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Apples (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter stevieb
- Start date
stevieb
Attempting to put Melksham on the map
It's interesting that the dynamics of the pecking order has now changed.
For weeks our resident male Blackbird has been top dog of the garden, chasing away a couple of Song Thrushes every time they attempted to feed from the ground feeder. Now the tables have turned and the Fieldfare has been keeping him away all afternoon since it came down for the apples.
It would be interesting to see who would be 'top dog' between Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush? As Harry Hill would say "there's only one way to find out. FIIIIGHT!!! " :-O
For weeks our resident male Blackbird has been top dog of the garden, chasing away a couple of Song Thrushes every time they attempted to feed from the ground feeder. Now the tables have turned and the Fieldfare has been keeping him away all afternoon since it came down for the apples.
It would be interesting to see who would be 'top dog' between Fieldfare and Mistle Thrush? As Harry Hill would say "there's only one way to find out. FIIIIGHT!!! " :-O
Okay, I'm really not trying to be a spoil sport here but I read an article just this morning that unless they are organic, apples tend to hold a lot of pesticides. Now this may just be in the US grown apple population but now I'm a bit leery of putting any apples outside for the birds let alone eating them myself unless they are organic. But this may just be paranoia induced panic by the organic apple growers.
http://tinyurl.com/yba667t
http://tinyurl.com/yba667t
Marmot
Well-known member
If you can find some cheap sultanas or currants they also work wonders as well and are a great energy food.
AS for the "pecking order" as we have had up to 21 Blackbirds in the garden at once in the past few weeks [average is 12] I have got to the point where I chop the apples up into about 8 bits and put them in various places in the garden and so the odd spat happens but I think they are just greatful that they have somewhere to come for a steady food supply . The Fieldfare and Redwing we have had have been very timid and quite a few times have been chased by the Blackbirds. If you have any fat balls available take them out of the nets and put them on the ground they are loved by all.
AS for the "pecking order" as we have had up to 21 Blackbirds in the garden at once in the past few weeks [average is 12] I have got to the point where I chop the apples up into about 8 bits and put them in various places in the garden and so the odd spat happens but I think they are just greatful that they have somewhere to come for a steady food supply . The Fieldfare and Redwing we have had have been very timid and quite a few times have been chased by the Blackbirds. If you have any fat balls available take them out of the nets and put them on the ground they are loved by all.
Marmot
Well-known member
I think this is something that they have put out to get people to buy organic ones, as apples are grown normally for human consumption and over here would be undergoing testing by the suppliers shops etc... I think many of us would have been 6 foot under by now or in a hospital bed if they held the pesticides in them.
shoshone
Well-known member
Point taken, but under the current weather circumstances here in UK it seems to me that we will lose a lot of birds anyway especially if we have to prevaricate about whether we offer it, or whether we don't.
I guess if all we had was a straw we'd offer it to the drowning man....oh and for sure the fresh water I keep putting out isn't organic....it's go fluorine in it an goodness knows what else, but should I desist? I don't think so.
Not meant as a flame just an attempt to get a perspective on things.
Jamie
karpman
Well-known member
Apples working great here!
Pretty sure that there washed and so forth and birds must meet with and survive some un natural chemicals on there feeding rounds anyway.
Karpman
Mary
Well-known member
Have bought the last of the cheapest apples in local s/m today, hope the weather improves soon so they can restock! Also so some rain can wash the garden down - knee deep in bird mess! Have put the food on different areas each week, but have run out of clean bits now!
Although apples are high in vitamin etc, they don't have a very high calorific value, so how can fieldfares eat just apple in this very cold weather? I've not seen them take anything else whereas song thrush and redwing will take scattered suet pellets and sunflower hearts.
Although apples are high in vitamin etc, they don't have a very high calorific value, so how can fieldfares eat just apple in this very cold weather? I've not seen them take anything else whereas song thrush and redwing will take scattered suet pellets and sunflower hearts.
Freako
Well-known member
I visited my local fruit wholesaler, I asked if he had any apples he didn't want, he pointed me to a pile of boxes as big as my bungalow and said help yourself. I could only get 6 boxes in the car, and 2 thirds of the apples are perfect. My garden has been full of Blackbirds, Fieldfares, etc for ages.
Oscillate_Wildly
Well-known member
I had a full bag of apples that were no longer any good so decided to chuck them out for the birds. The starlings and blackbirds loved them yet the Sparrows and Reed Buntings just stuck to the bird food mix. The apples went down a treat with the starlings as I counted roughly 25 at one point feasting on them, normally only see one or two.
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