Very Simple Bird Feeder (1 Viewer)

Bought this bird feeder at the Ideal Home Exhibition back in the Summer, i was quite sold on the design and thought i's share with you all. Very simple really, just a block of wood with recesses cut out in which to place two terracotta plant pot saucers. The birds seem to like it although unsure how long the food will stay there what with the wind howling a gale today. Anyone spotted any rarities blown into their gardens at all?

Nicely made bird feeder christine, I must admit the birds have all gone into cover except for a daft woodpigeon Who is sitting on our neibours garage roof in the pouring rain 3.10 pm its dark and dismal the weather don,t Look Good all week on the forecast, do you have drainage holes in those terracotta saucers you,ll need them with heavy rain or rain in general or else the food will get flooded, hope you get some Interesting birds on there is it The first time you have had bird feeders up in yer garden?

Hi Coaltit, can't say i blame them for going into hiding, it's howling a gale out there. I've seen some real aerobatics from passing flocks of Starlings today, it must be pretty difficult flying weather.

I've got the usual Blue and Great Tits, plus some Long tailed tits that have tagged along which is nice to see. A Robin plus the usual Magpies. It's very windy here so no idea how long the food will last, and you're right, the food is likely to get soggy if it starts to rain; highly likely looking at the ominous grey clouds skudding across the sky.

I've always had feeders in the garden, my other one is Squirrel proof. Lately they've taken to helping themselves from the other feeder, then burying their contraband in my plant pots - little buggers!

Whenever I get the chance to see starlings in a flock now days which is not often I always seem to think how Well They handle the weather conditions in flight cartwheeling and turning in the sky like a flock of waders do they seem to take enjoyment out of it, yes this last week I,ve had great and blue tits in the garden upto 15 long tailed Tits at one stage I love to see them and one coal tit I think was burying his caches in the same area as they were Moveing through, willow tit are a scarce visitor in my garden and marsh tit are rare, best time to see marsh tit is Around christmas or in january but like willow they don,t stop around for long, we use to get our fair share of grey squirrels but houseing and loss of trees as certainly cut their presence down in the Garden which I,m not sorry about.

coaltit said:

Whenever I get the chance to see starlings in a flock now days which is not often I always seem to think how Well They handle the weather conditions in flight cartwheeling and turning in the sky like a flock of waders do they seem to take enjoyment out of it, yes this last week I,ve had great and blue tits in the garden upto 15 long tailed Tits at one stage I love to see them and one coal tit I think was burying his caches in the same area as they were Moveing through, willow tit are a scarce visitor in my garden and marsh tit are rare, best time to see marsh tit is Around christmas or in january but like willow they don,t stop around for long, we use to get our fair share of grey squirrels but houseing and loss of trees as certainly cut their presence down in the Garden which I,m not sorry about.

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Sounds like you've got a decent lot of birds visiting your garden, always a good thing. I'd probably have trouble telling the Marsh and Willow Tit apart, especially as they tend to move so fast and i don't really get a clear view of the garden from my kitchen window.

I know what you mean as regards the squirrels! I don't mind them per se, but they've made short work of my feeders over the years, and they have huge appetites. The squirrel proof feeder i bought from CJ's seems to have done the trick though; the birds get their food, and the squirrels make do with the other feeder and what drops underneath. I once got so annoyed with the squirrels raiding the feeders that i coated one pole in olive oil, and they still managed to climb up it!

Very Simple Bird Feeder.

christine said:

Sounds like you've got a decent lot of birds visiting your garden, always a good thing. I'd probably have trouble telling the Marsh and Willow Tit apart, especially as they tend to move so fast and i don't really get a clear view of the garden from my kitchen window.

I know what you mean as regards the squirrels! I don't mind them per se, but they've made short work of my feeders over the years, and they have huge appetites. The squirrel proof feeder i bought from CJ's seems to have done the trick though; the birds get their food, and the squirrels make do with the other feeder and what drops underneath. I once got so annoyed with the squirrels raiding the feeders that i coated one pole in olive oil, and they still managed to climb up it!

