Birds on fat balls.. (1 Viewer)

Swift

Well-known member

• Mar 7, 2004

• #1

Has anybody ever seen Rooks on fat balls?
Yesterday I had two Rooks in the garden one was hanging on the fat ball pecking bits out , the other perched in the tree took stabs at it as it swung by like a punch bag!
I am a bit suprised the weight of the bird didn't bring the bag down.
Anybody had this species on their fat balls?

 

Marmot

Well-known member

• Mar 7, 2004

• #2

We haven't had Rooks on our fat balls, but we get 2 Magpies on our suet/fat blocks. They seem to have the same technique as your Rooks, after a short while on gaining its balance it would jump on the ground and clear up the excess bits it had dropped ! Trouble is the perch that was holding it onto the bird table has now broken (no thanks to these two).
I wonder if it is a North Eastern trait ;-)

 

Tom Moodie

Well-known member

• Mar 7, 2004

• #3

Yes, we had a Rook earlier this winter that was removing fatballs from metal holder that holds 3 fatballs. This didn't have a lid so have now purchased holder with lid that prevents removal of fatballs from top.
Tom

 

A

AnnieW

Well-known member

• Mar 7, 2004

• #4

No rooks - but on Friday we had a couple of jays doing something similar. One of them sat on a branch above a fat ball, launched itself beak first and then collected the bits that flew out. The other sat underneath, launched itself upwards and pulled at the netting to the same effect.

 

christineredgate

Winner of the Copeland Wildlife Photographer of th

• Mar 7, 2004

• #5

Swift,yes Jackdaws doing the same thing here,and they were the large fatballs,which were supposed to last,no chance!!

 

S

songbird6666

Registered User

• Mar 8, 2004

• #6

I have jackdaws doing the same, the rooks haven't caught on yet, thankfully. I put my fat balls in the metal holders now, because hanging them in the nylon mesh bags they are supplied in, they last about three minutes, does anyone else find that they just fall through the bottom of the bag very quickly, they are not fixed together properly? I used to be able to buy the type that had a metal band top and bottom, but now they are just kind of melted together, and you only have to give a slight tug, and they fall apart.

 

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AnnieW

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2004

• #7

songbird said:

..... I put my fat balls in the metal holders now, because hanging them in the nylon mesh bags they are supplied in, they last about three minutes, does anyone else find that they just fall through the bottom of the bag very quickly, they are not fixed together properly? .....

Click to expand...

Yep ..... I too now decant from nets into metal holders. They just don't make fat ball holders like they used to

 

Kiki

Well-known member

• Mar 8, 2004

• #8

Our local rooks demolish fat balls and red mesh nut bags. The nuts now go in solid feeders but I haven't found anything rook proof for the fat balls yet.