Feeding Wild Birds?? (1 Viewer)

[Nina P]

Steveo, siskins = red bags?

Steveo, I gave up on red bags this year, on the grounds that they didn't work, the squirrels demolished the bags, and my adaptations to lure in the siskins, so I gave up , instead I put up three tables, and within one week, I had siskins, so after 7 years of trying, and giving up , there they were, by the odd ones first and then in large numbers, up to twenty or more. Red bags? not on yourt life? now its table or nothing, Nina.



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[Nancy]

Strevo, you mention "the blackcap now winters in UK and adapt their diet and are known to eat peanuts" I presume from that comment that they have only recently started overwintering. Do you think they are now staying because of artificial feeding? Where did they migrate to before? I know nothing!!!!

 

[Nancy]

Feeding Wild Birds

Well folks, I have tried to find some study into the impact of Artificial feeding on Wild birds without success. However I have found some information, mainly Australian, on why NOT to feed wild birds. The general opinion seems to be that there is enough natural food available year round in Australia so artifiacilal feeding is unnecessaryand may cause the spresd of disease. Water is allowed in Summer! I have attached (I hope!) some URL's that you may find interesting. It's a lovely sunny day here and the water is sparkling, the mountains appear so close that I could almost touch them so I am going off to the beech now to dabble my toes and maybe a bit more of me if it isn't too cold. You will all be tucked up in your beds dreaming of finding some incredible new bird at your bird feeder. I hope you have a good day and that you continue to enjoy the little visitors in your gardens.
Do you know that SOME people in this country will not count a new bird as a 'tick' if it is seem at a feeding station, I tend to feeel the same way. You've got to work and suffer to find a new bird. LOL

 

[bristolbirder]

I keep my seed feeder topped up all year round. I find that many birds, including Blue and Great Tits use the feeder to supplement their diet at this time of the year as most of the time they can be seen searching for "natural" food. However, the natural food of the Greenfinch and Bullfinch is, at the moment in short supply, and are seen reguarly on the feeder. Interestingly, Chaffinches disappear from my garden feeders and ARE able to find natural sources. In short, birds know best! Therefore, so long as you only put out enough seeds that can be consumed within a couple of days it is ok to feed all year round. In fact, birds such as the Greenfinch are almost dependant on it.

Nancy. All of our Blackcaps migrate south in winter but some of our northern birds only make it to the southern part of the country where they find that the milder climate and the abundance of feeding stations are sufficient to survive the winter.

 

[Nina P]

I agree thet bullfinches are at the moment in need of supplementary feeding as this morning I had Mr Bullfinch under the bird table along with 5 chaffinches and 14 sparrows and 2 dunnocks. The bullfinches are seldom seen but frequently heard, and as for the greenfinch, they are descend from escapees many years ago and they have difficulty finding natural resources of food, but they do love dandelin seeds, and in the early morning I have as many as 6 families eating all the seeds from this weed, which used to be prevalent in my lawn but with their eating every dandelion clock they are dissappearing from my lawn. Now who needs a perfect lawn anyway, perhaps they will try the daisies next? Nina.

 

[bristolbirder]

"and as for the greenfinch, they are descend from escapees many years ago" ????????????

Are you sure about this?

 

[Nina P]

Sure about this?

I never saw greenfinches when I was small, they were not around as far as my memory serves me, Even that is starting to go, but as I was introduced to birding by the time I was 5 I could recognise all our native birds at that time and though the collared dove had been a recent new arrival, I hadn't seen that one. So saying there were greenfinches in the municipal aviaries as being foreign birds, then along came the vandals and set them loose, for a long time they were struggling to survive, and I was well into my teens before they started to proliferate. I don't regard myself as old but as we age things tend to get wobbly and if you know different then fair enough, put it down to early senility, but I am pretty sure that I speak true, Nina.

 

[bristolbirder]

No offence intended Nina!

Actually, you have raised an interesting point. I can't remember seeing many Greenfinches or even Blue Tits in my suburban garden when I was younger either (I'm getting on a bit as well!). Then again, there were very few feeders around. Do you think that it may be possible that these birds have learnt to adapt and change their habits in order to take advantage of the extra feeding opportunities available?

How many other bird species have changed their habits to take advantage of this modern habit of putting out bird feeders in the last 50 years or so?

 

[Nina P]

Bristolbirder, no offence taken, my mum was a bird feeder in my childhood and along with her there was an old countryman used to work for my dad, and he must have been well over fifty when I was four and he even pointed out the birds songs too, as I was not allowed to look for things, (I'd had eye problems and an operation) so to help me out with not looking he taught me to recognise them by their calls. Very good grounding too. Then my grandmother and her sister used to feed the birds in their back garden, so feeding in our family has been going on for at least three generations. I suppose in that time I have forgotten what it was like not feeding the birds! To answer your question I am not able so ask someone who has just started in their generation, might be a good idea to start that as a thread?Nina.

 

[bristolbirder]

I'll do just that Nina! :t:

 

[stevo]

Hi Nancy,to answer your question about Blackcaps wintering in the uk I have been looking at an article in my local bird report concerning a study of wintering Blackcaps & have found the following info.
1.Early winter, berries such as yew,honeysuckle & ivy are eaten the presence of these berries attract blackcaps to gardens
2.supplimentary feeding of food such as apples,sponge cake & mealworms will also attract blackcaps.
3.There is a tendancy for blackcaps to move into gardens when food in the wild dries up.
4.secure roosting sites such as evegreen shrubs.
5.not all birds are northern migrants moving down the uk,this is borne out by the ringing recoveries of birds ringed in Belgium & Germany.
6.certainly Blackcaps have wintered in the Portsmouth area since 1969/70.