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Why won't the birds come to my feeders? (1 Viewer)

birdman

Орнитол&
It might sound like I'm complaining, but due to the circumstances, I'm not really... I'm just curious as to whether why I think they don't come is likely to be the reason.

I live on a new housing development, and therefore have a new garden... but it is now 18 months old - ie 2 summers.

My garden list (that is birds that have physically landed in my garden stands at about 10.

Within the last couple of weeks, we have added Robin - so, yep, best part of 18 months with no Robin.

Now the Starlings love it... can't keep them out, when they're in the neighbourhood - we get occasional Blue Tits, and a pair of Blackbirds seemed to include the garden as part of their feeding territory last Autumn (though no sign of them yet) - but eveything else has been virtually "ones".

We have hanging feeders, a high table and a ground table - and small berrybushes and plenty of plants complete with insects. And a daily changed water supply.

But nothing seems overly interested - except a hedgehog!

When I answer other threads on the subject, I explain it away by saying that we back on to open ground, with quite a mixed habitat - also we are right on the edge of town - and so the birds have little need to visit the garden.

But is that really it?

Or are we doing something wrong?

Any suggestions?
 
Robins love mealworms, and a few years ago we had a hand tame one with this "bait". I have a feeder attached to a window (not yet reached by the pesky squirrels), and robins, bluetits and sparrows visit this. There are also feeders that exclude larger birds (for a while we just used an upturned hanging basket frame). A blackbird will collect as many as 12 mealworms at a time when there are young to be fed, so we had to draw the line here.

Our website shows the window feeder (in the 2003 section), and also a mealworm feeder exclusively for blue and great tits when they were feeding chicks. There is a rather large number of photographs this year, as I am a trainee webmistress, and have learnt how to prepare a selection of pictures from the vast number we get from the image catching software on the computer.

I'm very envious of your hedgehog - our regular visitor vanished a long time ago, and all we "see" now via the infrared camera is a fox, and sometimes a cat.
 
At least you haven't yet got rats. Two of them regularly swarm up the poles for my feeders and the birds don't seem to mind them. Two I can handle but if any more decide to come then it will be out with the air gun. I may even contact the Mayor of Hamelin to see if the Pied Piper wants a new fee paying job!
 
Geoff Brown said:
At least you haven't yet got rats. Two of them regularly swarm up the poles for my feeders and the birds don't seem to mind them. Two I can handle but if any more decide to come then it will be out with the air gun. I may even contact the Mayor of Hamelin to see if the Pied Piper wants a new fee paying job!

We have had a rat visitor twice, in the day time - but the (free) local authority "rodent operative" dealt with them. I very much doubt if they can get onto my bird table - the squirrels can't get round the baffle. I also have a large ugly three tube feeder, again with a squirrel baffle.
 
Geoff, you got any kids/grandkids that might be affected by "the Piper"!!!

Attendance at our feeders seems rather arbitrary at times. Some periods of time (from several days to several weeks) there will be a lot of activity. Then there may be a period of time when the birds are just not coming. Of course, if there is a raptor or a cat in the immediate area the birds are gone! Our problem is that our feeders are usually dominated by House Sparrows or House Finches and the occassional nuthatch, chickadee, etc. have to be cautious not to be overrun by the above species.

Larry
 
Hi Birdman.
its never easy to say whats right or wrong, each
garden varies so much, we have lived in our house for 11 years. we also are near woodland
with open farmland as well, so bird life has always
been near. 2 years ago we planted more hawthorn
hedges which now seem to be paying of as far as
shelter goes, I also leave rough areas to which seems to help not being lazy of course!! but appart from putting out an assortment of seeds
fruit, fats, and keeping 2 clean water areas for them. thats it, so all I can say is keep on plugging
away food out, water for them and in their own good time they will come as you said its still new land dont give up.
bert.
 
hi Birdman I have no garden just a small yard with 2 lines with14 feeders on a small table.I can have over 80 birds at a time mostly Goldfinches and Housesparrows try sunflower hearts.It might take a week or two but thats all Ken.
 
Well, we sort of tried a mixture of stuff, seeds and fruits, fatballs and stuff...

Maybe now is the time to go the sunflower heart route - and see if we can't attract any goldfinches in to have a go at the teasels!!!

If my gardenlist is still small this time next year... I'll be well dischuffed!
 
Maybe as winter closes in and food becomes shorter in supply you'll see an increase?
I had a bit of a lull bird wise in late summer but they're back with a vengeance im pleased to say.
Ive put out extra food and bird boxes too,ive noticed the wrens coming in and out of them frequently.
I know they use them to keep warm in winter,but they seem to be taking leaves in with them,are they lining it?

christine
 
THis may seem like a very simplistic answer, Birdman, but do try tying a ribbon onto your feeder pole -- long enough to flutter in the breeze. The color makes no difference, as its the movement that attracts the eye.

The sunflower hearts will certainly help, true. But whatharm is there in trying something this simple? Your daughter's old hair ribbon, the ribbon off a gift or package . . .

And if you do try it, please let me know what happens!
 
Ive heard that Goldfinches are particulary atrracted to feeders that swing in the wind.....maybe a ribbon has ther same affect
 
"I live on a new housing development, and therefore have a new garden... but it is now 18 months old - ie 2 summers".

I don't think there's much you can do about it short term Birdman. You can supply all the food you like, but if the birds don't feel safe, I don't think they'll come. Many of them require thick cover such as hawthorn, etc. to escape raptors and, unfortunately, most new housing estates simply don't have enough mature cover. Starlings are perhaps an exception as they tend to feed in the open, often using their speed of flight to escape predation. Finches and tits simply don't have that speed, therefore thick cover close at hand is normally required. I have a thick privit hedge on one side of my garden and a huge overgrown hawthorn on the other. When Sparrowhawks pay a visit (which happens several times a day), the small birds dive for cover. I often see Spars crouched, cat-like, amongst the outer branches, peering in to the inner depths, attempting - usually in vane - to snatch a victim.

Be patient and, as the cover matures, I think the birds will start to appear. Enjoy your Starlings Birdman, they're one of my favourite birds :)

saluki
 
As an experiment tried just Linseed in one feeder. So far not many takers they all prefer the mixed seed, (as do the two rats!).
 
Thanks to everyone who has replied since my last post... I'm taking everything on board, and as I am willing to try everything (!) will tie a ribbon to the feeder pole this weekend.

I'll will, of course, report any activity!
 
I had trouble getting anything to come to my feeders until that is I put out black sunflower seed. This seems to draw the Tit's and Finches in like a magnet, and they are now taking the other stuff too.
 
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