Tits on niger feeder? (1 Viewer)

[Squirrel]

Over the last few days I've seen bluetits checking out my hanging niger feeder a few times. At first they were confused by the tiny apertures, but today I saw one getting the hang of it, sitting on the perch and extracting some seed. I'm not sure whether they actually like it or whether they just thought it was black sunflower seed (which of course they love) as the feeders look very similar - standard clear plastic tube with green plastic trim etc. I'll keep watching to see whether they go back for more or whether they were just having a taste out of curiosity. Mostly they gobble up sunflower seeds, various other seeds in the high-energy husk-free mix (not exactly sure which ones) and peanuts.

So I wonder, has anybody else noticed niger seed being sampled by tits, or indeed any species other than the expected finches?

 

[Cathy H]

Hi Dquirrel,

I had a nyger feeder for ages and the only ones visiting it were chaffinches and green finches. That went on for months. If the tits examined it they weren't impressed. My next visitors to the feeder were siskins who loved the seeds. Only on an odd occasion do I have a goldfinch visit, although I know they're about. I comfort myself with the knowledge that when they want to visit, the nyger seed will be there for them.

Here's hoping,

 

[robski]

During the summer the blue tits in my garden showed some interest in the nyger for a few weeks.


Robert

PS well it appears the Blue tits still like it. So it's Gold & Green finches followed by the blue tits.

 

[abagguley]

I first put my nyger feeder up this year, & it sat there for months with no takers, then 4 recently fledged BT's started using it - only, I think, because they got chased off the other feeders in the garden, but there was no competition for this one.

Now I get Blue Tits & House Sparrows on it every day, but I've never seen a finch using it (we have Greenfinch, Bullfinch & Chaffinch in the garden pretty regularly).

Adrian

 

[Renee Redstart]

I have a tray attached to my niger feeder to collect all the dropped seed. Last year I spotted a wren, no less, perched on the tray having a good meal.

 

[DavidJJones]

I have a tray attached to my niger feeder to collect all the dropped seed. Last year I spotted a wren, no less, perched on the tray having a good meal.

Hello Renee,

I too have hung trays under my niger feeders to catch the wasted seed. I have two feeders. The original one is a two-perch one with round seed openings (similar to the one in Robert's picure). The diameter of the opening is almost the same as the niger seeds are long so that every time a bird pecks at the seeds several fall out . I also have a Droll Yankee six-perch feeder (the type with yellow ends)which has narrow slit openings, and I find that waste from the 6-perch feeder is dramatically less than from the older one. In my garden diary entry for 1 Nov there is a picture to show what I mean.


With a small group of up to ten Goldfinches, adults and juveniles, come to the garden frequently each day, and the difference in wastage is so great that I am going to replace the old one with another Droll Yankee - I think that the change will more than pay for itself by the Spring.

I've never seen our Wren visito take an interest in any of the feeders, and while I've seen one or two Sparrows investigate them over the last couple of years, the Goldfinches are the only regular users.

 

[Renee Redstart]

Droll Yankee feeders

Hello Renee,

I too have hung trays under my niger feeders to catch the wasted seed. I have two feeders. The original one is a two-perch one with round seed openings (similar to the one in Robert's picure). The diameter of the opening is almost the same as the niger seeds are long so that every time a bird pecks at the seeds several fall out . I also have a Droll Yankee six-perch feeder (the type with yellow ends)which has narrow slit openings, and I find that waste from the 6-perch feeder is dramatically less than from the older one. In my garden diary entry for 1 Nov there is a picture to show what I mean.


With a small group of up to ten Goldfinches, adults and juveniles, come to the garden frequently each day, and the difference in wastage is so great that I am going to replace the old one with another Droll Yankee - I think that the change will more than pay for itself by the Spring.

I've never seen our Wren visito take an interest in any of the feeders, and while I've seen one or two Sparrows investigate them over the last couple of years, the Goldfinches are the only regular users.

Hello David,
I was so fascinated by your observations. I never knew that the Droll Yankees feeders had differently shaped holes. I am very tempted to buy one.
I've had a quick look at your site; it's marvellous! Will have to have a better look later.
And I'm interested to see that your garden is in Aldershot. I used to live there over 30 years ago, and before that in Church Crookham, where I spent most of my childhood. I had the Observer's Book of Birds and used to tick off quite an amazing number of species in my Crookham garden. In fact, that is where I saw my one and only Nuthatch. But I have only recently (summer 2004) taken up serious garden bird watching and feeding. My suburban Midlands garden gives me great pleasure and ever more surprises. I had never seen a Goldfinch at all until I put up my niger feeder. Within a couple of weeks they found it, and I regularly have a reasonable number feeding.