How to attract Pied Wagtails and Blue Tits back?

[skyking_comms]

I want to start off by letting you know the feeders and feed that I have got in my garden here in Gloucester

-Nyger feeder with Nyger seed which attract 5 - 10 Gold Finches every day
-Sunflower Hearts feeder which the Gold Finches seem to prefer to Nyger (Sparrows and Green Finches also eat the sunflower hearts)
- Wild Bird Seed feeder which the sparrows love. But this year im only refilling it once a week rather than every day!
- Black Sunflower seeds which I put on my bird table. I dont put the wild bird seed on it anymore as it creates too much mess and lots of the seed gets left
- Peanut feeder - Only Starlings seem to eat the peanuts

My Garden also attracts Robins, Chaffinches, Collared Doves, Blackbirds and Pigeons.
Looking around the area I always see Pied Wagtails feeding from the pavements. Is there anyway i can attract them to my garden?
I also dont seem to get any blue tits in the garden. I used to put fat balls out but the starlings would always eat them first.

I would be grateful for any ideas. Im also pleased to help anyone who dont get Gold Finches to their garden. I was very lucky, but now that I see them everyday im interested in attracting other types into my garden.

Many Thanks

[delia todd]

Hi Skyking-comms and welcome from all the staff and moderators at Bird Forum.

I'm afraid I can't help with your problem myself as I don't have a garden, but there'll be someone along soon to advise you.

D

[colonelboris]

Not sure how we ended up with a pied wagtail as a garden bird last winter, but two days of not putting bread out and it was gone.
I blame the Mrs. It was her going into labour that put a stop to putting bread out every day for a week...

[skyking_comms]

I also put bread out but never had a Pied Wagtail. I just cant understand why they only pick up bits of food on the street when my garden is full of food! I just thought that there may be a particular type of food that would bring them to the garden.
Thanks

[bitterntwisted]

I also put bread out but never had a Pied Wagtail. I just cant understand why they only pick up bits of food on the street when my garden is full of food! I just thought that there may be a particular type of food that would bring them to the garden.
Thanks

I think they are fairly exclusively insectivores, so not likely to be attracted to bird table fare? From my observations, the only trick I can think of would be to put out tarmac and rooftiles, and possibly gravel?

Sorry!
Graham

[Cathy H]

Welcome to the forum from me too.

I can't help with pied wagtails, any time we've had them or the grey ones they've just turned up on their own, and left just as quickly. I do think they're ovely little birds though and I'd love to see them more.

Thinking about your blue tits, we have them regularly and they eat from the seed feeders and the peanut feeders, but as you say, it may be the starlings are putting them off. We too have fat balls/cakes but to keep the larger birds away from them they're in a peanut cake guardian we bought from CJ Wildbird Foods Ltd. The cake holder is on a pole that you can put into the ground (or you can buy a base to stand it in) and it has a cage over the holder to protect the food from the bigger birds. We get chaffinches, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, and robins in the feeder. We've even had long tailed tits come in the winter, and they're really cute. We've had a greater spotted woodpecker trying it's best to get into it without success - it also keeps out the squirrels. It's not cheap but it works!

If you want to check it out you can find it on www.birdfood.co.uk.

I've just looked it up in their catalogue and it promises to protect the food from starlings! Apparently you can hang it up, use it free standing or put it on a pole (like us). When you go on their website you're looking for 'peanut cake guardian'. Happy hunting. :bounce:

[stevetb]

perhaps, if you're prepared and have enough garden for it, a pond will attract them. If not, a bowl of mealworms on the ground might be succesful. trouble is, the starling may eat them first..... perhaps some sort of cage to keep larger birds out?

[skyking_comms]

Thanks for all your replies. Ive always wanted a pond in the garden, but due to having a baby on the way in march my wife wouldnt allow it. So I have 2 bird baths instead!
Im sure the starlings would eat the mealworms, they eat everything else!

I have just purchased a Ground Seed Feeder which im hoping may entice the wagtails. Ive also bought a fat ball ball holder for the blue tits. Maybe bits of the fat balls may fall on the ground for the wagtails!
If that doesnt work then i will try that peanut cake guardian

I will let you know how i get on

Thanks

[Cathy H]

Please do let us know what happens. With regard to the pond, we built our first pond this spring, and so far the birds have wandered near it but not even over to the edge just nearby. I don't know how long it will take before they go over for a drink but hopefully it won't be too long. It has a gentle shore line so the birds and other wildlife don't get into difficulty.

