New Housing Estates (1 Viewer)

[Chop5]

Hi there, i live in a fairly new housing estate built in 97 i think, does anyone have any ideas on how to attract more birds into the garden, at the minute we get the occasional robin, a couple of dunnocks, a few blackbirds, a few woodpidgeons and the odd magpie, none of these bother with bird feeders ive put up, as expected! The problem is, i reckon is that the house is within spitting distance from a large old cemetry with loads of big old trees and cover for the birds, i guess when they fly out of there they see this barren housing estate with barely any trees or cover for them (and plety of cats also) What do people think?
Cheers
Anthony

 

[turkish van]

I guess just plant lots of trees, insect attracting and berry bearing plants, leave the feeders up (what seed do you have out?) and be patient. Not much else you can do really, aside from putting up a fluorescent sign that says

"BIRD FOOD AND REST STOP HERE- flying when tired and hungry is dangerous"

:king: :king: :king:

 

[Silvershark]

I live a fair distance from cover but once the birds realise that you will be offering a constant, high-quality food source they will travel the distance to pay your feeders a visit.

As Laura has said, try planting vegetation that will help to attract the birds in and provide cover for them (this will take a few years to develop though). Sunflower hearts are a magnet for many birds, and some are also fond of the fat cakes. Blackbirds and dunnocks prefer to feed from the ground, but the blackbirds have been filling up on natural foods in my area at the moment and aren't particularly interested in eating the food I put out for them. Scatter a bit of food on the ground, blackbirds particularly like sultanas, raisins and currents (just buy the cheap supermarket packets!).

Try catering for what you have now, which is mostly birds that feed from the ground, and have sunflower hearts in a hanging feeder (if they don't disappear after a couple of days tip them on the ground for the ground-feeders and re-fill so the food doesn't go to waste). As it starts getting colder the birds will start looking for food supplies, and if they come across something they like in your garden they'll start visiting and bring all their friends along too!

 

[tiomet]

I am in a new housing estate, not too far from farmlands and hedgerows but pretty far from woodlands.

I was really surprised at the numbers of birds that arrived at my feeding stations within a very short time of my putting them up. You can always rely on starlings to find you out around here though and in the second week I counted up to 20, a number that increased since. I had greenfinches arrive soon after I put up the niger feeders, and have a regular number of sparrows, about 20-30. Magpies, a jay, a couple of crows, blackbird or two and goldfinches.

However, I cannot extend my feeders anymore. I have a very small garden and now dream of that house in the country and my bird garden. I have planted tons of berry canes, blackberry and raspberry, in preparation for the next season so hoping to offer dessert as well as main course! And suet balls and grated cheese are important now.

Yesterday I was late putting out the fat and even though there was seed mix and ground table mix, with loads of crushed nuts, the starlings sat lined up along the top of the trellis patiently waiting for me to fill the trays with fat products!

Still, thing is I did not expect the birds and they arrived. They find you out and as they come more will.

I read a lot on the web to find out what to feed the birds to lure different sorts and then, more importantly I guess, how to recognise the limits and how to temper my enthusiasm given the situation around me.

Because of this I had to decide not to erect bird houses That may change but with the child nuisance around here and potential for neighbour and cat trouble (yes, the cats do behave but lets not tempt fate) I sadly decided to put out nesting materials but not to supply nesting boxes.

I am happy with the numbers and types of birds that come to visit and excited if something new appears to feed but I am very new to all this so perhaps next year, or next garden, I can become more sophisticated!

 

[Chop5]

cheers for that, i only put the feeders up last week it doesnt look like much has been eaten, ive just got the usual mesh peanut feeders and those plastic mixed seed things aswell, to be honest ive just moved in, the last house i lived in backed onto fields with a stream and some woodland, the back bedroom was great for watching birds, had regular visits by great tits, blue tits, goldfinch, greenfinch, chaffinch, reed bunting, aswell as starlings jackdaws, rooks, magpies,in the field in winter i had great views of flocks of redwing and fieldfare, and the odd greater spotted woodpecker, there was a female kestrel landed on the back fence once, was chuffed with that! Maybes im expecting too much from this garden, still if i can attract more into it the better, like you say it takes time for word to get round theres food in the garden. Mebbes i should get out and about more!
Anthony

 

[turkish van]

Try just walking round the neighbourhood and see what birds are around. That way you will know what type of food to put out, so for example if you see finches then put sunflower hearts and nyjer out. Then hopefully they will find you and their favourite food!

