• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

How can I attract more birds to my table? (1 Viewer)

Angela

Active member
I'm sorry if this seems like a stupid question, but I'm here to learn so I thought I'd ask anyway.

I've got several feeders hanging in one of our trees and they seem to attract quite a lot of birds. I've recently bought a bird table and it is on our patio, quite near to the house, but it doesn't seem to be getting much use.

I have noticed some blackbirds, starlings and the odd sparrow using it but that's it. How can I attract more birds to visit the table and which would be the best sort of food to use.

Any advice would be gratefully received.
 
Birdwatching Magazine in particular has a monthly feature on garden birds. It might be very useful Angela.

Peter

ps never be afraid to ask questions on BF, and by the way, your question is not stupid at all.
 
I did have a look for Birdwatching Magazine the other day, but I couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Can you get it delivered by post?
 
You can indeed. Call 0845 601 1356. They have an offer at the moment: one year's subscription for £33.40 (£5 off).
 
Hi Angela
Is there any cover near to your bird table? Birds seem to need some form of refuge close to their feeding areas to escape predators like cats or in my birds case sparrowhawk. I put my first table in an open part of the garden and like you it barely got used in spite of the food. I then moved it close to a large shrub and the food goes faster than I can fill it!
Birds do need a little time to get used to new feeding stations so be patient with them :)
Hope this helps

Ivan
 
I get mine at WH Smith - so your local branch should be able to get it if not in stock. The May edition doesn't come out til 30 April so they may still have some. If you can't get it til the May edition then they do a Back Issue service.
 
Hi Angela,

First of all, best of luck with feeding birds - watching their feeding strategies adds a whole new dimension to birding (and explains the term 'pecking order' !). As your table is new, several thoughts occur to me ;

a) they'll need to get used to it - it was four months before mine here was in frequent use. If it's too near to the house, that can put some birds off as well.

b) is it in an area where predators can be seen if they approach too close ? Sparrowhawks soon learn where the local bird-tables are, and can use any cover to get close (even human beings !).

c) a birdbath either close to the table or incorporated within it can add to its attraction - if it's in the same structure, it needs frequent emptying and cleaning, as some birds will attempt to drown peanuts !

d) as others have said, tailor the food you provide to the birds you hope to attract - peanuts for Blue & Great Tits (in containers designed to prevent whole nuts being extracted), mixed seeds for finches, sunflower seeds ditto, nyger seed for Goldfinches, and kitchen scraps.

In winter, I make bird cakes, which are popular, and many places sell fat balls. When feeding scraps, however, do remove any uneaten remains daily, and wash the table surface with boiling water to prevent infection.

HTH

Tony
 
Thanks for all your quick replies. I will subscribe to the magazine tomorrow.

The table is quite close to the house but as my garden slopes quite dramatically, I couldn't find anywhere else to put it, without it falling over.

The table has got a fairly low roof and I am assuming (rightly or wrongly), that this will offer some protection from sparrowhawks and cats. I have made sure that I have sited the table so that cats aren't able to jump on to it from the fence or shed etc.

Perhaps it is just a matter of time, as I don't think I am doing anything wrong. I did put out some little bits of dried fruit that I had the other day and that disappeared fairly quickly but I'm not sure who eat it unfortunately.

Also can anyone tell me if birds prefer certain coloured feeders? I have a red one that is emptied 3 times as fast as my yellow one, although they contain the same food.

Thanks again.
 
Just a thought, Angela. We have found that our birds go for the food which is easiest and safest for them - I have now grouped all our feeders into one feeding station because feeders placed close to the house were ignored. Only if the feeders away near the hedges emptied - such as when we are on holiday, would they then use the ones placed nearer the house.
 
