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Help/Advice needed

Gray74
12/01/2013 20:20
This is my first post and I can't think of a better place to ask for advice. I seem to be having trouble attracting birds? The 2 previous houses I have lived in have been near to large wooded areas and I was inundated with different kinds of birds...I guess I took it all for granted. Anyway, 2years ago we bought a brand new house and all the back garden consisted of was a lawn that went right up to the fence panels. I was excited at having a blank canvas to play with. The first year we dug out boarders and added shrubs etc and I didn't get a single bird, my bird food went mouldy as nothing touched it. I did think to myself that it was early days. Last summer I added a crab apple tree and pyracantha ( which I am told attracts birds) and I have been lucky enough to get a pair of black birds that come, 6 pigeons and a few magpies. At first the blackbirds came occasionally but as the crab apples dropped on the ground in autum they came daily and still come now. I know there are blue tits, sparrows and robins etc about as I see and hear them when we go on walks. I am one of 3 houses that were brand new a couple of years ago and the surrounding houses all have established gardens as they have been here for years. I have a bird table and a feeding station, I put out fat balls, sunflower hearts, table seed, fruit/buggy nibbles, raw pastry, cheese, rasins and LIVE meal worm etc nothing EVER eats off the hanging feeders ( I end up throwing that seed away every couple of weeks). Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.
  • 12/01/2013 20:45

    Hello Gray74 and welcome, the only thing I can think of is maybe there is a preditor around, a cat or a hawk, does your neighbours have feeders out and are the birds feeding off of them.

    if you put food out, they will come!

  • 12/01/2013 21:03 in reply to bigal

    Hello Bigal and thank you for replying.

    The neighbour who has an established garden has your usual birds visit. They nest in her nest boxes. The pair of blackbirds that now visit me live in her Laurel bushes. She also has a very large Xmas tree and most mornings (whilst it is still dusk ) there is a Robin perched at the very top singing his little heart out. The neighbour the other side whose garden is the same age as mine doesn't put any food out for the birds.

    There is the odd cat about but I haven't seen them in my garden and I haven't seen any Hawkes either? That's not to say they are not about though.

    Tits/sparrows etc fly from a huge tree about 6 houses down, over my garden and onto the established gardens... I just wish they would pop in to me as I have tasty food on offer :-((

  • 12/01/2013 21:12 in reply to Gray74

    This is a strange one? are the feeders far away from the house?

    if you put food out, they will come!

  • 12/01/2013 21:14 in reply to bigal

    i just hope someone can come in and give you a better idea or reason, as this has stumped me sorry

    if you put food out, they will come!

  • 12/01/2013 21:24 in reply to bigal

    Hi Doggie and thank you.... Already tried that. The feeding pole was originally near to the fence and we did wonder if there were any cats about it could put them off, so we moved it near to the bird table which is about  4 ft away from the fence near to a buddleia bush for protection, I hadn't thought of raising the pole though, I will try that.

    Bigal ... The feeders are near the bottom of the garden away from the house. Yet every morning when I put food out for the Blackbirds, I put it on the edge of the lawn which is near to the house and they still come?? It's only a small garden but I do hope with time I can build the bird population up.

  • 12/01/2013 21:26 in reply to Gray74

    I do hope your right Robbo, as I do miss sitting and watching the garden birds go about their daily business.

  • 12/01/2013 21:35 in reply to Gray74

    I hope so to gray74, we get some good laughs at them

    if you put food out, they will come!

  • 12/01/2013 22:41 in reply to bigal

    Hi Gray, welcome to the community from me in Saddleworth.

    Im sorry to hear of your dilema. It does seem strange that the food has been untouched. I'm wondering because it is a new house and you have just recently popped food out, the birds need to find the food and realise its there.

    Sometimes I have the same problem as I put certain types of food out to attract certain species. Im particulary fond of goldfinches and have nyger seeds and sunflower hearts available, but no goldfinches....

    I hope you get your birds soon, maybe with the cold weather coming then you'll get some visiting.

    Cheers, Jason

  • 12/01/2013 22:57 in reply to Jason

    Hi Jason and thank you.

    The food has been out since the day I moved in. I made sure the feeding station was erected ASAP, at first I wasn't surprised as the garden was empty, but as time has gone I am disappointed and it is becoming a bit of an obsession.

    As Robbo mentioned earlier, it may be that my shrubs and tree are still young plants and the little birds don't feel safe, hopefully in a few years time I will be on here posting pictures of the goings on of the many birds that I am sure will eventually pay me a visit.

  • 12/01/2013 23:17 in reply to doggie

    Thanks Doggie that's an excellent idea. What would be quick growing climbers though??? I have a honeysuckle and that's not quick.