Sounds like you had the perfect house before though! I'd take a small house with a big garden over a big house with a small garden any day.

A week isn't long though, give them a bit more time. Definitely stick some sunflower hearts up though, and maybe some fat balls/trays too.

 

[Angelface]

Hi Anthony.

If you only put your feeders up last week I wouldn't worry as my garden has been very quiet compared to how it normally is and the seed is going down very slowly. When the weather gets a bit colder and the word gets round, you will be topping them up like mad.

____________

Chrissie

 

[Chop5]

thanks again, i'll get myself to the shops for more stuff, ive not seen many finches round here like, none that have landed anyway, ive seen a few flying over at some altitude looking for somewhere else to land! maybes that big flourescent sign isnt a bad idea afterall! Magpies and blackbirds seem to be the predominant species round the estate, Yep, patience i reckon, i'll keep putting stuff out for the ones that already visit like the robin, its always popping in, ive taken a few walks in the cemetary i live next to, its just like woodland really, the council do a good job of only maintaining the parts visible from the main road, the rest is pretty much left to grow wild, ive seen a few owl nest boxes on some of the trees, well i think thats what they are, they have big open fronts so correct me if im wrong! I think half the problem with new housing estates is that plants and trees take time to establish themselves and they do look barren, we have a couple of small rowans in the front garden and they just look spindly, they produce berries though which is good.
Cheers
Anthony

 

[Richard Bryce]

Water for drinking and bathing will usually attract birds quicker than will feeders. If it's moving, even better. Any shallow container will do, but a pond is more rewarding and interesting. When I first built my small garden pond it was like a magnet.

If you have a garden shed try tossing seed onto the roof too. Ground feeders will soon spot it and that will attract others.

Rich

 

[gareth2005]

I'm in a similar situation to yourself Chop. I also have a small garden in a housing estate and it took weeks before I could get any birds to visit the feeders.

Black Sunflower seeds seems to be the favourite here with Peanuts a close second.
Throw a few apples out when the first frost comes and you might be surprised.
I also bought a bird bath from the local hardware store and it seems very popular.

I added a nestbox to the garden recently so hopefully it will get some use.

 

[digi-birder]

See my thread HERE about the making of our garden in our brand new house.

 

[Mary Evelyn]

Our garden is very mature Anthony and full of bird loving plants.We have also been feeding the birds forever, but they are so wary to change,any change.

Rich says water and that is so important.

I would put out what you know is going and slowly add as your birds increase,otherwise,you are wasting,good food and money. You can't rush the birds.

I recently introduced Sunflower hearts in the hope of attracting more Goldies and after 2 weeks the Tit family decided they rather like them.However,they were already here and feeding well but I am still waiting for more Goldies.
Patience is the key word and taking it as slow or as fast as the birds demand will get you there.Winter is fast approaching and the birds will come visit now probably more than any other time of year.
Even now after all these years I am still wanting new birds.Guess we are all the same. :flowers: :flyaway:

 

[Chop5]

Cheers lads n lasses, theres already a bird bath in the garden which is a bonus as i think the birds already know theres something to drink in the garden, a pond is out of the question with 2 and 3 year old kids (im going to have to get them some proper binoculars, they cant see much with 2 empty toilet rolls selotaped together!) as for the food situation, just the other side of the fence is an apple tree which quite handily drops its apples into the garden, theyve been pecked to bits! Theres been some spuggies on the peanut feeder and a coal tit on the mixed seed feeder, not the first tit i expected in the garden but things are looking good! whats that film quote? "if you build it they will come!" I liked that link about the garden digi birder, i thought it was barren round here but from those pics your garden looked more like a veggy patch! Anyway, garden list so far: Woodpidgeon (4 great big fat ones), theres usually 1 or 2 sometimes 3 blackbirds, pair of dunnocks, 1 robin, 1 coal tit and 3 house sparrows. I'll be keeping an eye out for more!
Cheers
Anthony