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Urgent - Rspb Feeders - The Worst Thing Imaginable (1 Viewer)

david2004

david2004

Well-known member
Urgent - RSPB Feeders - The Worst Thing Imaginable

I ran out of bird food and there were only a few morsels left in the feeders. I was away for a couple of days so couldn't do anything about it. When I returned, something terrible happened.

One of the RSPB Challenger II seed feeders was taken down. Apparently, a Greenfinch had been feeding. Trying to get a bit of seed left in the feeder, it's head got stuck. It couldn't get out. And it died.

My dad tried to get it out, but its head never did. It was stuck so badly that only the body came out.

How on earth did this happen??? I am going to contact the RSPB about the design of their feeders. How could it be possible for a bird to get stuck INSIDE the feeder, and die?????
 
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Very sorry to hear about the Greenfinch David. It would seem that no sort of risk assessment had been carried out on that feeder by the RSPB. You should indeed contact them and it would be interesting to hear what they have to say.
It can remember a few years ago when the RSPB started selling plastic nest boxes where you could turn the top of the box and alter the size of the holes. Heavily advertised by Tony Soper at the time, the young birds in some cases could not get out of the box due to the slippy plastic sides. they seemed to disappear from the scene very quickly.

Hope you get a result, Chris.
 
What a sad story David. I'm now going straight outside to check the hole size on my feeders. Let us know how you get on with the RSPB.
 
I have an old-style Challenger feeder (stick perch), a new style Challenger feeder (ring perch) and up to half a dozen Greenfinches at a time. I haven't seen anything that suggests that the Greenfinches are having any trouble getting to feed, and apart from the ring perch the two feeders seem very similar - the only other difference I can find is that a cross-head screw is now a slot-head screw. They have been left empty for the odd day, but I haven't done this very often.

I would certainly encourage you to get in touch with the RSPB, to send photographs, and to preserve as much evidence as possible, so that they can work out what has gone wrong, and how to modify the design so it can't happen again.
 
Man o man....That is so sad, and I would have flipped had I come home to that! Even though I don't have an RSPB feeder, I do have some similar, and now must go out and check out this new one.
Poor thing.
shelley
 
Oh David, what an awful story. How upsetting, I would have shed buckets of tears. I have stopped using that type of feeder thankfully, and I find the carousel ones easier to maintain and they seem to keep the seeds drier than the long tubular ones. Hope you have some success with the RSPB, they should at least be made aware that this can happen. Mind, it's not only them that make this type of feeder is it, they are thousands of similar ones available everywhere for about £2.99, they are all basically the same design.
 
At the risk of offending other forum members.... care to share those pics with us?
There was a book I once had that showed a picture of a poor starling with its head stuck in a tin of beans with its lid only half-opened. It was dreadful!
 
Mmmm...OK. Here's one. If I cause any offence I'll take it off the site.
 

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That is a very poor design David. For a bird to be able to push its head through one hole and down into another is shocking, somebody needs a slap for letting that design to pass. Food should not be allowed to lodge where a bird may struggle to gain access to it.

Regards,
Chris.
 
Agree with Chris - a very poor design indeed. I for one do not take offence at the picture; indeed, it serves as a reminder to us all to examine bird feeders. or at least to ask questions about them, before buying. Please let us know what response you get from RSPB.
 
Thanks for the replies. I have since got a reply. They said how they were deeply saddened by the death etc. They said there have only been two other cases of this ever happening before and changing the size smaller allows smaller birds in and bigger allows bigger birds in(?) They also went on about how the feeders are useful as they save thousands of lives each year in harsh winter and are "safe - right down to the last piece of food".

I though my picture proved that to be incorrect. Quite unsatisfied with the reply to be honest...
 
tp20uk said:
Thanks for the replies. I have since got a reply. They said how they were deeply saddened by the death etc. They said there have only been two other cases of this ever happening before and changing the size smaller allows smaller birds in and bigger allows bigger birds in(?) They also went on about how the feeders are useful as they save thousands of lives each year in harsh winter and are "safe - right down to the last piece of food".

I though my picture proved that to be incorrect. Quite unsatisfied with the reply to be honest...
Click to expand...

Some people just won't be told will they? The RSPB I mean, not you. I hope you have removed this feeder and any similar ones from your garden permanantly? A bird table if a much better idea because ALL birds can gain access to the food, and that's the whole point of feeding them isn't it?
 
Thanks for giving the RSPB a chance to look further into this: I wish they had taken you up on it. Small risk or large risk, if they can reduce it, they should do so.

At least for the moment, though, I am sticking to my RSPB seed feeders: I suspect the risk is indeed very small, and may even depend on the bird being weak or confused from illness to start with. I like the RSPB feeders because you can get a spill tray for them that makes them almost a mini-bird table - I've seen Chaffinches, Bullfinches, and Robins on that but never on the perches (even the new ring style). I don't want to attract every sort of bird around because that includes hordes of woodpigeons and feral pigeons which I can't afford and might annoy the neighbours or the local council. Also with this style of feeder, I don't have to refill them as frequently as I would have to replenish a bird table, and I am a lot less worried about attracting rats.

I got a Jacobi Jayne food catalog through my door this morning and had a look at the Droll Yankees New Generation feeders they were offering and they seemed to be very much the same sort of idea. I might have a look in the shop next time I'm in Slimbridge, though.
 
this was an accident waiting to happen. i think it would of happened earlier, but i expect you regulary had the feeders topped up before this happened? - once the feeders were right down on seed, it was only a matter of time before this was going to happen, judging by the design.

this is no way any fault of your own, and i hope you come to terms with this awful sight, im interested to here the reply from the RSPB.
 
Obviously, if this was a frequent problem the RSPB wouldn't stock the feeder. You report that they've only had two other such cases reported so, given the tens of thousands of times they've been used by birds to feed, upsetting though it is, fatalities represent a vanishingly small percentage of all those birds using these feeders. In part I think the problem is that people like to 'control' the bird species (not to mention rodents etc) that can access the food to prevent it being "hovered up" by large/more aggressive species. Inevitably this involves some sort of restriction which equally inevitably poses an increased risk. If you don't feel happy to run the risk then a bird table seems your best option, but then you might well put the birds at greater risk from feline predators! John
 
I am sticking the the feeders. I have taken the one that the Greenfinch died in down though. I just keep the feeders topped up permanently and if there is no food left, I take them down. I also have a bird table.

There have only been two other reported cases. I wish the RSPB had taken more interest in this, but, oh well. I hope it never happens again - to anyone.
 
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