am not sure how ancient it is. I saw it at a reclamation yard not far away and bought it. It came by tractor!

It was a very opportune moment. The late neighbour over the road (a retired police inspector) grew apple trees in his front garden and covered them with nets to stop the birds eating them.

One day he came across to me and said 'What are you feeding those birds on? They are sh-- (his exact word) on my apples.

I said 'f they are doing that they must be getting their little legs caught in the nets, it would happen to anyone caught in a net'. I told him that birds never mess where they feed. That is absolutely true.

A few days later I went to the reclamation yard to buy some red Victorian bricks and saw the table. It was just calling for me to buy it for a bird table to show the neighbour I wasn't going to stop feeding the birds.

I had flocks of crow family flying down to the table as it was easier for them to fly in around the tree. One day a flock of seagulls came - led by a raven. Amazing sight. They all fed together. I think it was to confuse the Red Kites which kept flying overhead.

I would worry about rats if I'm honest 🙂

wibblywobblywobblebottom

My brother used to put food out for the birds, and when they turned he would shoot them with his airgun. They always came back.

Awful man

My next-door neighbour was leaving bowl of food outs ton her front lawn, this attracts rats, I saw one. I emailed the Environmental Health Department, the bowls of food disappeared in a couple of days. The Council is not allowed the name of the persons who report.