Wild Birds

If you want goldfinches you have to seduce them with nyjer seeds. They are small seeds and need a special dispenser. i guess that is because normal bird food is not close enough to the thistley seeds they feed on in the wild.

We have bird feeders having in the small trees in our garden. They are visited by a large population of house sparrows, blue tits, great tits, and chaffinches. My DH scatters seed on the rocks under the tree for the blackbirds, robins, jackdaws and pheasant!
When we first came here we didn't see many birds at all, now we get loads.

We also have a lot of magpies and pigeons, I suppose they have to live too.

My hanging feeders got soggy and rusty so I replaced them yesterday with posh ones from the 99p shop........only the best you understand. Lots of birds today.

Apparently the feeders have to be near bushes so they can line up to feed. ( some hope.)

When I taught the man in the nature centre used to get the kids to mix nuts, fruit etc with melted lard and put into plastic cups. However he never seemed t o hang these up but rather smeared it in the cracks and elbows off trees. The birds loved it. An idea with the GC.

Kindle preferred bagpipes to magpies.

It's the feeder with sunflower seeds we get goldfinches on. They go on the feeder after they have polished off the seeds on the dead Evening Primrose and Japanese Anemone plants. Important not to tidy up the garden too much in the Autumn.

I'm very excited!!! I've just had a Jay on my bird table.

my dad has put out food for the birds for years but he doesn't get anywhere near the number he used to. thwy only seem to come when it is really cold

We are beginning to feed the red kites as they are so common in our area now. It is a magnificent sight when they swoop down for the chicken legs.

Goldfinches, greenfinches, the odd chaffinch and bull finch all visit our garden and eat from the seed feeders quite happily - they all totally ignore the nyjer seeds bought specially for them.

We had a new bird table last week as ours disintegrated and this one seems to stick out like a sore thumb. It is a garish wood because DH decided a hardwood wouldn't be affected by the rain so much as the old one. It took the birds a while but they have come back. As we had a new bird table, I treated us to new seed feeders and nut baskets. I hate trying to wash the smelly seed feeders.

A bit foggy this morning but the bluetits have now got used to enjoying crumbled up fatballs in the new birdhouse DH was given for Christmas.

We have a good collection of birds, but they have to "find" your feeder, if it's new, and will gradually come. They quite like it near a tree or bush so they feel safer, with somewhere to hide.

Ours love half coconuts stuffed with fat/seeds and sunflower hearts which we buy in a big sack. I love the gang of long tailed tits - pretty little birds. I buy good quality, previously tried cheap £1 shop and sometimes I think the fat balls were a bit rancid and not at all popular.