Bird table...... birds avoiding it....

We've had to take all our bird food away this week as a rat appeared and was tucking into the bird food with gusto, and almost laughing at us!! We've put a bait station down and contacted the council as a rat is definitely not welcome. Sorry to not be feeding the birds but a rat in the garden is a definite no no - where's there's one there will be more...

I found a fat ball half buried in one of my garden pots.
It was not one of our fatballs so the squirrel must have carried it from another garden.
Sorry Sammy, it's in the food recycling bin.

Isnt it funny? I have to keep rebuying fat balls and table seed but the sunflower hearts, Niger seeds and nuts are untouched. The best things at the moment though are the few remaining crab apples and the pyrocanthas on which we get lots of blackbirds!

grannyqueenie

My bird table seems to be just for decoration apart from the visiting sparrowhawk last week! I’ve begun using sunflower seeds in the feeders which hang on the tree and now have hoards of goldfinches visiting which is lovely and very entertaining too But the mess underneath is awful, it’s ruining the grass. Having had field mice in the garage recently I’m worried it’ll attract rats. Any ideas on how to solve the problem?

Wow! What a great pic of a sparrowhawk.

Don't worry about the grass. It will grow back. Feeding birds is far more important.

I had to take all the sunflower seeds off the sunflower heads as the birds wouldn't touch them.
They did manage to dehusk them.

Given me food for thought. If I hang bird food from a Holly Bush will it stop the thieving squirrels?

lemongrove the mess appears to be sludgy grey stuff. I initially wondered if it was from the fat balls which are in the next feeder along, but in the past any residue from that was quickly gobbled up by the ground feeders. Mind you now I come to think of it the starlings seem to have deserted us lately. This much bigger residue has only recently appeared since I bought a new feeder, the one a local shop recommended, for sunflower hearts. It’s an area of about 12” in diameter, I’m not so bothered about the grass as merlot says it will regrow, more concerned about visiting rats! The day I spotted the sparrowhawk there were a few little feathers around on the ground and a noticeable dearth of gold finches! But they’re all back again, with various tits and today a nuthatch thrown in for good measure! I’m willing to sacrifice the grass for that treat!

kitty they are fickle aren’t they? A couple of years ago I spotted a bullfinch in the garden and bought niger seed in the hope of encouraging it to visit regularly. I never saw it again and none of others seemed to fancy the Niger seed!

we have so many birds here- but the sparrowhawk does know about it- and regularly comes to feed too- so so fast. And then the bird table goes quiet for a day or two.

Even though I have moved the bird table quite away from the house now still no birds have I seen on it and no food is disappearing from it. ??‍♀️

Shinamae

Have you considered swapping them round to see whether the new feeder is the problem?

Yes Nannalyn that’s what I’ve actually done and the birds are not going on either of the bird tables front or back but they are eating the fat balls so I’m considering not putting any more fat balls out and then seeing if they will use the bird tables, I find it so strange. ??‍♀️

Agreement from me about the sparrowhawk. Birds will come back after an attack. We hardly saw any robins and blackbirds one season. They fed off the table which makes it easy for the sparrowhawk. Tits and finches seemed to be safe. They feed from our feeders.

Finally, (after literally months )this morning I was looking at the bird table and I saw a robin on it and within a few seconds there was another one so that was two robins in the back garden, I was so delighted you would’ve thought I’d won the lottery!!!...??

Oh I'm jealous Shinamae I don't have a table but a variety of hanging feeders containing different foods. Not seen any birds in ages, only the fat pigeon that can't balance on them searching for spillage underneath, of which there was none. I took pity and scattered a few seeds on the grass.

I still get a lot of sparrows out the front garden and there was a blue tit on the feeders of the tree in the back garden yesterday as well. How strange that you aren’t getting any birds either what an earth is going on?....? The sparrows feed on the fat balls but there is a bird table at the front as well and I’ve not seen any birds on that either, I am actually going to let the fat balls run out at the front and not replace them for awhile and just see if they will use the bird table... I spent quite a bit of money on good birdseed and of course I have to keep replacing it as it can’t stay there forever.... as obviously it will go off in some way. ?

My DH says I’m not allowed to buy another bird feeder!! As if!
Like Callistemon - our birds have avoided the fat balls, but devoured everything else. I’ve special feeders so small birds can get to it, but the jackdaws and magpies have to pick up the spillages from the ground.

I have just ordered two new bird boxes, good ones not the cheap ones, was going to put them either side of old wooden washing line pole at about a height of maybe 8 foot and 10 foot but now I have read that nesting boxes should be 25 feet apart!! The post is about 8”square...any experience,advice gratefully received.....?

Birds get used to the old one.I would out it back.maybe its the colour too.birds prefer green/brown

I spent quite a bit of money on good birdseed and of course I have to keep replacing it as it can’t stay there forever.... as obviously it will go off in some way.

bane of my life while they're not visiting. With the awful amount of rain we've had even my "weather proof" feeders had admitted rain which had sent the food mouldy It's costing me a fortune not to feed the birds

The birds do seem disinterested in the fat balls this year but have you noticed they are much more solid now, as they don’t put them in individual nets any more. Which of course I agree with but when I broke the fat balls up by bashing with a steak tenderiser in the bag, they finally ate them.
I get the suet now, which they love, along with peanuts, mixed seeds and meal worms.
My little birds in the back are very tame and become very excited when they see me in the kitchen in the morning, chattering and hopping about the shrubs, until I go out with their food.
If I’m busy and try to do it later, a little Robin sits on the edge of the table, staring intently at the kitchen window, almost tapping his foot, looking at his watch and saying, “what time do you call this” . I always say out loud “ok! ok! I’m coming”
I agree with others, the birds may have to get used to the new feeder and also I’ve found they are happier if the table is next shrubs or trees.

moggie57

Birds get used to the old one.I would out it back.maybe its the colour too.birds prefer green/brown

I had to throw the old one away that’s why I’ve ordered these two new ones they are from a reputable site so hopefully birds will accept them and use them...Looked out this morning and the Robins were there again ?

Have ordered this for the Robins....

Sparrows are very occasionally going on the front bird table now but they still much prefer the fat balls and seem to fight amongst them selves when they’re on them. I get very frustrated I think why aren’t some of you going on the bird table? ??

Maybe the birds are moulting? They seem to disappear when they do. I’ve had the blackbird in the garden this morning eating his daily apple but no other birds at all.