Hi all,
I installed a bird box in my garden (Ireland), early last year and I was so excited to see that blue tits had chosen it to nest. The babies were born but they didn't survive. I was so upset as I had been watching the parents progress and they had worked so hard coming and going and could hear the babies chirping away.
Now, I see that blue tits have chosen the box again! I want to give the babies the best chance to survive - what food can I put in my garden?
I currently have 3 feeders with sunflower hearts but I found out late last year that these aren't enough.
Are dry mealworms, or mealworm suet blocks, ok? I know ideally live mealworms are best but I don't think I could bring myself to handle them.
Also, I had put our nesting material but they didn't use it - is there anything I could put out for them to use?
Any advice would be really appreciated!
Not sure if it matters but I live in a sort of rural town - there is access to plenty of gardens but also plenty of farms/fields.
Thanks!
Claire
Hi Claire, I know that the blue tits in my garden seem to most like those hanging coconut shell halves filled with suet, so suet is definitely a good option, and they also visit our fat balls and seem to have a preference for these super suet ones that are softer than others so perhaps easier to collect from if they're feeding young. There was previously some great advice from Hazy about food for blue tit chicks that I'm sure will help too. I hope they have better luck this year
Thanks very much for the response and the advice! I'll get some suet fat balls as well.
Hello Clair, Adam has answered re the food and Hazy's link will be helpful as well. For bedding they will find what they need themselves, moss, dried materials, feathers etc, if you want you could fill an empty feeder (fat ball of peanut) with moss from the garden and pet fur, if you have any, but not groomed from pets that have been treated with any of these liquid flea/tick preparations. I hung mine on a hook near the bird box and they did take it. Good luck
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I have to disagree and say that fat based food is not a good breeding season option. Chicks need protein and moisture. This gets raised quite a bit. Opinions diverge, but despite often seeing it, I've yet to see any science to support feeding fat during the breeding season. I also read about parents knowing what to and not to feed their chicks. Again, opposing opinions get written about this, but the evidence shows parents do feed chicks inappropriate food. Protein and moisture. The two most important elements.
Thanks very much for this. I quickly googled it and it says Sunflower seeds and mealworms are a good source of protein. So, if I have fat balls and plenty of sunflower hearts is that ok? I will probably get some dried mealworms and soak them to make them softer.
A lot of nests failed last year because hatching and the emergence of caterpillars was out of kilter - fat juicy moth caterpillars are idea food a perfect balance of fat, protein and moisture. One way to help is to garden in a manner to encourage insects. If you are going to offer dried mealworms not too many at a time as they can unfortunately go sour quite quickly and also be a source of salmonella
Cin J
Hi Claire et al, I have a bird box in my garden in which, for the last 15 years or so, great tits have succesfully raised broods every year except one that is - when I made the mistake of providing a metal mesh peanut feeder nearby. Not long before fledging the whole brood died almost simultaneously and, on inspection, their abdomens were distended with packed peanut fragments.
Now, I have seen many warnings about providing whole peanuts and the danger of choking, but never a warning about mesh feeders which allow only fragments to be fed. So it certainly is possible for parent birds to overfeed youngsters with inappropriate food and I suspect that fat balls and the like fall into the same category.
So please be warned.