New to birding

Hello all.

I've finally decided to take the plunge and join the birding community. I've always been fascinated by birds and their behaviour. Not only that, but I need something to take my mind off things and I'm sure this wil help.

I'm off work at the moment and recovering from covid related heart failure. Fortunately it's almost fully recovered. 

I've bought myself a pair of Nikon prostaff 7s 8x42 binoculars (roof prism) a tripod adaptor and a new jacket (traveller 2 country innovation) a guide book to birds of the uk from the rspb and a journal to write my findings down.

I live close to Wandle Park in Croydon and have been told that there are a number of species in there to be seen including Moorhen, Lapwing, Grey Wagtails and Red wings.

I live 3 floors up in a flat and have a balcony. I want to do the event on the 29-31 January, but given the restrictions owing to covid and the fact that I'm shielding, I would have to do the event on my balcony which overlooks the A23 Purley Way.

Can anyone advide me if there are feeders that can be placed on my balcony to attract the birds so I can view them through my patio doors? 

any advice appreciated.

Thank.

Rich.

  • Hi Rich and welcome to the Community from me in Berkshire.

    Sorry to hear about your problems with Covid. One day we will be out of this nightmare.

    I think birdwatching can be very therapeutic so well done on getting into it. I hope you will soon be able to get out into Wandle Park.

    In the meantime you could try this window feeder which I use although I don't live three storeys up. Try some sunflower hearts and /or suet pellets.

  • Hi Rich, and welcome from Dorset. Looking at Tony's suggestion of a window feeder, you could probably put a bit of a mix in, I'd probably go with Sunflower Hearts and Suet Pellets, or possibly Mealworms. Depending on the orientation of your balcony to the prevailing weather, I wouldn't put too much of anything out to start with, until you see how many takers you have. No point putting food out, just for it to spoil in wet weather. As Tony uses it, he's probably best placed to comment on weatherproofing and suitable foods.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.

  • 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
  • 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, 

  • 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 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.