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Encouraging birds to the garden (1 Viewer)

goon

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I've been trying to get birds in to the garden for two winters now, and very rarely see anything at my feeders. The attached photo shows the layout of my garden, and my on remaining feeder hanging. (Others are down for cleaning).
Could anyone recommend placing and type of feeder to encourage birds in?
In case it's relevant, on the right side, my neighbour has a nice, well planted garden (with cat, but my lurcher has discouraged her from visiting our garden too often now ;) ) On the left, there is a totally concrete garden with no plants whatever. Two doors down there is also a very large aviary, with some particularly vocal parakeets, etc. Just over that hedge is the railway line! Are my surroundings discouraging the birds? Would I be better with a birdtable, rather than hanging feeders, or both? Am I on to a total loser?

Thanks for any help,
Gareth Evans
 

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The aviary might be putting them off, but I don't think the rest will bother them. I'd try a table as well as hanging feeders, but it depends on what bird life is in your local area.
 
Hi, Gareth, your garden looks ok size wise, i also think a couple of bird tables would help. Another important thing is water all year round, and one of the best investments we made was 2 stone effect water baths, large size £20-95p and worth every penny, from CJ wildbird foods, a very good firm to deal with. Try some mixed seeds-sunflower hearts, millet-high energy, + fruit for thrushes, sultanas-grapes apples. You could also try live food like meal worms. Have a look through CJ's handbook, for some good idea's. Hope this is of some help, dont give up, its just time effort and above all patience, regards bert.
 
Hi Gareth, I can only see a nut feeder in your pic (is there a fat ball on the clothes pole?!). I'd advise you to provide a variety of foods - I use nuts, mixed feeder seed (mainly sunflower) and thistle seed plus fat balls in winter. Set aside an area to put some food on the ground - some birds prefer to feed there (e.g. wren, dunnock and robins). Different birds feed on each food type - in fact the seed feeder sees the most action, from greenfinches and chaffinches, blue and coal tits. The nut feeder attracts great tits and (lucky me) woodpeckers. The thistle seed feeder attracts siskins and goldfinches. From reading other members postings the favourite food for a given species can vary quite a lot!

Buying in bulk is the most cost effective way! I buy from the RSPB shop at Vane Farm but they do mail order and I think use CJ wild bird foods as their supplier.
 
Hello Gareth, I'd go with what Bert says, definitely a must for the garden is a birdbath, quite often this will attract birds before the feeders do.

Regarding aviaries, in my experience it shouldn't be a problem, there was one next door-but-one at my previous house, and it certainly didn't deter any of the birds. In fact one day I saw a tawny owl being mobbed on a shed next to the aviary!

Another point, is that at the moment it seems pretty quiet on the feeder front, wait until there is a frost, and hopefully you may see something coming into your garden. Definitely try some sunflower hearts as well - you never know!

Regards
 
Thanks very much all. I'll invest in a table (does it make nay difference if it has a roof?) and a variety of different foods. I'll sort a birdbath too. I think the birds are very influenced by lack of surrounding cover. There are no big shrubs in the garden (yet) only that awful, dense leylandii stuff the previous owner had planted.

We'll see how it goes. When the table is up, I'll put my webcam on it, and make it available on my webpage.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice,
Gareth Evans
 
Hi Gareth, yes a roof is better it gives them a bit of shelter and makes them feel more secure. Also try putting your feeders on a hanger near your hedge, it's good cover for the birds to fly quickly into.
bert.
 
Gareth I know the problem. You say you have a lurcher scaring the cats away its also probally scaring the birds away. Birds are more scared of a dogs than cats.
 
I don't think it's Ali, he only goes out two or three times a day. He has proved more of a deterrent than a scarer of the cat.
 
Hehehe, no problem. He's like most lurchers, in that he will prefer to lie on the sofa until he is absolutely bursting for the toilet, and with his two long walks a day, this means he only appears in the garden twice a day or so. Lazy, lazy dog!

jfrosenberg -> a lurcher is a type of dog, produced by crossing a sight hound (greyhound, deerhound, wolfhond, etc) with anything else but another sighthoound (that produces what is known as a longdog). They therefore come in all shapes and sizes, but all with the underlying love of being asleep!
You can see Ali on his own page at the link in my signature.
 
Thanks. Yes, the ant episode was an interesting afternoon. Sadly, the garden diary is a bit neglected, hopefully getting some birds in will solve that.
 
Update

Hi again,
I've just finished putting together my new bird table, and have stocked it with a mixed feed for now. It also has a suet feeder cage on the outside. The two line poles in the picture now have a peanute feeder, fat ball feeder and a mixed seed feeder hanging from them. Hopefully, we'll have a visit or two. In the vain hope of this, a webcam is watching the table, and can be viewed at my website in the signature.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and help,
Gareth Evans
 
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Looking at your pic, looks like you have a similiar problem to me.A thick conifer hedge and a grassy lawn,they give no cover for birds.Ive got a crappy wire fence, instead of your hedge, but it gives the same effect.My suggestion would be to look at your garden as a whole, certainly having feeders and a table will help, but how about looking at the plants and shrubs you dont have and if allowed, try providing more cover and perhaps natural food at the same time ??


Stuart
 
Gareth - it does take time! In spite of having lots of trees on our boundaries (but in our neighbours' gardens), and thick hedges on two sides of the back garden, there were very few birds when we first moved here 14 years ago. The garden was mainly lawn, aprt from a couple of rose bushes, and a Portuguese laurel tree.

We installed a pond fairly soon, and started planting lots of shrubs and with several feeders and a couple of nesting boxes, the birds gradually started to visit - but it was gradual. About a year ago I added niger seed and sunflower hearts to the menu, and that brought in several new species of birds - goldfinches, siskins with occasional visits from redpoll and brambling. So as well as what you have already done, you need ground cover and shrubs (hope someone will come along with ideas for these) - the other thing is patience!! (Also some water - maybe a pond isn't possible, but a few large plant pot saucers will be useful).
 
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Hehehe, bad wording with 'instant'! I know it will take time. When we took the garden over two years ago, the only things growing were the grass, those bloody leylandii and a solitary wild strawberry plant. We have added two roses, two small cotoneasters, two small hollies, dozens of bulbs and other flowering plants. I've allowed the wild strawberry to spread pretty much unchecked, and I know birds are taking the fruit, even though I've never seen it happen. So, it's on it's way, but slowly.
There is plenty of space left, so what I was asking (in a badly worded way!) was for suggestions for rapid growing shrubs I could plant, that would give the right cover the birds need. (I'm also new to gardening really, and don't know what might grow quickly and be suitable.)

A pond is possible (and very much wanted!), but not just yet, so I am going to sort a drinking and bathing facility this week.

Thanks again for all the help, it is very much appreciated,

Gareth
 
Hi Gareth
One solution to the leylandii might be to cut off all the branches and trim the tops. They won't regrow, so then you can plant e.g. evergreen honeysuckle a little way from the base and train it up the old trunks. Should give good cover within a couple of years.
Mary
 
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