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I noticed that my bird feeders around 4 years ago were Just not being used by any birds apart from the odd blue tit and others Occasionally I soon realised why as our neibour had been putting Up feeders and new people who had moved into the area new propertys etc were doing the same, and it was just around this time that the squirrel Numbers had dropped off because as I had mentioned before, from at Least 1980/81 upto about 2007/8 I was still getting a few birds on my feeders, During the 1980,s and 1990,s I used to get plenty of greenfinch if only in Small numbers along with house sparrow, also siskin were a frequent visitor During this period but I found that after around 2000 the greenfinch their Presence soon started to disappear (Only this year on the forum did I hear The reasons why) even back in the 1970,s (Not at this property) there was always plenty of Greenfinch around to go on to any feeders, During the 90,s squirrels were at their peak here and they were adapt at Tearing apart the red plastic feeders to get at the nuts, I used to like those red feeders Because I always thought they drew siskin in but I had to change from them To metal feeders because of the squirrels I even bought a rspb squirrel Proof Feeder which did work well but has mentioned before the birds were just not Interested in the normal peanuts I was supplying them and to see bags and Bags of peanuts going mouldy in the feeders soon disheartened me I did try A few different food sources mixed seed was one it drew some birds down But the seed soon went off or was untouched most of the winter, my last Efforts Involved putting out fat balls and black sunflower seed I had to laugh At these because I ended up feeding other visitors but not the Intended ones I wanted, on two seperate nights I had filled one of my feeders to the brim With black sunflower seed only to find out that the feeder was empty next Morning that Involved a lot of work on who ever wanted those seeds still with a lot of sun flower seed in stock I tryed putting out fat balls its was With These That I soon realised we were dealing with a mouse etc, I placed two Fat balls in our rose trellis and sat in the lounge waiting for any movement That might take place and sure enough after a day or so it was in the early Evening I saw a pair of wood mice feasting on the balls then quickly flying Back into cover if they saw movement I let them finish the fat balls and the Sun flower seed and called it a day, but the thing was the birds were getting Their food from more sources now than they were when I first started feeding them I was wasteing bird food big time but those circumstances can Change as soon as their food supply stops so I did hang on to my feeders But Presently I,m confident the birds can get what they want from neibouring gardens, I hope you did,nt mind me shareing with you ( thou a bit long) I enjoyed shareing With you.. Coal tit.

I find peanut kernels are almost a dead loss. By far the most popular is the sunflower hearts, followed by black sunflower and fatballs.

Having lost several feeders to squirrels I purchased a couple of Squirrel Buster feeders and the squirrels gave up within a coupke of days. Not seen them for weeks.

Hi Coaltit, i guess if your neighbours were putting out food for the birds then would explain why you saw less of them - great for the birds, but not so good for you, especially as you love watching them so much! I think you're right in that we can often end up feeding all sorts of creatures, and not always the ones we had intended. I remember spending a fortune on those square suet feeders and the only birds interested were the local Starlings, and they were a gregarious noisy lot i can tell you. I always find that fat balls and sunflower seeds never fail and are always appreciated by the birds that visit here, although they have to share them with the local squirrel population. It's always worth having a feeder topped up, just in case your neighbours stop feeding the birds, that way they'll have something to rely on. It doesn't have to be much, just half fill the feeder maybe and see how you go?

grobble said:

I find peanut kernels are almost a dead loss. By far the most popular is the sunflower hearts, followed by black sunflower and fatballs.

Having lost several feeders to squirrels I purchased a couple of Squirrel Buster feeders and the squirrels gave up within a coupke of days. Not seen them for weeks.

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You're right, sunflower seeds and hearts are always a hit. I tend to put crushed nuts out around breeding time also, i figure the poor old parents need all the help they can get. Chopped up bits of fruit always go down well, especially with the Blackbirds.

I hear you on the squirrels! I wonder how much money we've all collectively wasted on feeders that have been decimated by the little blighters?

Silly thing was that I was quite casual about the squirrels stealing food. It was the destruction that sealed their fate.

grobble said:

Silly thing was that I was quite casual about the squirrels stealing food. It was the destruction that sealed their fate.

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Yup, we've all done the 'aw, aren't they cute' bit. That rapidly changes when they decimate the first feeder!