I would like to know what kind of birds people are getting in their gardens i live in Birmingham and have had bullfinch , chaffinch , coal,blue, great and long tail tits aswell as robins and blackbirds with my location what would the chance of getting other kinds of birds to come to my garden.
Another question i have is the bullfinchs that visit tend to only visit when the weather is good is this just luck or does the weather effect their feeding habits
Hi hooky,
You'd be surprised what sorts of birds you can get and where - my Auntie lives in Paddington, London and they're not short of birds! Are you in Birmingham centre or near some park land?
You're very lucky to get Bullfinches, although they're getting more common on feeders lately I've noticed.
Have you been feeding birds long? As time goes on word may spread (for one of a finer term) and who knows what turns up. Some days can be a total surprise, I've been feeding the birds for about 5 years now and have only really recently got a regular visiting pair of Goldfinches, despite my efforts.
i live just outside the city centre but my garden backs onto a park and also have a few other parks not too far from me either . I know i am very lucky to have the bullfinchs and they have become my favorite birds that visit they tend to stay longer than the other birds aswell.i am infact surprised that i have the bullfinch and not any other finchs
I live in Hertfordshire and have been feeding the birds for a few months now. Birds I see in my garden are:
- robins
- blackbirds
-starlings
- dunnocls (I think!)
- geenfinches
-goldfinches
- one male bullfinch (I have only seen him recently in the better weather too - and no Mrs!)
- chaffinches
- sparrows
- woodpigeons
- collared doves
- a blackcap (I think!)
- blue tits
- great tits
I did see some coal tits and long-tailed tits in the colder weather but haven't seen them around recently.
I don't know anything about Brimingham but would say you have a good chance of seeing some more birds if you put out a range of food. What do you currently put out? I have a ground feeder (although this is not as popula now in the better weather) with a fruity ground blend in. I also have two seed feeders full of sunflower hearts, one suet ball feeder and one oeanut feeder filled with peanuts and RSPB buggy nibbles. The sunflower hearts are definitely the most popular so if you don't have any yet I'd suggest getting some - I started seeing lots more birds once I put those out. Also remember to make sure you have a bird bath for drinking/washing.
Good luck!
Think i might try sunflower hearts i have heard alot out these i have never seen these for sale at any o the shops by me where is the best place to buy these from?
also seen a sparrowhawk fly past yesterday and today heard one calling for most of the day
I live in Barking Essex and I get Robins, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Goldfinches, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Sparrows by the dozens, Starlings, endless numbers of feral Pigeons, Wood pigeons, Collared Doves, Jays, Magpies, Carrion Crows, Chiffchaff, Wrens, Sparrowhawk, Song Thrushes and Pied Wagtails. In the Winter I also had Redwings and a Redpoll.
Most of the birds seem to prefer the Sunflower hearts, especially the Great/Blue Tits and the Goldfinches, although recently they have been sampling the Nyjer seed but not on as large a scale as the Sunflower hearts. The greenfinches love the Black Sunflower hearts and seem to only eat these whilst the Sparrows and Starlings will eat any seed given. I have a ground feeder used by Robins Blue/Great Tits and Chaffinches with Robin mix, some suet pellets and dried mealworms. Overall, the Sunflower hearts are an absolute winner.
hooky87 said: Think i might try sunflower hearts i have heard alot out these i have never seen these for sale at any o the shops by me where is the best place to buy these from? also seen a sparrowhawk fly past yesterday and today heard one calling for most of the day
I used to buy cheap Sunflower hearts from Wilkinsons hardware store but since changing to RSPB ones the dam birds have obviously gotten a wee bit fussy and won't eat the cheaper ones now lol.
What is a ground feeder and how does it work . I will try wilko see if the birds around my area like them.
Hi Hooky, it's a very small table that you place on the ground for ground feeding birds like the Robin, Blackbird, Song Thrush and Sparrows although my Sparrows won't go anwhere near it. I also have an adjustable wire cover tat goes over the top to stop the Pigeons and Squirrels getting the food as they are a problem in my area. I got the feeders from the RSPB although CJ's Wildlife do a wider range and are a little bit cheaper (probably shouldn't say that lol) A plastic tub under a shrub somewhere would work just as well but only if you are Pigeon and Squirrel free. There are ways of making a cover with some fence wire. Once you've seen a pic of what they look like then you can make your own cheaper version if you like. Look on the RSPB main website under shop section.