• richcastle66
  • 13 Jan 2021 3:56 PM
  • Replies 32 replies
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New to birding

  • richcastle66

    In reply to PimperneBloke:

    Thank you. I have ordered this one. www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=sr_1_15

    And this feeder to go on my balcony. www.amazon.co.uk/.../ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01

  • Alan.
    Can you see the park from your window Rich, you may not see much but you could still do the count for an hour.

    My Flickr photos

  • richcastle66

    In reply to Alan.:

    Unfortunately not. I'm facing the main road. My place is about 100 metres from it. I do see birds flying about occasionally from my balcony.
  • TeeJay
    Interesting seed mix but quite expensive. Let us know what the birds like.
    Amazon are a bit naughty showing hummingbirds attending the feeder. Not many (any) of those in South London. LOL but it looks a quite good feeder.

    ____________________________________________________________________

    Regards,Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • Brian R
    Hi Rich,
    Another welcome to the community from Berkshire. Sunflower hearts and even a suet block holder or suet balls with berries or mealworms are pretty good for attracting the birds
  • Catlady

    Welcome from me also Rich, from up in the very far north of Scotland, in Caithness. So sorry to hear about the Covid related illness, I hope you are well on the mend and make a good recovery. What better past time to get into than our feathered friends, you have got yourself kitted out with the the camera, tripod, clothing, book and notepad and now the food and feeders. That should be a good mix for them, also agree that a suet block or some fat balls and a holder, you may be able to attach it to the one you have ordered, or even some loose suet pellets, they are a favourite. You only want a few things to start with, to see if you attract the birds and also find out what they like. Good luck, keep us posted.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  • Seaman
    Hi Rich, welcome to the community pretty good bunch on here they even tolerate my ramblings. Sorry to hear about your covid problems I'm sure you will find birding very therapeutic

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can

  • i love robins

    Hi Rich
    And a big welcome from Yorkshire, glad your on the mend from Covid
    I started bird watching in 2019 and did like others went out and bought some bird feeders with the usual favourite bird seeds and it also coincided with one of my other hobbies photography, I then found this site and found that if you wanted any help or information it was readily available from the very helpful people on here. One thing you might find is the birds finding your feeders could take some time, I think it was three or 4 weeks before they came to mine, but I was heartened to see them on my bird bath first and then the feeders. So stick with the feeders don’t get disappointed if you don’t see them at first, they will come when they are ready. All the best and enjoy your new hobby. One more point I nearly forgot to mention is that there are a lot of people post there photos on here and it’s well worth watching out for them, 

  • richcastle66

    In reply to i love robins:

    Many thanks. I'm looking forward to getting going and will set up my feeder tray on my balcony later in preparation for the up and coming RSPB event at the end of the month-and beyond of course. I've been reading thr rspb book that's my bird and have managed to download a list of birds seen at my local park from a local birders group.

    I'm looking at a camera too-something decent, but not too expensive. Of course I'm open to suggestions.

    Cheers.

    Rich.
  • i love robins

    In reply to richcastle66:

    I have a Nikon D80 SLR camera and I recently bought a second had one that came with a charger and battery, no lens but you can pick up lenses second hand too. There are a number of camera shops that sell second hand cameras, the one I use is Harrison’s of Sheffield, the second hand camera I bought was less than £60 and came with a 12month warranty. It is an old camera but I bought my original D80 for £100 and that came with a Nikon lens. Both cameras are really good. When they were first released I believe they were around £900 to buy in 2004. Do your research before you buy anything, but I was well impressed with Harrison’s and I have bought a number of items from them on line and I have visited the shop and found them helpful.