Hia Folks
I'm new to this website, but have already had loads of lovely replies to other messages I have posted.
In the past, I've only ever fed my Garden Birds during the winter. But in the last few years I've heard it's ok to feed them all year round. So I plan to start doing this. I feel my Garden Birds "forget" I feed them, so if I feed all year round they will get used to looking in my Garden for their food. Next door have Goldfinches and I want to encourage them to my Garden.
So, unless there's a strong reason why I should not feed my Birds all year round, hope this is ok? What does everyone else do?
Shena i know what you think here
ignore it let it go
dont add fuel to the flames - life is to short to rise to this
certain people think they win when you do
As the risk of sounding like a broken record, please could I remind folk to treat other forum users with respect. We do appreciate that people do have differences of opinion, but please do treat others as you would expect to be treated yourself. Happiness is a thread kept on topic!
Hi Sheena, thanks for your thoughts but I'm not trying to goad anyone, just make them stop for a moment and think! If your still cool with using fat balls without considering what they really are etc that's cool!
I think we feed mainly to encourage wild birds to our gardens and rarely through necessity. There are certain ethics involved in what we feed and conflicting opinions, just consider the conflicting advice our so called experts give regarding human feeding.
Through my work I met a gentle elderly man a couple of weeks ago whose only joy was watching birds in his garden, he had about a dozen fat balls hanging outside the window overlooking his overgrown garden, he also fed the local stray cats, there were three bowls of cat food outside the back door!
Last winter all the berries on my holly were gone when I tried to take some cuttings for Xmas, this year the berries remain, I feel this is due to the mild winter and the availability of more tasty morsels, holly berries are said to be bitter according to the popular carol. Maybe it's signals like these we should use to provide the occasional treat?
You have a nice day too.
Hi T....I don't feed fatballs anymore as our garden is tiny 30 feet x 15 (having moved from a large one)and we were going through 20 fat balls per day.I didn't mind that, but i do mind that my neighbours objected as several of the Corvid family whom i love , were visiting.Loved making my own too but always checked the contents of bought ones.Had our own pet supplies business for 20 years and animal/bird food was obviously the seller.My interest was in the animal/bird and not what sold simply for profit.
Now a days i stick mainly with sunflower hearts because the birds love them and i know they are good.I am also lucky to live in a semi rural area where lots of natural food is available.For me, the icing on the cake is the bats who visit out back and we have spent so many summer nights watching them.Humans can do so much to help now and providing we check out whats what, all will be well....On the other hand nothing is perfect ...
Brilliant photos!