Do you hang fat balls in your garden still in their nets?
A few years ago when I started feeding the birds in my garden I went outside one late Sunday afternoon and heard a bird which sounded as though it was in distress. I walked up the garden not knowing what to expect and was greeted with a Greater Spotted Woodpecker entangled in the net holding the large fat ball . I rushed to it and held it and it started to peck at my hand, I turned toward the house and luckily spotted my hubby at the back door. I shouted for him to get some scissors. Hubby managed to cut away the net from the birds claws and I opened my hands and the bird flew away to nearby trees. I thought that would be the last we saw of him but we were so happy when he returned the next day to eat fat out of the proper fat ball feeder we had just purchased. Each time I buy fat balls now I always take off the net before putting them into the feeder.
Hi,
I always remove netting from fatball for this reason. I think it is quite a common cause of injury for birds. Advice from RSPB is to remove the netting. There was a post about it the other day from a staff member when someone posted a picture of peanuts in a net.
Sarah
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramble67/
Hi Nuthatch
Rest assured that this is one of the most common pieces of advice that appears on the forum. Every time someone posts a photo of feeders with netted fat balls there is a flurry of replies warning of the dangers.
Still, thanks for reminding us now. It is a message that needs repeating!
Cheers
Pipit
Totally agree - a fatball feeder which only costs like 2 pounds can save many birds.... The other day I saw fatballs with nets in the fatball feeder.... why would they do that, when they can just snip the netting off.
'Dip a dee dah, dip a dee ay, we're not seeing any birds to-day...'
I can only echo the above and I remove all nets from fat balls. Not that i use them much now as I use coconut shells and refill with my own mix.
There is also a problem where the nets have cut the feet off small birds.
I'm sure after the horror of what has happen to you others will learn from it.
Robert
Hi all, I usually buy a tub of 50 fat balls which always have the nets on so I always cut the nets off before I put the fat balls in the fat ball feeder.
And blimey do I get through some, seems the Starlings are mad fo them at the moment.
Feed The Birds....not the cats!!!!
I know....my spelling's crap !!