Hi all, I am a disabled lady, a prisoner in my own home in NE Scotland due to severe weather, I desperately need help, I have a pied wagtail who spends his days in my garden in bad weather, I usually feed him meal worms, however, despite ordering some more, they will not arrive for several days yet (if I'm lucky) I have now run out of these. Is there something else which he will eat when insects are scarce? I have tried him with everything I can think of but he ignores it and sits, as if waiting for me to bring his worms out. I am getting very concerned about him because we are having sub-zero days let alone nights and I'm worried he isn't going to survive without something. I would be most grateful for any advice offered.
regards,
gran
Hi gran,
Have you tried grated cheese? High fat content (which they really need at this time of year) - and long strands of it look vaguely wormlike. Good luck x
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Hi, thank you for replying so quickly, unfortunately I have tried grated cheese but he ignores it, I also tried finely cut bacon trying to make that look like worms, turned his nose up at that too! I have chopped peanuts, seed mix and fat balls out there too which is very popular with the chaffinches, starlings, sparrows and blue tits. nothing seems to appeal, he's taken to standing outside the kitchen door waiting and it is making me feel terrible!! I am mystified, there must be an alternative food source other than insects for pied wagtails, after all there are few insects around in most winters, it seems I haven't found it yet. Thank you again for trying to help though, it is very kind of you.
Sorry pressed wrong button. Re the pied wagtail, i too have one visiting my garden and like you, was wondering what to feed it. I think once the other birds break up food it manages to find the smaller crumbs. Do you have any family or friends who could maybe get some insecty nibbles from a pet store or such like until your order gets to you gran.
take nothing but pictures, and leave only footprints
Hi Dov,
Thanks for replying to my post, I am hoping that he is finding something, at the end of my tether trying to think of substitutes for the worms. Unfortunately, I have no- one who could get to the shops for me so I am stuck until the meal worms arrive. He is such a delightful bird, as I'm sure you know from the experience with your own little visitor. I think it's the way he come dashing over every time I try something new, only to leave it which is the worst thing. Don't you find that they are such little characters wild birds? The forecast here is dire for the week so he is going to have to settle for one of the things I have put out, I'm sure he won't starve himself, at least I hope not! Thanks again for the advice.
Kind regards to you both,
Gran
Hi again :~) been busy painting. It would appear that very finely grated cheese does the trick . Been watching the little fellow picking away , like you hope it`s enough for him. Im down in Fife myself so best of luck.
Wagtails will eat cheese if it is very finely grated. Wagtails are very friendly and will come close to the house to be fed as will most small birds. Therefore I always put food out for them as close to the house as possible. I feed them with mild cheese and dried mealworms. I keep the fatballs close to a radiator so that they are nice and soft then I crush them and sprinkle them on the doorstep or patio, I also sprinkle just a very few niger seeds as well the Wagtail will eat any of these things. Bacon is a bit salty for birds so make sure they have plenty of water available.
I'm sure he will survive. Good luck
Hi everyone,
Thank you all so much for your very valuable advice, he refused to eat the cheese right until just before dusk, at that point I think he realised that no meal worms were forthcoming and so had some of the smaller bits of grated cheese. You have all saved the life of one very delightful bird. I see yours is as cute and cheeky as mine! Thank you all again.
Kind regards,
Gran xx
Hi Gran
Do you know anybody who is a fisherman. If so ask him for his leftover Maggots.
They can be smelly so keep them somewhere outside.
Rgards Ray
a good laugh is better than a tonic
Hi Gran, I've started getting a wagtail in my back garden recently, although I've been around them (flying and roosting) for years at work (when lined-up and sleeping they look like little gangsters, in their black and white suits) and as others have mentioned, wagtails seem to prefer crumbs as opposed to chunks of food. The one that visits me at about 16:00ish every day seems to enjoy the crumbs of plain biscuits (digestives, hobnobs, etc), a little bird seed-and-nut mix, and (I think) fat balls crumbs. Like every other small bird that visits me (sparrows, blackbirds, robins, etc) if I call out in a sound I hear each of the species make (I'm forever mimicking them), and they're in the area, they'll come. It's chuck-chuck for the blackbird, wwssssswww (I know!) for the sparrows, chew-chew for the wagtail, and not just the 'words', the actual sounds. Some of my visitors are very friendly, especially a couple of the sparrows which will eat about four or five feet from me, and the wagtail is quickly becoming comfortable on my decking, strutting around like some slightly more diminutive Napoleon. Okay, getting a bit side-tracked. Good luck with your wee fella in your garden. I hope he takes to something, although take heart from the fact that, it's been a (mostly) mild winter so far. Anyway, to the reason I stopped by this site in the first place; "take nothing but pictures, and leave only footprints" What a great line. Thanks dov.