What more can I do?? Change feeders?? Feed type?? (1 Viewer)

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Hi everyone. I’m really trying to get some more birds into the garden but I’ve had very limited success up to now with my current offerings.

As you can see I have a multi station feeder. One with niger seeds, one peanut station, one smaller bird only hanger with sunflower seeds and one finches friend with a mix of niger seed and sunflower hearts.

I’ve had plenty wood pigeon in the garden on the lawn with the seed mix I scatter and very briefly had a blue tit on the peanuts for a few days whilst I presume there was a nesting bird nearby.

There absolutely is Goldfinches nearby because I’ve seen and heard them fly over head and saw them in the trees round the corner from me.

Is anyone able to offer some advice/pointers? Appreciate this has probably been asked several times before!

Thanks ☺️

 

[EK_Birds]

I'd suggest replacing the nyjer and sunflower seeds with sunflower hearts. Sit back and wait for the goldfinch hordes to descend, will probably only take a few days after you change over.

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

I'd suggest replacing the nyjer and sunflower seeds with sunflower hearts. Sit back and wait for the goldfinch hordes to descend, will probably only take a few days after you change over.

It’s sunflower hearts that I have in mate.

 

[Richard D]

There's so much wild food around at the moment that visitors will be very limited. Do you have plenty of shrubs/trees for irds to use as cover, or is the surrounding area open?

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

There's so much wild food around at the moment that visitors will be very limited. Do you have plenty of shrubs/trees for irds to use as cover, or is the surrounding area open?

No sadly neither pal. We live in one of those soulless, identikit, soul destroying new estates with postage stamp back gardens with no trees or shrubs anywhere in sight.

I know that’s the main problem! But the older part of the estate does have some small trees which the goldfinches use. So I know they’re close by!

Do you think I should leave the set up as it is and just wait until winter? Or should I change it up a bit now?

 

[Richard D]

No sadly neither pal. We live in one of those soulless, identikit, soul destroying new estates with postage stamp back gardens with no trees or shrubs anywhere in sight.

I know that’s the main problem! But the older part of the estate does have some small trees which the goldfinches use. So I know they’re close by!

Do you think I should leave the set up as it is and just wait until winter? Or should I change it up a bit now?

I'd wait until winter. Look at adding climbers to the fence or very small shrubs to the boundaries meanwhile - they don't need to be big.

 

[delia todd]

Yes, two issues here I think. One is that there is plenty of natural food for them just now. Once that's gone they'll be looking in gardens.

The other issue, is that birds like to know there is a safe refuge in case a Sparrowhawk comes looking. So a shrub near to the feeding station is required. And/or, as Richard suggests, think about a climber on the fence.

This might not be too popular with the neighbours, but you could try adding Teasels to the garden. They do have a very pretty flower, the birds love the seeds and the empty seed head makes for pretty Christmas decorations when sprayed with gold or silver paint. The seeds do blow around in the wind and will grow just about wherever they land!

You could try adding a dish of water too.

 

[Kits]

You definitely need bird friendly shrubs. It’s got no cover.

Suggestions:

Ivy on fences
Pyracantha
Rambling rose
Berberis
Honeysuckle

Any room for a little bird bath?

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The Mrs is the green fingered one. My only contribution to the garden/lawn is to mow it whenever it’s necessary. I’ll let her have a look at the climbers/shrubs suggested.

She did just have an emergency cesarean 2 days ago though so I should probably leave it to the weekend at least until I ask her to do anything too strenuous. She’s already got to climb in the loft tomorrow so I don’t want to make her overdo it 😛

 

[PYRTLE]

Agree with the others regarding planting some cover. Once you've come out of A & E after a clobber from your recovering wife, may I respectfuIly suggest you dig a couple of holes in the corner.....a smaller one for a silver birch and the other larger one for you if she reads your post.
Either way, good luck.

 

[Kits]

Nooo, not a silver birch. They grow to an enormous size!

 

[She’ll not av feathers on]

Agree with the others regarding planting some cover. Once you've come out of A & E after a clobber from your recovering wife, may I respectfuIly suggest you dig a couple of holes in the corner.....a smaller one for a silver birch and the other larger one for you if she reads your post.
Either way, good luck.

😁 thanks for your advice. I’ve decided you’re right. In hindsight I was expecting too much from her to climb into the loft. I’m a chivalrous gent so have told her I’ll get in the loft and fetch the shovel.

There are several large bags of rubble that need taking to the tip she can occupy herself with!

 

[PYRTLE]

Nooo, not a silver birch. They grow to an enormous size!

Depends which variety and on what root stock. Yes, a wild native sb will become huge..... I have a "Greywood Ghost" cultivar at least 15 years old, stunning white bark and trunk, large leaves - probably 10 feet high, a slow grower with all year interest. The garden birds readily perch in it.

 

[Kits]

Ah, our silver birch is 30+ feet high (having been coppiced a few times) and ginormous. It’s loved by our garden birds and we have a very large garden.

 

[Elkhornsun]

I would plant some fast growing shrubs regardless. Where I live the native Pacific Myrtle and blue hopseed grow 4 feet in a year and the birds love them. I have deer or would plant something like salmon berry or toyon.

With the finches they used to feed at a metal tube feeder with nyjer. This year they have not touched it. I use a sunflower heart mix that has smaller pieces than the regular sunflower chips and the smaller birds prefer it. I use a different mix in a very large platform feeder that holds 10 lbs of shelled seeds mix.
At the Stovall barn feeder I get finches, scrub and Stellar's jays, grosbeaks, and acorn woodpeckers.

 

[aucarius]

I recommend UK native privet, as it's cheap to purchase as 'whips', evergreen, grows quickly, can be pruned aggressively & tops out at 4m (I think the berries are poisonous if you have pets). The birds love the cover in my garden. Also dogwood, yew, hawthorn & alder, all native which the birds in my garden flock to.