No Birds feeding

Myself and my husband have been feeding birds in our garden for years, suddenly this month nothing has been feeding at our feeders.

Our usual robin has been around, but not a sparrow, blue tit, goldfinch or even a starling, we’ve checked and cleaned the feeders, changed the food. We usually have a couple of collared dove, but eveQuestion they have not been down, is anyone else been experiencing this Question 

  • Hello Emrod, sorry to hear the birds are suddenly somewhat absent from your garden; usually at the end of the long breeding season around August/September garden birds go into their annual moulting process and tend to keep a low profile but by October things should be getting back to normal and adult birds will be sporting their new plumage. At this time of year there will be some natural foods with berries and seeds around so they could be foraging naturally. Other reasons for absence could be the presence of a cat in your garden on a regular basis or perhaps a sparrow-hawk visiting frequently which could send the birds into cover. Hopefully as the weather begins to get colder the birds will come flocking back to your feeders so sit tight and give it a little time for your garden friends to return.
  • I live in Mid Wales, and despite building works next door, naughty cats (have sited our RSPB cat deterrent again when we went away) and a sparrow hawk around and about, we still had birds. We went away for 5 days, and I always leave plenty of extra feeders and food out. However, on our return very little, if anything was eaten, from sunflower seeds (de husked), peanuts, and suet pellets.
    I remember last year was quiet around this time, winter picked up, BUT nothing like the breeding season, when everything was eaten.
    I can only presume it is just the time of the year, and there is plenty of natural food available. Our feeders are sited in a wildlife garden, and I know there is still a lot happening there. Bees are still around, and butterflies.
    We had a noticeable amount of all the tits around the feeders, not to mention gold finches, green finches, hedge sparrows, chaffinches, to name a few. So now down to virtually nothing, is noticeable, although I see birds in the tree.
    Our rooks are there, but doves are noticeably few, where there was an abundance. So long as the birds are getting plenty of natural food, that is the priority for us. The hedgehog gets into the ground feeder, so nothing gets wasted!!
  • One possibility is that someone else nearby has started feeding and the offerings are better - a local MacDonalds may have opened serving suet pellets galore. Birds go bananas for suet pellets.
    Perhaps you have a 'nice' neighbour(s) who does not like bird feeding (or indeed birds) and have stuck up imitation plastic hawks/owls so that their lovely minimalist "perfect garden" (possibly with a patch of fake grass) does not get a whiff of poo on?
    My point is, a month with no flight arrivals and departures is very odd within an established site.