Keep feeding those birds during the snowy weather



Put a bird feeder up in the grounds of where I work a couple of weeks ago. Trouble is there's quite a few pairs of magpies and they tend to bully the smaller birds out of the picture.

Lots of nuts and proteins this time of year, not so much of the fatballs.
 
---Nemo--- said:
I use a mix of peanuts, sunflower hearts, mealworms and suet (plus berries) pellets. It costs me a small fortune as I get such an abundance and variety of diners. They provide so much enjoyment though and they do come to depend on you as a food source.

Three robins hang around out there all day, they spend more time scrapping than eating. :lol:
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That is the problem and the same here.
Daily top ups and throughout the year. The garden is like living in an aviary.
Not long before the birds will start nesting.
 
Biggest problem we have at the moment is the fat bastard gormless wood pigeons coming to hoover up anything on ground or bird table at the expense of the blackbirds and robin. Might hang copies of Slimming World magazine up to fat shame them away. We used to get two in semi-regular, but since we started putting suet pellets out they've obviously told their mates as there were five or six in this morning.

I love our robin, he's such a bouncy, cocky and inquisitive little thing.
 
A clattering of Jackdaws (had to look that term up) has just emptied a full of seed bird feeder. I love watching them, they allways appear to be mischievous little shits :cool:
 
Just put my stuff out on the feeder tables (hanging) which consist of cream crackers (crushed) bread, a variation of suet pellets and mealworm. A variation of seeds, raisins and crumbled fat balls to mix in with the seed and stuff.
Then I fill two bird feeder tubes and a peanut mesh, plus a fat ball mesh/tube.

The seed caters for all of the birds but I buy high energy one's for robins and such.

I also fill my own half coconut shells with crushed fat balls and pack 5 between two halves.
I did place some in the privet but the birds destroyed it with crap and left it half bare, so I moved them out the back on a fence post hanger.

On special occasions my wife cooks them all a tiny fried, full English breakfast and we set out a little table that stretches the full length of the garden, like a kings table... and set them all out, then shout, "full English". ;)
 
We’ve got a bird bath and feeder but two cats. Sending out mixed signals really.

the cats are retarded and haven’t caught a bird in their lives afaik.
 
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Swindon On Tour said:
Natural Berries almost finished now and the two toughest months for our feathered friends.
The survival rate increases incredibly by a helping hand.
Cannot believe today what they have consumed, sunflower hearts, peanuts and suet pellets and at 4pm was still topping up the feeders.
Song Thrush in full song this weekend marking that Spring is on its way and plenty of activity around the nest boxes. Enjoyable taking some time out today watching them feeding.
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You're lucky to have all those birds mate . Where I live all the birds piss off to lower altitudes so the nuts etc are rotting in the feeders . Having said that though about a dozen lapwings turned up yesterday but they pissed off because I guees the snar was hiding whatever bait they might have found . Hurry up out of the bottom 3 anarl .
 
DisillusionedOldGit said:
You're lucky to have all those birds mate . Where I live all the birds piss off to lower altitudes so the nuts etc are rotting in the feeders . Having said that though about a dozen lapwings turned up yesterday but they pissed off because I guees the snar was hiding whatever bait they might have found . Hurry up out of the bottom 3 anarl .
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Top Man as always 👍
Love Lapwings they are very rare now, used to be so many more when I was a kid.
 
Still not seeing as many birds as previous years. I’m hoping it’s because other people got their hangers out a long time before me and they’ve no need to look elsewhere. Gonna be earlier next winter. We’ve a cat anarl and we can’t hang many high up but they’ve been visited a lot more in previous years.
 
The King of Um said:
Biggest problem we have at the moment is the fat bastard gormless wood pigeons coming to hoover up anything on ground or bird table at the expense of the blackbirds and robin. Might hang copies of Slimming World magazine up to fat shame them away. We used to get two in semi-regular, but since we started putting suet pellets out they've obviously told their mates as there were five or six in this morning.

I love our robin, he's such a bouncy, cocky and inquisitive little thing.
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My Border Terrier loves them Wood pigeons ;)
she just can't understand why they no longer want to play after she grabbed them and shook them a few times, I even put a little bell on her collar to give the fat buggers a heads up but she still manages to get them
 
ChrisK said:
My Border Terrier loves them Wood pigeons ;)
she just can't understand why they no longer want to play after she grabbed them and shook them a few times, I even put a little bell on her collar to give the fat buggers a heads up but she still manages to get them
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Lovely dogs the border. Real character.
Two in our village and one of them has a bit of a reputation to go for other dogs, very uncharacteristic to be fair.
As soon though as they see my Lab they absolutely love him and their owner can’t quite believe it. He is so gentle and they go bloody mental when they see him a long way off.
 
Swindon On Tour said:
Lovely dogs the border. Real character.
Two in our village and one of them has a bit of a reputation to go for other dogs, very uncharacteristic to be fair.
As soon though as they see my Lab they absolutely love him and their owner can’t quite believe it. He is so gentle and they go bloody mental when they see him a long way off.
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Mine has no aggressive interest in other dogs but likes to play she just submits and lies on her back when any dog approaches her but Jesus in the woods she is a absolute machine she gets the red mist and chases everything that moves it’s great going on a walk with her never a dull moment thankfully she got half decent recall on The whistle but love the time we spend together 👍
 
ChrisK said:
Mine has no aggressive interest in other dogs but likes to play she just submits and lies on her back when any dog approaches her but Jesus in the woods she is a absolute machine she gets the red mist and chases everything that moves it’s great going on a walk with her never a dull moment thankfully she got half decent recall on The whistle but love the time we spend together 👍
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I like them. My Mate has one, a boy and once again gets on superb with mine.
So funny when they tilt their head.
My Mate reckons his thinks I’m a dog as he goes mental when he sees me.
Miss meeting him with lockdown. Been round his house and when drunk played rats under the cushions. His border was squealing with excitement him and his Mrs in bewilderment with this Dog and me going mad under the cushions :lol:
Dogs make me behave badly.
 
Ha class
man of my own heart no better feeling than been out in countryside with your best mate by your side 👍
Been on decent walk round Tyne valley today Jesus she went missing so many times we looking back for her whistling like mad but then turn round she sat in front of us 😂then the amount of times she rubbed up against the fox shite 🤮
ha nice garden hose shower when she got home
Flat out in front of fire now one happy dog 👍
 
Swindon On Tour said:
Top Man as always 👍
Love Lapwings they are very rare now, used to be so many more when I was a kid.
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First lockdown, last spring where we used to walk we loved watching a field full of lapwings nesting in the farmers field. I used to notice them on the bus journey to work before that. They come to the same place every year. Ongoing, It's quite sad in a way cos they're building on one side of the field effectively reducing their nesting site. Let's hope they don't stop coming. It's a great distinctive bird you would never mistake for any other bird.
 

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