Just a thought, if you can't have a pond due to your new addition to the family (congrats by the way), have you thought about having a water feature in a barrel or half barrel? I've seen frog spawn and the like in puddles near me so they may well use a barrel too!

[stevetb]

within the first year of building my pond, the birds were all over it. if you wanna cheap way to protect feeders and food on the ground, there is a cheap way. http://www.wildlife-gardening.org.uk/default.asp?ftr=Features\Projects\teresa-leech.xml perhaps a bowl of mealworms with the hanging basket over it would entice wagtails and deter starlings? also a peanut cake or feeder in a hanging basket cage should deter starlings and attract blue tits.

[rogerscoth]

In addition to the two or three occasional Pied Wagtails that visit our garden, most birds are seen on the rooftops, on the road and footpaths, and in the large field at the bottom of our back garden. This field was recently seeded, and while the large number of Gulls followed the tractor, over seventy Pied Wagtails were spread over most of the remainder of the field.

Regards, Roger

[Sue Wright]

Just a thought, if you can't have a pond due to your new addition to the family (congrats by the way), have you thought about having a water feature in a barrel or half barrel? I've seen frog spawn and the like in puddles near me so they may well use a barrel too!

A warm welcome to the boards skyking!

Leading on from Cathy's post - any small amount of water, especially if it's running will entice Birds more easily. We have a pond and into that runs a 6' x 18" shallow stream that my husband made....and the Birds LOVE it! You don't necessarily need anything like that though (and certainly not with the little one coming along) but as Cathy suggests a water feature is the next best, especially if it's gently running, though running into something shallow is best. Good luck with your Wagtails though they'll possibly turn up quite incidentally one day when you least expect it!

[Sleeper]

Hi
I don't know if this has been mentioned but without doubt I have found the best FOOD that you can attract Pied Wagtails with, without the expense of mealworm, is simply grated cheese.

I have regularly put the cheese around the lawn and it is sought after by a few Pied wags.

If you do try this let us know how you get on.

[Zoe B]

I want to start off by letting you know the feeders and feed that I have got in my garden here in Gloucester

-Nyger feeder with Nyger seed which attract 5 - 10 Gold Finches every day
-Sunflower Hearts feeder which the Gold Finches seem to prefer to Nyger (Sparrows and Green Finches also eat the sunflower hearts)
- Wild Bird Seed feeder which the sparrows love. But this year im only refilling it once a week rather than every day!
- Black Sunflower seeds which I put on my bird table. I dont put the wild bird seed on it anymore as it creates too much mess and lots of the seed gets left
- Peanut feeder - Only Starlings seem to eat the peanuts

My Garden also attracts Robins, Chaffinches, Collared Doves, Blackbirds and Pigeons.
Looking around the area I always see Pied Wagtails feeding from the pavements. Is there anyway i can attract them to my garden?
I also dont seem to get any blue tits in the garden. I used to put fat balls out but the starlings would always eat them first.

I would be grateful for any ideas. Im also pleased to help anyone who dont get Gold Finches to their garden. I was very lucky, but now that I see them everyday im interested in attracting other types into my garden.

Many Thanks


Good morning

I find that pied wagtails prefer to be in our local car park searching for food there rather than in my garden which is constantly supplied with an aray of food! I find that they are just not garden birds, but I sure some would disagree with this.

We have a family of blue tits that visit, they seem to like our peanuts in a feeder and in the summer months they used to love siiting on a rather large rosemary bush! They also like sitting in a silver birch tree.

About the goldfinches- I would love to have these little colourful visitors but can not seem to attact them- some of your advice would be great. I have a feeder that just holds Nyger seeds, but they are not interested! It is hanging off the corner of my shed, maybe that is not in the best location?

[Zoe B]

Hi
I don't know if this has been mentioned but without doubt I have found the best FOOD that you can attract Pied Wagtails with, without the expense of mealworm, is simply grated cheese.

I have regularly put the cheese around the lawn and it is sought after by a few Pied wags.

If you do try this let us know how you get on.

I like that idea- I'll try that and see if it worked here too! How often do you put it on your lawn?

[Sleeper]

I like that idea- I'll try that and see if it worked here too! How often do you put it on your lawn?
Hi

I just put it out as and when really. Finely grated is the best I find...good luck.

[buzzard12]

Lard. Lots of Lard.

