advice for feeders - margate (1 Viewer)

[nj94mar]

Hello all! New here and looking for some advice on behalf of a relative.

My dad really wants to put out a bird table or feeder in the garden, but lives very close to the sea and so wanting to avoid/repel nuisance birds. is a hanging feeder going to be necessary, or can we avoid nuisance birds (like seagulls) by using a specific type of feed with a bird table/house?

Thanks so much, any advice is appreciated.

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you enjoy your visits.

If your dad uses squirrel proof feeders, they should stop the larger birds accessing the food. You can also buy cages to go over ground feeders.

 

[Andy Bright]

Hi and welcome to birdforum. I moved your thread to a forum dedicated to bird feeding.
Certainly large items put out on a table will be quickly snapped up by gulls, but loose seed will be less appealing to them. Fat balls are a particular favourite of gulls, so you'll need to avoid those unless in a cage, and even then you would need to secure it very well, as gulls are very tenacious, same with crows.
best regards,
Andy

 

[delia todd]

Hi nj94mar and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

Gulls are opportunistic feeders, mostly looking for dead fish on the shore, or unattended eggs in the breeding season (that sort of thing). However, they do a great job cleaning up our mess, which is why they love landfill sites too.

They will eat food that you throw on the ground (particularly bread, chips etc).

They can't manage hanging feeders. They will land on a feed table, but normally not if it has a cover.

I hope this helps.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

 

[delia todd]

Hi and welcome to birdforum. I moved your thread to a forum dedicated to bird feeding.
Certainly large items put out on a table will be quickly snapped up by gulls, but loose seed will be less appealing to them. Fat balls are a particular favourite of gulls, so you'll need to avoid those unless in a cage, and even then you would need to secure it very well, as gulls are very tenacious, same with crows.
best regards,
Andy

LOL your gulls seem to be more agile than mine Andy!!

 

[Andy Bright]

LOL your gulls seem to be more agile than mine Andy!!

They'll often grab a fat ball cage and fly off with it

 

[delia todd]

They'll often grab a fat ball cage and fly off with it

Gosh!! The cheeky b*s

 

[KC Foggin]

Welcome aboard nj94mar!

I've started using plastic ties on a lot of my feeders.

 

[Richard D]

I'd go with hanging feeders over a bird table and as has been suggested avoid the fatb alls. Does you father get Thanet's Rose-Ringed Parakeets visiting?

 

[Deans Sanctuary]

To be as concise as possible, this response should address several threads that I've responded to under this sub-forum.

1. One image shown is of my design, I get no pleasure from regurgitating the work of others but realize some folks are not that self-reliant. This is a platform style feeder, it's 6 and 1/2 feet from ground level to table top. A 1 and 1/2 inch electrical conduit metal pipe was driven 4 feet into the ground. An aside...the end going into the ground was tapered to facilitate the pounding process, that's not necessary but easier.

The platform was made to simply be placed over the top of the pipe. Important note: The material used for the platform surface is the latest in home siding. It's a manmade composite. Long lasting and does absorb any liquid including rain.

The covering for the pipe that spans the area from ground to top is your Squirrel protection. It's 4 inch thin wall pvc drainage pipe. Seems the little critters just can't get their little legs around the dang thing. So no climbing!

The dead branches are your hawk protection...a hawk will not fly into a situation that has the potential to damage their wings. And the branches give the birds perching or staging opportunities.

2. Another image is of a pergola, my exclusive small bird feeding area. The only area that I use store bought feeders because the larger birds can't perch and feed at the same time. At this site I use the same 4 inch drainage pipe as a defense against squirrels.

3. Last image is the vinegar that I use to sanitize the feeders, full strength. Of note is the profound lack of usage by most folks of this product to protect themselves from pathogens. Not just in the objects and surfaces found in the home but also by soaking certain foods like leafy greens or broccoli etc. as a part of the prep process. Heck our warfighters of the 2 world wars were protected from food issues by the use of vinegar. Will move on from that, hope this fills in some of the holes.