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Chaffinches on tube feeders? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter mary99
- Start date
DaveN
Derwent Valley Birder
I don't get many Chaffinches at my current address but where I used to live we had lots. And although they preferred to feed on the ground or from the bird table they were more than happy feeding from a tube feeder too.
Marmot
Well-known member
I have found that they seem to prefer this type of feeder to the tube ones..possibly with the tube ones having a perch and these having a ledge.
http://www.dobbies.com/Gardman-The-Gazebo-Seed-Feeder/pid-154414
http://www.dobbies.com/Gardman-The-Gazebo-Seed-Feeder/pid-154414
karpman
Well-known member
Yup have one of those types and they feed off it fine, The other more tubular with stalks they do go on occasionally but never for very long.
Cheers
Karpman
mary99
Well-known member
Nice feeder and cheap too, thanks Marmot, I'll look into getting one.
I am taking part in research, part of a PHd into 'do garden birds earn their keep'
I've had to remove my back garden feeders and just use the university tube feeder then they are going to bring aphid infested plants into my garden to see if the birds who are being fed eat the aphids. There is a control group that is not feed ing the birds. It will be interesting to see the results.
Because of this I had to move my bird table that a couple of chaffinches had JUST started to use, I was afraid I would lose them but luckily they found it again in the front garden.
XsCode
Well-known member
I have an adult pair of chaffinches that feed in my garden where we have a tube feeder. I've noticed that the male will not use the feeder but scavenges on the ground for leftovers from the starlings, whereas the female has no problems whatsoever with the feeder, coming back every 30 mins or so for a refill. I'll try to get a picture when she comes back.
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Mary
Well-known member
That sounds fascinating, Mary, please let us know what happens. I must say my aphids don't get eaten very often, birds prefer the 'fast food' option! I suppose it takes quite a few aphids to equal a beak-full of suet!
Kits
Picture Picker
I have tube feeders which both male and female chaffinches will feed from. I was very surprised the first time I noticed it as I had been under the impression that they were solely ground feeders. We get a lot of chaffinches here and they often line up along the branches of the silver birch, waiting their turn at the feeders.
Dan123
Well-known member
Our Chaffinches have no probs on the feeders too, and like what has been mentioned, the female goes on the feeders more than the male. The Males mostly feed off the ground, but occassionally on the bird table and feeder as well. But the female actually goes on the feeders more than she does on the ground, so thats an interesting note!
AndyK
Well-known member
I dont get chaffinches in my garden (yet) but i've seen them on tube feeders at my parents house & at the lost gardens of heligan (see photos below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykiz/4729931224/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykiz/4729286545/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykiz/4729931224/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andykiz/4729286545/
NoSpringChicken
Well-known member
I have read that Chaffinches like to feed facing the feeder head on, rather than sideways. The type with the ledge, like Marmot mentioned, work well but ours also feed from one of the Gardman terracotta models. They have a triangular shaped perch instead of a plain rod.
http://www.theonlinegardener.com/product.asp?prod=1015367
I think some other feeders are available with a choice of interchangeable perches.
Ron
http://www.theonlinegardener.com/product.asp?prod=1015367
I think some other feeders are available with a choice of interchangeable perches.
Ron
Very interesting thread. I'm keen on getting chaffinches and then hopefully bramblings, when they are about, feeding on my tube feeder with sunflower hearts. I was especially interested in the "facing the feeder perching preferences". I've found that attachment of a feeder tray to the feeder base helps to attract chaffinches as well as avoid more mess. However, these trays also facilitate collared doves' visiting the tube such that all the expensive seed is hoovered up by these large birds. I've recently splashed out on a Droll Yankee Onyx easy clean 4-port tube feeder to replace my 18 year-old DY A6 classic feeder. It has similar perches to the Gardman model you illustrate above, and so I'm hoping it will also appeal to the chaffinches. The all-round vision perches will hopefully obviate the need to purchase a specialised tray at some expense. The normal Droll Yankee trays don't fit this new model.
Denny Woodthorpe
Denny
"My" chaffinches will not feed on any of the feeders, only on the ground. This posed a problem with photographing them until I placed a log on the ground below the feeders. They then hop on to the log now and again when foraging.
The robin tries to use the feeders, but never settles. He (or she) takes a seed whilst flapping his wings. Goldfinches stay for ages, but most varieties of tit take a seed and fly into the birch tree to eat it.
Thankfully the Great Spotted Woodpecker stays on the peanuts for 5 to 10 minutes.
The robin tries to use the feeders, but never settles. He (or she) takes a seed whilst flapping his wings. Goldfinches stay for ages, but most varieties of tit take a seed and fly into the birch tree to eat it.
Thankfully the Great Spotted Woodpecker stays on the peanuts for 5 to 10 minutes.
bethan.nature18
Bethan W.
I don't get many Chaffinches now the winter has come, but in Spring/Summer, I had quite a few. I have never seen one of them try to land on my feeder, or even in the tree, but tend to hop around underneath, and eat what drops from the feeders.
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