[BobC]

I also put bread out but never had a Pied Wagtail. I just cant understand why they only pick up bits of food on the street when my garden is full of food! I just thought that there may be a particular type of food that would bring them to the garden.
Thanks

Hello Skyking-comms,
Exactly the same thing in my area, the birds are always about in the road just outside my house, once in blue moon in my back garden, plenty of food in my garden? also I have seen a decline in the birds visiting my garden, used to get Blackbirds/Greenfinches/sparrows/starlings/few goldies/dunnocks etc, but now few and far between, have noticed on the forum lots of folks having this type of behaviour from the birds ie dissapearing

[Stephen C]

Hi

The only solution I found when I lived in LOndon was to use a feeder that stopped larger birds eg starlings getting to it (fat is best I think).

Pied Wagtails prefer open spaces generally so unless you have an area of lawn you'll probably continue to have difficulties.

Good luck though

[skyking_comms]

Yesterday morning we got a Pied Wagtail... well it landed on our Garage Roof (which is located at the end of the garden) It followed all the other types of birds that landed in the Garden.. but decided not to venture in like them.

I like the gratted cheese idea.. i will give that a try.
I also like the idea of putting a hanging basket over a bowl of food.

Now that the weather is getting colder you should see alot more birds venture into your gardens. Because its been so mild recently most of them have stayed in the woods where theres plenty of food!

As for the Goldfiches. I attracted them first by putting out a 'Gazebo Wild Bird Feeder' filled with Sunflower hearts. Immediately we got GoldFinches and Green Finches..both of which had never been seen in our garden before. Then i put a nyger feeder out which has kept them coming every day for the last year!!! Although they do prefer the sun flower hearts :-)

A water feature sounds like a great idea. One of our bird baths has a solar powered fountain. Now the sun has gone its a waste of time, so we take that out and have a normal lid for the bird bath.
Ive just been looking at a solar powered water cascade feature. Its got 4 terracotta bowls stacked above each other. Im sure it could be adapted to have mains power connected to it for over the winter. Would this type of thing be any good for birds?
Im also considering putting a silver Birch at the bottom of our garden as we dont have any trees. The birds use the neighbours trees instead!

Once again thanks for all the replies!

[RKell1]

Yesterday morning we got a Pied Wagtail... well it landed on our Garage Roof (which is located at the end of the garden) It followed all the other types of birds that landed in the Garden.. but decided not to venture in like them.

I like the gratted cheese idea.. i will give that a try.
I also like the idea of putting a hanging basket over a bowl of food.

Now that the weather is getting colder you should see alot more birds venture into your gardens. Because its been so mild recently most of them have stayed in the woods where theres plenty of food!

As for the Goldfiches. I attracted them first by putting out a 'Gazebo Wild Bird Feeder' filled with Sunflower hearts. Immediately we got GoldFinches and Green Finches..both of which had never been seen in our garden before. Then i put a nyger feeder out which has kept them coming every day for the last year!!! Although they do prefer the sun flower hearts :-)

A water feature sounds like a great idea. One of our bird baths has a solar powered fountain. Now the sun has gone its a waste of time, so we take that out and have a normal lid for the bird bath.
Ive just been looking at a solar powered water cascade feature. Its got 4 terracotta bowls stacked above each other. Im sure it could be adapted to have mains power connected to it for over the winter. Would this type of thing be any good for birds?
Im also considering putting a silver Birch at the bottom of our garden as we dont have any trees. The birds use the neighbours trees instead!

Once again thanks for all the replies!

Do you have a patio area or flower tubs/pots in the Garden? I get daily visits from Pieds on the patio feeding in and around flower pots and tubs. I tend to leave leaf debris etc around the pots to attract insects/worms, some mornings (weekend now that it's dark going to work |8|| I have a Dunnock come up to the patio window searching around old pots for a feed.. Rather then put a silver birch why not go for a Hawthorn, great tree for bringing in the birds.

[twinsmum]

We have never had a pied Wagtail in our garden thou I have seen them and grey wagtails by the pond in the copse at the back of our garden.
We feed the usual seeds black sunflower,sunflower hearts and nyger seed we then found some thistle seed the goldfinches go mad for it,the greenfinches and the tits prefer the sunflower seeds

[skyking_comms]

I was looking at the Hawthorn Tree but have ended up buying a silver birch instead. The shape of the birch suites our shape of garden better.
We do have pots on our patio and this morning I noticed a Dunnock searching around them. Ive noticed a wren before but still no wagtail :-(
The last couple of days have seen a decrease in the amount of birds to our garden. I havent had to refill any of the feeders. I guess its still mild and theres lots of natural food around for them.

