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Variety has disappeared

simonali
17/08/2019 10:45

I've gone from a great variety of birds in my garden to only sparrows and wondered if there was anything I could do to bring the variety back? I think it started because the sparrows nested in the garden and have now crowded the other birds out. There's now about 30 of them devouring everything I put out and taking up every port on the feeders so no others get a look in. The irritating bit is that they seem to be really fussy eaters and throw most of the seed on the floor!

I did spot a goldfinch once and rushed out the shop to buy a nijer seed feeder but he never came back. I've now removed it again because it was still full two months later...

Will it be winter before the tits, robins et al return or am I stuck with the messy sparrows chucking seed into the flower beds? (don't worry I'll carry on feeding them!)

  • 0 22/08/2019 13:13
    It's definitely a case of the sparrows crowding out the other birds. I just went out to refill all the feeders and the sparrows flew away and afterwards there were two great tits, a blue tit and a robin as the first visitors. Eventually though the sparrows will return and eat everything!

    Anyone familiar with Big Easy feeders? I have the large 6 port one and they empty it in less than 24 hours!
  • 0 22/08/2019 14:56
    Agree with everything said above. Now the weather has stabilised a bit, at least in southern England there is lots of natural food and most birds have fledged.

    I also had trouble with spillage and whilst you will always have some trays and good quality mixed seed will go a long way to cutting this down. Sparrows are messy eaters. I've currently got the RSPB feeders and the Gardman heave duty ones, both can have trays fitted. Worth noting that both wood pidgeons and collard doves can perch on these to feed,

    I don't get the variety that Dave does (very jealous by the way) but the sparrows, goldfinches and assorted tits seem to get along fine. I have experimented a bit with where certain feeders and types of food are in relation to each other with some success.

    I tend to find (and it seems to be starting earlier this year) that murmurations of starlings tend to dominate everything when they arrive. I've now put out some secondary feeders with cages to combat this. possibly try more but smaller feeders?

    As with the others niger is barley touched unless nothing is on offer, sunflower hearts are eaten by most things but the goldfinches love them. You will also have less mess with hearts as opposed to seeds.
  • 0 22/08/2019 17:41

    I've tried just sunflower hearts and they just get left until literally everything else is gone. I've avoided seed trays because we do get the occasional wood pigeon and they will just eat until they can barely walk, let alone fly.

    I watched this morning and reckon there are around 50 sparrows in the garden and I think they all live here as they're nearly all young ones. I've read they're in decline but not in my garden!

    I'll try the black sunflowers again but haven't had much success in the past and just use a seed mix.

  • 0 24/08/2019 17:56
    Well, the inevitable has happened. We're often getting a sparrowhawk turning up in the garden in the morning. We're shooing it away but not sure if it's taking the hint.
  • 0 31/08/2019 14:48
    Squeamish wife who doesn't like finding bits of bird in the garden. She prefers them whole and still able to hop and fly about.

    BTW, tried the black sunflower seeds in a feeder. The sparrows just threw them all on the floor, presumably in the hope they'd find some other seeds in there somewhere?
  • 0 31/08/2019 17:28
    This is the sort of mess I have to clear up. Seeds not bird remains!

    https://ibb.co/Bg7j3m8
  • 0 31/08/2019 19:24
    Hi Simonali, I would try smaller amounts of food in smaller feeders dotted around the garden. I feed a number of birds including sparrows, which are over 40 in number, used to be up to 100 but not these days. The other birds feed happily among them and I find the pigeons come in and pick up the droppings, the goldfinches are particularly messy feeders but everything seems to go here as I use the sunflower hearts. I tried niger seed but found them no good at all except leaving a mess underneath the feeder. I actually use mixed corn and sunflower hearts in one feeder especially for the sparrows.
    Mrs Sparrowhawk was in the other day, not keen but she has to feed and they are beautiful birds.
    It has been quiet this month but I notice the blue tits are back and have a lovely male chaffie feeding at the moment so they are returning after a hectic summer season.

    Lot to learn

  • 0 02/09/2019 09:20
    They'll have to tidy up now as we're on holiday and the only seed they have is all over the floor!