Hi everyone, I have been re considering putting out peanuts again for the birds, I had originally started providing peanuts, but nothing was touching them so had to end up throwing the whole lot out - tried with another make and same thing happened, (Also one time the whole feeder was removed by a crow and droped onto garden stones - thankfully i had noticed before i had let dog out as poisonous to dogs) Should i be providing peanuts? who usually eats them? I had once seen a coal tit nibbling at it but that was the only time i havnt seen it since, but is this due to me not feeding peanuts?
At the moment i provide a seed mix in 2 holders on the bird feeder, and lots of home made fat balls, I provide dried mealies (looking into providing alive mealies). I also put out a little bit of brown bread now and again, as well as Sunflower hearts, and Niger seed (but nothing is interested in the niger seed either...). I have tried putting out bits of apple but nothing touches that either.
I saw a post on here about giving peanut kibble and wondered if that would work better? Or am i just putting out too much food for them to eat the peanuts? Is there other good food that i could be putting out instead of peanuts?
At the moment i have a roosting blue tit, a couple of robins (2 males are still having a squabble over my little garden) Dozens of Starlings which eat everything in site (except peanuts), Black birds, House Sparrows and i have at least one Chaffinch (saw this morning and is rather friendly- unlike the rest doesnt take off when i walk towards my jeep - which is beside it) and 2-4 carrion crows.
Thanks for any info
You could try incorporating some kibble or crushed whole peanuts in your home made fat balls LL, I blitz whole ones & add to home made pastry & it all gets eaten by Sparrows & Starlings mainly! I also put out a peanut mesh feeder but only a third full (to save them going mouldy) & the GT's & BT's regularly feed from it!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
I also learned that putting out too many peanuts just makes them mouldy - so I only put on a small amount at a time. I find that the birds generally ignore them until the other feeders are verging on empty. I also think I offer up way too much selection - I will be interested to see what others have to say on this.
Peanut kibble, on the other hand - goes far too quickly and it works out way too expensive, as the starlings will eat it yet they avoid the whole ones. The only birds that will take the Niger seed in my garden are the gold finches but ONLY if there are no sunflower hearts left.
Over the last couple of weekends, I've bought 2 new guardian feeders, one for suet and the other for seed - they work brilliantly at keeping the larger birds at bay. I bought the ones where the actual feeder is far enough away from the edges so their beaks can't reach. I've yet to try it with some peanut kibble but is working a treat with the suet logs and sunflower hearts. Here's a picture of them, sadly without any birds on them but believe me the BTs and CTs make fair use of it.
I have blue tits that eat whole peanuts everyday. I also have whole peanuts in those cage-looking feeder and that is hardly touched. Ground feeding birds hoover up the whole ones I throw out for them.