A big hit so far has been the ground feeder that ive put down. Id highly reccomend one if you want to entice more birds! Now ive just got to add a ground water dish....

Thanks

Darren

[skyking_comms]

Well I dont know whats happened over the last week, but all the birds seem to have dissapeared. The Goldfinches have gone and no sparrows are coming in. It happened when i bought a new feeder for the sunflower hearts. I put it out last saturday and by monday i noticed the birds hadnt touched it. On tuesday i put my old feeder back but the birds havent returned. All i have seen is a magpie today eating on the ground.
The new feeder was just larger. But i didnt change the niger seed feeder which the goldfinches always went to. What do i do now?

[Cathy H]

Patience is all that's needed. Usually when a new feeder is introduced the birds take a little time to 'suss' it out and see if it's safe. Rest assured they'll be back.

[Sue Wright]

I was looking at the Hawthorn Tree but have ended up buying a silver birch instead. The shape of the birch suites our shape of garden better.

Ive noticed a wren before but still no wagtail :-(
The last couple of days have seen a decrease in the amount of birds to our garden. I havent had to refill any of the feeders. I guess its still mild and theres lots of natural food around for them.Darren


Hi Darren, I think I see your reason for the Birch, but....it won't attract as many Birds to the garden as the Hawthorn would have, but if it suits you and the garden..... One thing it will do is to bring more grubs etc for the Tits, so not so bad there.

Where the Wagtails are concerned though, just because they may be in the area it doesn't mean to say that you WILL get any - keep hoping, certainly, but don't expect....then one day you just might be nicely surprised!!;)


Well I dont know whats happened over the last week, but all the birds seem to have dissapeared. The Goldfinches have gone and no sparrows are coming in. It happened when i bought a new feeder for the sunflower hearts. I put it out last saturday and by monday i noticed the birds hadnt touched it. On tuesday i put my old feeder back but the birds havent returned. All i have seen is a magpie today eating on the ground.
The new feeder was just larger. But i didnt change the niger seed feeder which the goldfinches always went to. What do i do now?


Not having much joy at present are you Darren? Trouble is, Birds don't like change (like us!) and it usually pays to put a new one out whilst still leaving the old one there...until they start to use the new one willingly enough. However, as you've got the old one back I'd stick with that and as Cathy says, have plenty of patience. They'll come back when the time is right, or when another neighbour is late putting her food out - or (the more likely) the weather drives them back for the food. Then later put the new one out but in a place that isn't too conspicuous i.e. tucked in by the branches of a tree/shrub to conceal it a little. Leave it there with food in for a while until you see a Bird or two feeding from it, then move it closer to the old one. Pretty soon you'll find you can remove the old one quite safely and they won't even have realised it. Good luck Darren.....and patience!

Sue.

[skyking_comms]

I had a bit of luck yesterday. I put more bread out than usual and we had about 50 starlings come into the garden. Then the Goldfinches returned. I think they like to come into the Garden when other birds are around.
I will keep putting bread out which will hopefully make them return daily!

Ive just looked up the road and a neighbour has started to feed the birds and all the sparrows seem to be going there now. Im just glad that the birds are being fed as we have alot of new houses being built around here now. So their trees are being cut down.

I will move the new feeder away from the old ones and see how that goes.
I have learnt my lesson not to replace my feeders with new ones when so many birds are coming into the garden! Hope this advice helps others too!

Thanks again for all your replies.

[Sue Wright]

Brilliant news Darren! It's true that some Birds going to a garden will naturally entice others to see what they're after........

BUT.......IF you must put out bread then please preferably put out brown bread rather than white and please, above all else, WET it first or it will swell up inside their stomachs and cause them real problems!

Try some left over jacket pototoes for the Starlings (any potato come to that), they aren't dangerous for them or any other species, and they do give them starch to keep them warm on cold winter nights. Bring in any excess overnight so as not to entice Rats!

Stand by for the flocks to arrive now word is around Darren - but you will get quiet days too - we all do! Best wishes,

Sue.

[Terry Stokes]

I have just been reviewing the photos that I have taken this year of birds in my small garden and came across this one.It was taken in early January,as you can see, after a covering of snow.Perhaps it takes severe weather to attract the unexpected.I think you should be hoping for very cold weather with lots of snow that lasts a long time,then you may at last get your wagtail!!