It started a year ago when I hung up the first 'tube' it was attached by starling and blackbirds who ate two tubes one after the other. The third one was only half used!
This year when the RSPB offered energy tubes at special rates I quickly ordered quite a few ready for the winter ~ but non of my birds likes them at all. They just ignore them, well the odd bird has a half heated nibble but nothing more.
I also ordered some of the buggy nibbles and they have shared the same fate, not interested!
While this has all been going on the last of the individually sealed round suet cake from last year has all also been shunned.
My birds won't eat suet, which is crazy.
Is last years cake now stale and the birds know it? But what about the new RSPB suet products what can be the reason that cold and starving birds won't give it a look!
David
My birds seem completely disinterested in any kind of suet/fat based food. A starling or two might have a peck at it every now and then but for the most part it always gets left and eventually goes mouldy and has to be thrown away - whic is why I rarely offer it apart from when it's very cold (like now!), in which case I make a simple fat cake with seeds, porridge, dried fruit which etc. myself instead of wasting money on something that doesn't get eaten! They haven't touched it though...
Hi David, and welcome to the forum.
I am finding much the same at the moment. Fat balls are getting pecked half heartedly by starlings, and my home made mix of suet and other goodies is being left. I decided to force my sparrows to eat it by crumbling fat balls up into tiny bits and mixing it with their seed. It only worked to a minimum extent. I then started to buy Atora Suet flakes from the supermarket and mix this with their other food. This has fared better.
Today I managed to get to the Garden Centre and bought some suet pellets - the berry ones and the fruit ones. I put some of the berry ones out on the mesh trays and in the ground feeder ontop of the other food. Within 10 minutes they were all gone. (I also put some down under the hedge for the dunnocks, but the dog got those).
Our birds are getting much too fussy!
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
You are right Sparrow - they are getting fussy!
I have mentioned this on other threads but my birds will ignore anything in favour of the berry suet pellets (only the berry, mind you - no other flavours). I now buy them in bulk 15k boxes and don't bother much with anything else except peanut granules, sunflower hearts, safflower seeds and niger seed. Other than that they get the little luxuries like fresh fruit, raisins/sultanas, grated mild cheese and the odd jacket potato (when I remember to put one in the oven at the same time as I am cooking dinner). And I don't buy the mixed seed anymore because to a bird they toss the millet out all over the floor!
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hi Sparrow,
That is really interesting, I did not not want to overload the first email but part of my test to check what was acceptable was to hang up a separate feeder next to the RSPB Buggy Nibbles into which I put some berry and fruit suet 'pellets'. That pulled everything in ~ it was mayhem. Fighting broke out, but not for buggy pellets or the tubes!
I am NOT knocking RSPB stuff. No way, because the birds are rejecting most suet based foods by every make. Haithes, CJ, RSPB & Vine. So the question has to be asked who is finding their birds eating these products this year. I know they ate them last year ~ mine did.
The bottom line appears to be the suet pellets containing Beef suet, peanut, wheat and berry flavour are tops. So is the other stuff off or what?
The mystery depends!
Thanks for joining in and replying. You seem to have come to the same conclusion as me which is very encouraging. I was looking at Red Millet to encourage the sparrows, this was after Vine House Farm big push that they had had so much success with it and sparrows but I have been holding back as I look for consumer confirmation.
Whilst it is great to have so much food available commercially it does mean that these companies are now challenged on a very tight integrity front as they need to expand their business and grow but yet remain basically honest to needs.
I suppose that is where it started for me and why I decided to join this form and see what the bird end of feeding has to say.
Where do you get you large bags of suet pellets from? Please.
Hi David, a number of places do them but I order mine from here
http://www.streetendfeeds.co.uk/
They do the 15k boxes or 10k sealed bags. The other interesting thing they do is what they call a pick n mix range where you can get multiples of 2 small bags of things to try them out.
I find them very reliable and in most cases if the order is placed in the morning it is with you next day (the only exception to that was our last heavy lot of snow when they got the order as far as 8 miles away but our local courier company couldn't manage those last few miles!).
Squirrel B said:And I don't buy the mixed seed anymore because to a bird they toss the millet out all over the floor!
Hi Squirrel,
Forgive me for not knowing a daisy from a daffodil, but is millet the tiny, tiny, round black seed? (I don't mean nyjer). My sparrows like mixed seed (or they did before they got fussy), but always leave these tiny round black seeds. They all gather at the bottom of the feeder tray. Nothing eats them. If it isn't millet, do you know what it is?
I've saved your link to the bird food shop as I am considering starting to order mine on-line. It has to be cheaper than buying it locally. Thanks for the link.
Hi Sparrow
The small round black seeds are Oil Seed Rape. Millet is the same size and shape but is either white or red. House Sparrows are supposed to love millet but I don't get House Sparrow visitors! If your birds like the rest of the mixed seed then they probably like the ones which I buy as straights - being the safflower seeds and sunflower hearts. If you are going to go to straights rather than mixes you could always get a pick n mix of the two first so that you don't end up with tons of the stuff which none of them want to eat!
Thinking about it, my lot don't like the Oil Seed Rape either - which would explain why I found loads of it growing in my tubs last summer LOL
I buy Bill Oddies fat tube shaped cakes (available from Wilkinsons stores & Homebase) they go down well. Ialso buy the square type with peanut in or sometimes berries. These go down well normally but not in the cold snap we are having. My most popular are my homemade ones using a big tub of suet/seed mix (available from wiggly wigglers - online, this big tub only cost me around £12 and has lasted ages, a little goes a long way. I melt it & mix chopped brazils & pine nuts in this & the blue tits go mad for it).
I am buying tons of Suet 2 Go pellets at the moment, all different flavours. (on offer -£1.68 per packet in Wilkinsons Stores) probably not allowed to advertise but it is for a good cause.
Birds are getting fussy & seem to be having fashions of different foods.
My fatballs are not being eaten as much as usual.
I always wondered what oil seed rape was! it is growing in and amongst my cotoneaster!!
I already provide sunflower hearts in a separate feeder and nyjer seed, but have never tried safflower seeds.
I give (gave) the mixed seed to the sparrows and also put it on the big bird table, although much of it gets left from the big bird table. The ferals use this table, but pick out all the black sunflower seeds then move over to the sunflower hearts feeder and cling like mad, wings flapping!! I only get 3 or 4 pairs of ferals so I don't mind them and have grown quite fond of them.
I am getting in a mess with my choice of food. I have just made up a mix of: sunflower hearts, mueseli, peanut granules, whole peanuts, suet pellets of 2 flavours, sultanas, and mealworms. This is for the ground feeders, bird table, and a mesh tray on my pole. Does this sound OK? I am hoping it will suit the blackbirds, robins, jackdaws, starlings, and any other takers.
I don't know what to do about the sparrows and dunnocks.