harrycatcat1 Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 In our front garden I have a feeder with niger seed, a feeder with mixed seed and two fat balls hanging. The thing is I have not seen many birds taking the seed in this cold weather. The niger seeds did attract goldfinches in big numbers a while ago and seen the odd one recently and the fat balls I have not seen a bird on them at all. Apart from the coloured string which did not bother them up to now I cant see why I have not seen more taking advantage of the free food. Any ideas? Regards Hcc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plank06 Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Iv just got sparrows, magpies, pigeons and a robin visiting me mate! Get a pair of goldfinches every couple of days too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I have 8 fatballs andtwo feeder which contain sunflower hearts and niga seeds the goldies seem to hammer these i refill them every 3 days i also put 2 tubs of corn on the bridge for the peacocks and guinea fowl but this attract allthe local pheasies and a stream of longtails which i cant shoot at night from the bedroom window Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Mat Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've got a trough thing that i put the chicken food out in which attracts loads of birds all year round! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Got 2 feeders out with Sunflower hearts-filling them twice /day the last few days-the Finches etc sit on the feeders while the bigger birds wait underneath for the spills.This year is the first time we have put feeders out since next doors cat slaughtered most of the birds a couple of years back-including a pair of Blackcaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mick miller Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 We have goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, lesser redpol, long-tailed tits, robins, mistle thrush, fieldfare, coal tits, great spotted woodpeckers, greenfinch,chaffinch, blackbirds on the feeders. We're running a mix of peanut feeders, Niger seed, mixed seed, and fat balls. The green and goldfinch love the Niger seed, the blue tits, great tits go bandy for the fat balls, everything likes the mixed seed, the peanuts too are a big hit, especially with the woodpeckers. No magpies here though, they don't tend to live too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 i have a four arm feeding station with mixed seed feeders and fat balls also a bird bath which i keep having to defrost been quiet today just a few visitors blue tit sparrows and blackbirds for some fruit and a drink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootnfish Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Got acouple of feeders with peanuts and just put bread and mixed seeds on ground. We get blue and great tits sparrows hedge sparrows black birds the odd pigeon French partridge and pheasant. But the best one is a robin that we have been feeding on our living room window ledge for a while which has become confident enough to take food from me and my wife's hand. Funny how robins are so trusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunnerbob Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've two feeders, one with peanuts and the other with sunflower seeds, Until the snow I had greenfinches, bullfinches ,blue tits and an occasional great spotted woodpecker, now, almost nothing. Did try fat balls but no takers! A bit like shootnfish, I do have a tame Robin, not as tame as his though, it will follow me into the greenhouse and eat seeds I put down for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) i've got fatballs, a slab of the same stuff in a cage, mixed seed, and some meal works in suet, we've had loads in over the past week, mostly starlings but a few tits, robins, blackbirds and what i presume to be a family of thrush of some kind, it has olive drab wing plumage, light grey body with a gold/black speckled throat, any ideas? we had the grandkids over this morning and we built a snowman, the robin now uses it for a perch as for your problem hcc, i reckon the fat balls must be too hard in this cold weather, they haven't touched ours either, how about water? Edited January 20, 2013 by GRAM71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 is this similar gram ? (mistle thrush) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 similar shape mate, do they have a winter coat? these are much more striking than that, paler underbelly with more significant gold plumage on the breast/throat, and greener wings i got a picture with the new camera but they wont upload Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Owl Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Got 2 feeders with a general mix of seed in, and fat balls. For the past five years since we have been here we seemed to be surporting a huge flock of sparrows that live in the 1 metre thick privet hedge at the bottom of the garden. Blue tits, Robins, Gold finches, Blackbirds, and even the local woodies fight for what was left. But since the beginning of November all we have seen is the odd sparrow. Then the penny dropped, our old cat died last year (to slow to worry the birds), and the local moggies have now plucked up courage to include our garden into their hunting patch. The moggies are now "removed" humanly with a fishing catapult, and a a crushed boile whenever I see one. Just hope the birds return sometime. Yes I know the woodies are taking the mick,and there is a tin of .22 pellets with their name on it, but a neighbour has a greenhouse in line of sight from the bedroom window to the bird feeder, and my green house in line of sight from my shed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 similar shape mate, do they have a winter coat? these are much more striking than that, paler underbelly with more significant gold plumage on the breast/throat, and greener wings i got a picture with the new camera but they wont upload have you resized the pics before trying to upload ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootnfish Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) Gram71 perhaps its a field fare or redwing.fieldfare i reckon. Edited January 20, 2013 by shootnfish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aga man Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've got a trough thing that i put the chicken food out in which attracts loads of birds all year round! exactly the same pal, mine has been full of sparrows, odd blackbird, robins pigeons and collered doves. GRAM71 could it be a fieldfare? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sitsinhedges Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 We've only got two feeders and a bird table but put a jug of seed down on the path every day too. Only thing is that I went out roost shooting at a local wood on saturday and one of the pigeons I shot was full of wheat and niger seed. Hope it wasn't one I've been feeding :o We've got thru 60kg of seed so far this year along with quite a few kg of raisins for the blackbirds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holly Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 piccy of a fieldfare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie-fox Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 Have this chap on our bird feeder out side my office window quite a lot...seen him every year for the last 3 years... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Galore! Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 just had a gander to compare, fieldfare is looking like a winner, a winter visitor, the behaviour seems to match as well, they're taking all the berries of the neighbours tree. thanks chaps, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Geordie Posted January 20, 2013 Report Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) Have this chap on our bird feeder out side my office window quite a lot...seen him every year for the last 3 years... My Friend lives in the country and.gets a wood pecker feeding on the station all the time. His garden is alive with birds. He even gets the local Pheasants in there feeding. It's a cracking sight Edited January 20, 2013 by Lord Geordie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reece Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 We don't feed the birds much anymore because of the cost. But we do put some out whenever it snows badly, like now. In previous years we've had bramblings, fieldfares, house sparrows, greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits, blackbirds, probably others which I can't remember off the top of my head. How long have the feeders been up? Sometimes it takes a while for the birds to find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimlet Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 I've got two seed feeders of black sunflower seeds, one feeder of peanuts, two wire feeders for fat blocks (homemade) and a bird table of loose seed. Getting all the tits, robins, blackbirds, all the finches, nuthatches, a pair of great spotted woodpeckers, sparrows, a regular pheasant and the occasional sparrowhawk which gets chased away and the odd magpie which gets shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scolopax Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 About 20 feeders and gone through four tons of wheat so far. Feeding mainly pheasants with some redleg and grey partridges. Roe deer taking a lot of feed! Bit of snow on the ground also reveals a few mice and voles helping themselves to spilt grain at night. Woodpigeon also hitting the feeders along with assorted corvids. Always a few finches, thrushes and the like around the feeders but most are in our 'wild bird strips'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycatcat1 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 We don't feed the birds much anymore because of the cost. But we do put some out whenever it snows badly, like now. In previous years we've had bramblings, fieldfares, house sparrows, greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, long tailed tits, blackbirds, probably others which I can't remember off the top of my head. How long have the feeders been up? Sometimes it takes a while for the birds to find them. They have been up at least 2 years cant understand why recently they are not interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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