Do you feed your garden birds?

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I have a couple of bird feeders around the house, but only since I have become housebound. I needed the 'entertainment' value that they provide to keep me sane. I love watching them come and feed at the window. One of our windows they can't for some reason see through and you can be within 12 inches of them and see them clearly and they won't fly away, but another window they will fly away from it at the slightest movement from within the room (we only put that feeder up about a month ago so they could still be getting used to it).
I only put out a fat block and sunflower seeds nothing else - this comes from years of experience when we used to have a massive rural garden and fed the birds as part of our morning routine (feed the birds, feed the guinea pigs, feed the other animals and water the potatoes/garden/veg plot). Then we used to spend a fortune on bird food (wild bird seed, sunflower seeds, porridge oats, dried fruit and fat blocks (homemade)). Now we only do sunflower seeds (shelled) and fat blocks (OK I admit, I buy them off amazon now!)...

In our old garden we had an amazing range of wild birds that visited our feeding station. We had recorded over 30 different species visiting it including a number a rare wild birds that are on the protected species list in the UK.

Now, sadly elsewhere in the country, we only have the standard garden birds visiting the feeder, but it is still a joy to watch them and visitors are still fascinated by their antics on the window feeder. Currently we have around 15 species visiting the window feeder which sadly means ground feeders are not able to feed (such as blackbirds, thrushes and dunnocks). I guess we spend around £5 a month on them now, but I won't let it get any more than that.

Do you feed your garden birds?

 

[winterybella]

I don't but it is something worth considering. I generally don't spend much time outdoors or at home so there is my problem right away. But here is the thing. I spent the day with my mom yesterday and boy was I entertained. I am sitting around with door wide open and in comes this bird like it lives there. We are shelling some peas and it takes some from the table and floor and generally seems quite at home. I have to say it was a delight to watch.

 

[Diane Lane]

I feed mine down in the yard, since the squirrel flea issue, so I don't get to see them much. But, I visit my friend across the street frequently, and we sit and watch them. I like that they're the same birds that visit my yard. This isn't the greatest picture, but I love when the cardinals come calling

 

[Berties]

Do we, sat here watching the daddy black bird feed the young , the mum has built another nest and Is Sitting again
We use meal worms
Meal warm fat
Pumpkin seeds
sultanas
Lots of seeds
And they love my grass seed and the soft fruits in season
They like it when I swill the porridge pan out
The birds are so tame when young, 2 ring dives come right up to you

 

[welsh dragon]

I feed the birds with fat balls. We donhavea problem with squirrels though who pull the bird feeders down. When we get rid of them we have a great variety of birds from finches, to tits, bullfinches, blackbirds, wrens, green finches, woodpeckers, blue tits, long tailed tits, robins gold finches and a lot more. Its great to see the birds, but horrible when the pesky squirrels make such a mess

 

[Berties]

This mornings ,morning chorus has been amazing,the bird are in full voice,
We have a problem with rats,not squirrels ,and my new night visitor Mr bill badger,which has destroyed a flock of chichens two properties down
And I do not encourage magpies

 

[welsh dragon]

This mornings ,morning chorus has been amazing,the bird are in full voice,
We have a problem with rats,not squirrels ,and my new night visitor Mr bill badger,which has destroyed a flock of chichens two properties down
And I do not encourage magpies

Badgers have killed chickens?

 

[Berties]

Badgers have killed chickens?

I'm afraid so! Must have young,as they took a load out,normally take birds one by one,I'm trying to keep them out of my garden as they have a nasty habit of digging,blocked off their run and had to put slabs down ,as they have started to scratch to get through!

 

[Diane Lane]

I'm afraid so! Must have young,as they took a load out,normally take birds one by one,I'm trying to keep them out of my garden as they have a nasty habit of digging,blocked off their run and had to put slabs down ,as they have started to scratch to get through!

I've got something that's dug big holes in my yard. I'm not sure if it's armadillos or something else, so I will have to investigate. What a shame about the chickens . I had breakfast on the balcony this morning, watching the sun come up, listening to the birds, and enjoying the scent of the jasmine and gardenias. It was a lovely way to start the day.

 

[Berties]

I've got something that's dug big holes in my yard. I'm not sure if it's armadillos or something else, so I will have to investigate. What a shame about the chickens . I had breakfast on the balcony this morning, watching the sun come up, listening to the birds, and enjoying the scent of the jasmine and gardenias. It was a lovely way to start the day.

I've sat out in the garden spotting the birds all afternoon , not so warm in the UK , had the chimnea
Burning , all sorts of bird song
The smell of the clematis is wafting around , so where ever you are in the world we all enjoy the simpler things sometimes

 

[Duck59]

I have no garden, but have a bird feeder on a bedroom window. This keeps house sparrows interested and we've had the odd blue tit and greenfinch having a bash as well. On the dawn chorus front, we have a nearby blackbird that seems to operate around the clock. It never seems to matter what time of night you wake up, he'll still be singing away.

 

[welsh dragon]

I'm afraid so! Must have young,as they took a load out,normally take birds one by one,I'm trying to keep them out of my garden as they have a nasty habit of digging,blocked off their run and had to put slabs down ,as they have started to scratch to get through!

I have a large badger set on my land. I also have 5 chickens. I didn't know badgers ate chicken's. I haven't had any trouble so far. Thank god.

 

[Diane Lane]

I've sat out in the garden spotting the birds all afternoon , not so warm in the UK , had the chimnea
Burning , all sorts of bird song
The smell of the clematis is wafting around , so where ever you are in the world we all enjoy the simpler things sometimes

That sounds very relaxing. It's way too warm right now for a chimnea, but they are very popular in the winters, since it doesn't get too cold here. I don't have one yet, but I will someday. Patio heaters are also very popular here, especially for events, but I prefer a chimnea or fire pot. It was really nice to watch the sun coming up through the trees, but one of these days when it's not raining, I'll have to go down to the beach, to get some nice pics of it.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

On the dawn chorus front, we have a nearby blackbird that seems to operate around the clock. It never seems to matter what time of night you wake up, he'll still be singing away.

Blackbirds are well known for this! It can be a touch annoying but they are short lived birds typically only 3 years so it is unlikely to last long. However, the oldest surviving is 20 years... www.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/advice/expert/previous/blackbirds_live.aspx

This mornings ,morning chorus has been amazing,the bird are in full voice,

I heard it this morning as well and it was a good one here too.

 

[Berties]

I love watching the blackbirds and love their song , the first baby's now puff out bigger than their dad