Bird feeders and station, nest boxes.

Hi folks, after a long time out of my house (due to water damage) I’m reestablishing all bird feeders etc. Trying to reuse the good ones, so I have a couple of pole type feeding stations with hooks for the feeders and a small cast iron bird Bath/water container for the birds. I want to get rid of the some patches of rust and re coat to protect, but am finding all sort of differing advice when researched online. My thought was to scrub with mild detergent (eco washing up liquid) and rub down the rusty bits, then re coat. So wondering if anyone has any tips for non-toxic method of re coating the metal stands? Many thanks for any tips or ideas. The birds are waiting!!

Secondly I want to put up bird boxes and have some left over larch to make one or two with. I sadly had to remove some Ivy where Blackbirds used to nest, so ideally would like to provide a possible safe nest site for them, seeing as that option isn’t available for them. So would I be best putting it in the Beech hedge near where the Ivy was or on the high stone wall where Ivy used to grow? I’d be grateful for any tips.

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1. Your stands are metal. As they are rusty, it suggests an iron based metal - probably mild steel. Get a small can of paint designed for metal e.g. Hammerite. Make sure you get the type designed for iron. There are other paints designed for non-ferrous metals.

As your bird bath is cast iron, its a no brainer - metal paint designed for ferrous metal.

Once dried, the paint should adhere to the bird feeder stands and bird bath very well. It may wear away over many years, but unlikely to be of danger to animals. After all, they encounter all sorts of painted surfaces every day of their life.

Odd that a bird bath is made of cast iron. Rust is what cast iron was born to do - one famous example being Forth Rail bridge.

2. As for bird box for blackbirds - beech hedge seems fine for them, if it is dense enough. As it is near to where they nested previously, they will probably shift over with no issues. Plus, ivy grows back at a tremendous rate - they'll be back in it next year.

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In reply to Angus M:

Thanks very much for your reply and suggestions. I’m perhaps being over cautious about the bird feeders and bath, as so many folk suggest non-toxic paints and like you say birds do come across so many surfaces. Not easy to find non-toxic for metal either. I’ll take up your suggestions of touch up with Hammerite or similar for the feeders and might just clean up the bird bath a bit. Like you said they’re naturally rusty and it looks good like that too.
Beech hedge it is for nest box/es, but sadly the Ivy is not a returner on this occasion as building work meant it had to be removed. Though it may attempt to climb over from nextdoor. As well as Beech hedges, there’s plenty of Ivy around here for the birds, so I didn’t feel quite as bad removing it once nesting had ended.
Thanks again for your answer.

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