Please Feed The Birds

[lymaze]

A reminder and a request to everyone during this freezing weather to remember to put food, and as importantly, water out for the birds every day. Seeds, soft fruits, old Xmas cake, fat balls, unsalted peanuts, grated cheese etc are all good energy sources, and water is also needed, so please refresh every morning.

If you're using fat balls please take them out of the nets as birds catch their feet in them.

They're saying this weather could be one of the biggest killers of birds for decades, so please keep them in mind.

[eshalda]

Have just done my bit for the birds. Fairly soon after I put the food out Mr. and Mrs. blackbird arrived to feast.

[Wyvern]

But don't put food on the ground if you have, or your garden is frequented by, cats. That way lies the wrong kind of 'all you can eat' bird buffet...

[inky]

I've been doing my bit too. Don't have to worry about putting food on the ground here. The cats are terrified of the dogs so they don't come near. However, the dogs do chase the birds so I have to time birdie feeding times to avoid doggie play times

[Deleted]

We have fed the wood pigeons who were walking about the garden and attempting to mate the robins, blue tits, doves, nut hatch, more pigeons, blackbirds and some very excitable wagtails.

[lew]

And me, I've a robin whose worked out how to get in and out the chicken run, quick dash and grab for him/her ;D

[chariset]

All I can attract here are sparrows, doves (mourning and white-winged) and the occasional cardinal. But they feast at an astonishing rate.

[eshalda]

Apart from the blackbirds, we now have a robin and thrush. When i put new supplies out it is lovely to see all the little birdie footprints. There is also another set of different footprints that goes to the garage door, we suspect Mr. mouse (with or without family,) might have taken up residence there.

[brycegold]

I do my bit for the birdies on a daily basis, I've even taken to cutting up fat balls to go on the bird table for the birds that don't do hanging upside down easily. Yesterday as I was putting out the food a robin flew down right beside me. It was almost like he was saying "thank you". As soon as I went indoors he went to the table for food, ahh! Had 5 Fieldfares today, wow, that's a first for us. Had lots of visits from Redwings too.

[TheDaisy]

Mostly your common or garden blue tits, sparrows, great tits, robins and blackbirds round 'ere. Oh, and red kites, but they don't really eat nuts or bread.
I remember seeing a blue jay once, and thinking I was going mad ;D very pretty he was, too.

[kt]

Had a wonderful Friday evening in the back yard tonight--refilled the suet feeder, the water dispenser, the birdbath made by the DH, and hung up a thistle feeder. (Second try on that one--the first place I'd hung it got too wet and all the thistle seed got nasty--now it's sheltered, so we'll see how it fares in our wet weather!).

After all the maintenance, sat on porch and drank wine as the nuthatches, chickadees, flickers and jays came round. A few finches stopped in as well. Perfect end to a hectic week.

[eshalda]

I have set up an all singing all dancing bird feeding station in my garden, and as far as I can see no bird has actually visited it yet. Am very disappointed.

[dit]

I am between a rock and a hard place on this one. If I put trays of seed and nuts out on the little wall outside my big window I get collar doves, wood-pigeons, blue and great tits, blackbirds etc, squirrels - and the rats that come up from the stream at the bottom of the garden and chomp their way through the lot. They're actually quite pretty and I'll never be rid of them as far as the stream's concerned, but they only come near the house because of the food.

So I don't put out food and lose all the critters, or I put it out and get the rats as well. I've put out hanging things but most of my birds aren't the sort that can easily get at the food. Suggestions would be appreciated!

[Wyvern]

You could have a bird table. Put an electric fence around it, then the birds will be able to fly down and the squirrels will be able to leap down to it but the rats won't be able to get up and they'll give up because rats are quite clever.

[eshalda]

We had a rat problem a while ago, one decided to make its home in our compost bin (a huge thing it was too.) It used to come and pinch the birds food as did the squirrels. I have put the new feeding station well away and it is inaccessible to rats. Percy the fat pigeon did make an attempt to land on it but failed (too heavy.)

[eolise]

yay, great to hear there's bird lovers here!! ;D

[morganstarr89]

I feed the birds, foxes and hedgehogs every day!!!

[eolise]

same here, Morgan. At around 8.30 am every morning there are at least 10 birds waiting to be fed. ;D

[rx7]

I love birds but they attract the cats and I am not a cat fan. Bluejays are evil and loud but I do like the black capped chickadees, our state bird, as they're so friendly.
But I think my totem animal is owls. Barred owls are around here and I love them to bits.

[Vivienne]

I will be looking forward to seeing my favorite bird the cardinal. Don't have them out west.

[devil-may-care]

We had a male cardinal at our feeder this morning. So beautiful! I think he and his mate have a nest in of the trees in front of our house. ;D ;D

[pie]

I have some lovely photos of some birdies that regularly stop by my folks' place. I'll post them when I get a chance.

[eolise]

sweeet, Pie, would be nice!!
DMC, hope you'll have a chance soon of taking a pic of it.

[pie]

Here you go. There are plenty of different types of birdie around, but these dudes, the rainbow lorikeets, are just plain awesome. And don't they know it. ;D

[dit]

Astonishing birds - and superb photos, Pie!

[Vivienne]

Absolutely stunning. Feed the birds puts me in mind of Mary Poppins and feed the birds tuppence a bag. I cry every time.

[Eclair]

LOL at the rainbow lorikeets ;D we have them in the garden too, along with other cheeky buggers like butcher birds, indian mynahs (?sic) and ("flamin") galahs and corellas... ;D
They are sooooo cheeky ;D

[pie]

I like the galahs too, but I wish they wouldn't destroy everything in their path. Same with the cockies: put a seed bell out and they've eaten the lot in about ten minutes. Then they start on the pergola.

I have some piccies somewhere of some kookaburras that occasionally drop by as well...will post when I find them. They're great birds.

[rx7]

Any of you like hummingbirds? It's the off season but I've seen rivals get really physical and I think they're wonderful. I had one buzz me when I was washing my dad's bright red pickup truck once-it was probably telling me to put out the feeder!

[dit]

Those galahs - are they the ones that Alan Davies told the anecdote about on QI? It went along the lines of an Aussie telling him how to cook a galah; cook it with a rock and when the rock is soft, the galah will be ready to eat.