Hi all,
I have recently become interested in attracting birds to my garden and have bought a peanut feeder, a coconut shell filled with a seed mix that I picked up cheaply at Wilkos, and a bird bath.
The peanut feeder is proving popular and I have seen a fair number of species on there already. The coconut feeder, however, doesn't appear to have attracted any interest. I'm not sure why this is - I wondered if it is simply less visible than the peanut feeder as the latter has a bright green top, whether it is too close to the peanut feeder, or whether the birds are simply turning their noses up at Wilkinsons fodder! Any ideas?
Also, I have bought some suet balls and am awaiting the delivery of a feeder from eBay. I am unsure as to whether I should place this in the same area as my peanut and coconut shell feeders, or whether I should be spreading the feeders around the garden. Will this make any difference?
The bird bath also appears underused, as yet I have only seen it provide a drink for a solitary woodpigeon! At the moment it is quite close to my shed so I thought I might move it out into the middle of the lawn a bit more.
Any ideas and suggestions you have would be much appreciated!
Hi somethingofadreamer
this is one of my feeding stations, try buying the seed mix feeder from Wilkos, I had a coconut feeder my birds didn't like it . then try nyjer feeder. put them where the birds get cover, near trees or a hedge.
good luck, give birds time to get use to them, it may take time for the birds go to your feeders but they will.
Hey farmer, farmer, put away the D.D.T now. Give me spots on my apples, but leave me the birds and the bees, please!
Hi somethingofadreamer, Welcome to the forum.
There has been a number of posts from new members asking the same question.
I can offer the same advice as I did to the other members.
It is important to remember that birds are cautious about exploring new feeding stations. It can take as long as as a few months for birds to visit a new feeder, so do not get discouraged if you add a feeder to your garden and it is not immediately visited. Keep it filled and change the seed as necessary to prevent mold or staleness.
Seed not yet in a feeder should be stored in an airtight container to prevent it from going stale. Also make sure that your seed is not getting moldy as it sits in the feeder. After a rain, it may be necessary to clean out seed that still remains, as it will stay wet and start to mold. This not only makes the seed unappealing, it creates a possible health hazard for your birds.
You can use this seed in suet cakes and coconut treats if you chose to make your own!
Birds will also search through seed mixtures, take what they want, and leave the rest. When the good seed is gone and only the filler remains, you may find your feeders are visited far less frequently. Choose seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, niger seed, and peanuts to attract birds to your feeders.
Feeders should be placed at various heights around your garden. This is especially important if there are cats or other predators in the area.
Although many birds will feed off the ground, if all your feeders are placed too low you may have trouble convincing them to come. If birds suspect there are predators nearby, they will not put themselves in harm’s way. Offer feeders at varying heights to ensure birds can feed safely.
A common problem in bird feeding is the placement of the feeders. First, the feeders must be within a very short distance of trees. This provides the birds a safe place to escape to if a predator or unexpected disturbance frightens them while feeding.
If trees are not available, shrubs, fencing, or a deck can substitute quite well.
In time, the birds will trust it is a safe feeding station and will visit often.
Hope this helps Regards Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way
Buzzard said:Choose seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, niger seed, and peanuts to attract birds to your feeders
Hi Buzzard,
Do you mind if I ask you if you use Safflower seed?
I can't get any of my birds to eat it. Even the starlings toss it out. I have tried it on its own in a tube feeder next to the sunflower and nyjer feeders. The finches just ignore it. I have tried it mixed with sunflower hearts in a tube feeder and it is boycotted by all and sundry. I have tried it in my flat feeders and table and it ends up on the floor.
Cheers, Linda.
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Hi somethingofadreamer,
The coconut feeder did'nt go down well in my garden either and the cheaper wilko seed was a waste of money some birds are picky, but they do like the wilko robin mix and i find they eat all of the mix so no money wasted.Saying that though the good old wood pigeon clears up what they leave behind.The suet balls should go down well,remember to take them out of the green netting before putting them into your feeder.Good luck!
Susan H said: Hi Buzzard, Do you mind if I ask you if you use Safflower seed?
Hi Sparrow,
I have used it, but it was quite a while ago. The birds did eat it though!
Regards Buzzard
Hi Sparrow ([wave] Buzzard, I hope you don't mind if I interject here), of my regulars, the bird who most liked the safflower was the (now, late) Mrs Chaffinch. She would arrive early on a morning, take her position on "her" table and go through the premium finch mix picking out all the safflower seeds to eat. When she had finished those up she would start on the sunflower hearts and after that would sit and grizzle at me until I put some more out because she didn't like anything else that was in the mix! And that's why I stopped buying pre-mixed bags....
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Thanks Buzzard and Squirrel,
I'm so sorry about your Mrs. Chaffinch, Squirrel. Very sad.
I don't get chaffinches apart from fleeting visits occasionally. Perhaps this is why the safflowers aren't being eaten. They are very hard, and it could be the birds prefer not to work so hard and go for the sunflower heart chips. I'll persevere a bit longer, and then take some down to the woods. As we have said many times, it's all trial and error.