I had two seed feeders with sunflower hearts in and they and the suet balls were being consumed regularly. I also hang the suet filled coconuts which a re hugely popular with starlings. However (my mistake) I got some sunflower mix instead and this is just not going down at all. In addition consumption of the suet balls has tailed off and there don't seem to anything like as many birds around now. I was seeing robins, goldfinches, greenfinches, blue tits, blackbirds and sparrows. Still have a few sparrows and blackbirds but levels are down.
Any suggestions? Should I try another food stuff, what suggestions?
Thanks
David
I'm not an expert but I don't feed the birds at this time of the year. It depends on where you are though. It is quite possible that the birds are finding enough to eat in the wild at the moment. Try putting less out & perhaps leave the fat balls until the winter.
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
Interesting, all the advice I found seemed to indicate year-round feeding. I guess they'll slow down on their own!!
North Norfolk
I live in a fairly northerly location, so far it has not been remotely warm apart from a couple of days in April.
I continue to feed the birds until I am not getting any more newly fledged visitors and even then I tend to leave a couple of feeders containing sunflower hearts out all year, the food usually always goes.
I have tried all kinds of foods and find that everything will eat sunflower hearts, I don't tend to bother with anything else now, I throw very little away.
I do put out fat in the winter and it seems to vary from year to year as to whether or not it gets eaten.
I have been putting fat back out again for a couple of weeks as we have recently had flocks of starlings, including some young, newly fledged ones.
We are surrounded here by fields and trees, I am not seeing very many insects yet as it is so cold.
I am not an expert but I believe that by supplying food all year round I may be making the difference between survival and not.