Hi Angela
There are also 2 books you could get,they are
The complete garden bird book published by new holland or
The new birdfeeder handbook from rspb

Regards
Peter
 
It may be a matter of trial and error. I put out all sorts of scraps from apple cores to bits of cake. I cannot say we get a huge variety on our bird table but I have put a metal hook into the side of it from which I hang a seed feeder and that is very popular with sparrows, starlings, goldfinches, greenfinches and tits. We seem to get more birds feeding in the winter (when natural food is scarcer). Then we get nuthatches and the occasional coal tit, siskin or even a gt spotted w'pecker.
I also scatter seeds on the lawn as some species such as dunnocks and chaffinches seem to prefer ground-feeding.
A heron was checking out our pond a couple of days ago but unfortunately it took flight when I pointed my camera at it.
Let us know how you get on!
 
Hi Angela,
We found our garden birds prefer a table without a roof - better for a quick escape if needs be. This year we got some excellent red metal bird feeders from Birdguides - the birds seem to like red feeders more than others but our net ones were getting ripped by magpies and gulls.
Black sunflower seeds seemed to go down better than normal ones. I also make 'cakes' using lard and all sorts of bits in them (apples, nuts, sunflower seed, bacon etc).
Of course, you need to be careful now about what you put out as the birds are starting to nest and the chicks can't tke peanuts.
Good luck with improving your garden list!
 
peanuts

Of course, you need to be careful now about what you put out as the birds are starting to nest and the chicks can't tke peanuts.

As I understand it, the danger is that small birds can choke on whole peanuts. If you put the peanuts into a wire container where the adults have to peck bits out to get any, there shouldn't be a problem. (It's best to go for 'safe' peanuts, which are guaranteed not to have any toxins in them. Look for the 'safe peanuts' logo.)

Anyone have any contrary info. on the above?
 
Thanks for all your suggestions everyone. I've had my usual visitors to the feeders today, but still not many to the table. Perhaps it is too near the house, there isn't really anywhere else I can put it though as our garden slopes too much.

We do have some blackbirds that come right up to the back door and eat any biscuit crumbs that my kids have left outside, so it can't put them off that much. Time will tell I suppose.
 
On the top of the roof on our bird table I attached a length of dowling "cane width" which over hangs the ends of the table by about 1 foot on either side, at the end of these I attached screws but you could use cup hooks. From these on one side we have a square suet cake in holder (or fat balls) on the other side we have two feeds attatched to each other one with peanuts and the other with sunflower hearts (I have found these go down very well with most birds and no waste either). These feeders are the ones which have a square base and you can normally find them either in solo or packs of two or even three and they cost about £5, the seed supplied in these is normally not up too much and is sometimes best thrown away, but once better quality seed etc. is put in you may end up with many different types of bird.
It is sometimes worth checking you local market if they have a pet stall, my wife gets on very well with our local one and gets good quality seed and also the stallholder delivers 50lb sacks of the Sunflower hearts for about £28 , this is a lot cheaper than in many of the main seed provider or if you have access to a cash and carry they sometimes stock bird products as well. By the way also try birds with sultanas or raisins (cheapest you can find) they love them.
 
My feeders are green, and I've a fence post awaiting a table to be made for it and all are under a beech tree, I'm refilling the containers daily - four of them. In the winter time I make cakes from wild bird seed, dried fruit and lard it works well. My peanut feeder is home made and is only half-filled due to the access hole for refilling - the siskins and tits just love it. The birds I'm attracting are Siskins, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Great and Blue Tits

I did see a Sparrowhawk the other week in my front garden - my feeders are in the back garden

Duncan
 
I have solved the very same problem & my birds eat within a few feet of my door and there are hordes of them all different kinds at once too! I cut down a small tree from my woods and nailed it to my deck on the outside of the railing! I hung all my feeders in the little tree and the birds feel safe & it was probably ten seconds before I had birds in the tree! I was trying to nail it & they were sitting in it!Try it it will amaze you!
Even the Woodpecker in my avatar is at the feeder in this tree!
 
G'day Angela, I'd approach your problem from a different perspective. Make a list of local or itinerent birds you want to attract and match them to their natural habitat food sources. Plant bird compatible shrubs in your garden and be patient for a year or so.....they will come....and continue coming evermore.
My sister Heather goes to a lot of trouble to match specific fruits for her target species, with great success. Read her story "Grapes for Sarah" that I posted today and you'll see what I mean.
Robert
 
Warning! This thread is more than 21 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top