Hi everyone,
I know some of you have your blackbirds, dunnocks etc using your bird tables - I know this is the case in Squirrel's garden at least.
I am very keen to persuade mine to get up off the floor and use a table, if only to avoid having to put food on the ground, which then gets hoovered up by my dog. I do have a ground feeder on my front lawn, and the birds use this, but I do all my garden bird watching in the back garden. It is getting very tiring running from one end of the house to the other!!
After reading about Squirrel's success with her table, 4 feet off the ground, I started to put a plate of suitable food in a window box attached to the shed, which is about 4 feet high. The starlings have found it, which isn't surprising, and also the robins. So far no blackbirds or dunnocks, but I live in hope. They are unlikely to use it at the moment as I am still scattering food all over the place on the ground, and don't want to stop doing this until the weather improves.
Has anyone else got blackbirds and dunnocks using tables, and if so, what sort, where and how high?
Cheers, Linda.
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I've started putting a seed tray on top of a garden planter, roughly 18 inches off the ground, and have had tits, woodpigeons, robins and dunnocks feeding in it. I've also had dunnocks and housesparrows trying their luck with a hanging seed feeder. Blackbirds have taken to nibbling at a chunk of suet hanging from a hook on the garden fence- while hanging upside down. Pretty ungainly, and you can almost see the scorn from the tits and other acrobats.
Given the weather I'll keep going with a trial and error approach to feeding- if it works, i'll keep doing it.
I even love magpies
Hi Johnny,
I've never seen a dunnock anywhere other than on the ground or in one of my shrub tubs and flower tubs, but my house sparrows always used hanging feeders before they became oddballs, completely refusing to use them, and they always used my peanut feeders. I find them quite agile little things and could have quite a few on a feeder at the same time. But I've never seen a blackbird trying his luck upside down!! I can imagine how the tits must have laughed at him. I have also had a massive jackdaw on a hanging fat ball feeder. He wasn't very good, lots of wing flapping, and an almost nasty accident!!
I do scatter mealworms in my tubs, crossing my fingers the starlings can't see them, and have been known to scatter seed in them this winter, so goodness knows what will be growing in them this spring. The dunnocks find these, also the song thrushes and the odd blackbird.
I think it is all trial and error, and what suits our own birds best.
Sparrow, I couldn't agree more and i'm glad i'm not the only one whose Sparrows prefer the hanging nut feeder. Spent rather a lot on ground feeder with adjustable sanctuary some time ago and the blighters won't go anywhere near it prefering the peanut feeder instead. Like you say what works for one may not for another. I have had Female Blackbirds on the old bird table but not males. Magpies hanging from nut feeder, although he did this only once !! and the Robin trying it too. I think they just go for what pleases them.
Hi Sparrow,
When I said planter, I actually meant tub-(what would a planter be, anyway? I'm a garden luddite.
I've left last summers flowering plants (don't ask me their name!!) in the tub, so it looks fairly wild and unkempt. All being well it will be a home for insects in the summer. It looks like my dunnocks and yours have the same tastes, though.
I stopped putting mealworms out as, predominantly, it was magpies who ate them, while scaring other birds away. (I know "I even love magpies" but there is a limit, you know.!!!!!)
Well, I have put up a foot square ground feeder to hang in a tree in the garden about four foot off the ground to encourage as many ground feeders as possible to safety while they feed. (that is a very LONG sentence). I t has been there about 2 years now and has been a success for our garden birds.
I have the dunnocks, blackbirds, robbins, chaffinch, even, on occasions, a thrush although he/she lookes a little queasy when it sways. Unfortunately, even the pigeons can land there but 'take off' for them causes the table to spill the contents!! Even the blessed pheasant knows to fly up and knock it off the hook to get at the food. I never thought he looked clever enough!
Hello.The table situation in my garden is one four foot high table with roof and two ground tables which are a few inches off the ground. As far as I've noticed the only birds that seem reluctant to use the high bird table are dunnocks, although these birds do somethimes use the ground tables.As for what uses the high table: the starlings have no hesitation whatsoever, house sparrows are the next most confident of the small birds. Both these species are equally adept at using the feeders that hang from the table. I've seen blackbirds occasionally use the bird table but they preffer to feed on the ground. The tit species especially blue tits show great acrobatic skills when using hanging fat foods that hang from the bird table. Jackdaws will also visit the bird table but I'd say these small corvids tend to feed mostly on the ground.Woodpigeons and collared doves, feeding from the bird table are a great source of comedy, especially when a smaller bird like a sparrow is trying to find a gap of approach, this also applies to the ground tables. Another thing that makes me laugh is when a woodpigeon or collared dove lands on the roof of the bird table, then develops the sort of expression that say: "Wait a minute! There's no roof on the other tables." Great entertainment. A great spotted woodpecker will visit occasionally. I've seen a male, a female, and a juvinile. I've only seen these visit individually and never as a group. Woodpeckers can be quite bullish and dominate the peanuts and fat balls/ cakes, although they're more wary of humans than the other birds.Paul.
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