Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2021 13:20:25 GMT 1
and there are annoying things on wings. We do not have any of the Tit family or suchlike. We are entertained by Blackbirds, House and Tree sparrows, Dunnocks and one Pied Wagtail. However, we are plagued by Starlings and Pigeons.We put out flat fat/seed feeders which are 10cm x 10cm x 3cm and they weigh 310 grammes. We regularly get flocks of 20 or so very aggressive Starlings which we call "Hoovers" that we chase off many times a day. Out of interest yesterday we kept out of the way and 14 of them polished off the food in 17 minutes. From landing to flying away. Also we have the "flying rats" commonly called Pigeons. Three can sit on the feeder and they usually keep on pecking until scared off. However, they return immediately to continue gorging themselves. They also crap on not only the feeder but the food itself. They are vermin. Anyway when we go out we cover the feeders so that there is something left for the "proper" birds when we return.
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Post by woolybanana on Jul 17, 2021 13:49:43 GMT 1
There are vertical feeders which are designed to stop squirrels mice and the like getting at the food; would they work for starlings and fat pigeons?
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Post by fiddler on Jul 17, 2021 14:21:10 GMT 1
I feel your pain! It is hard when you love birds but are faced with important levels of damage or distress caused. We had a big problem with swallows nesting under the eaves of the house. At first it was a handful but over a few years it became nearly 30 nests each with a brood of chicks. The mess and damage to the house walls was disheartening. Our first attempt (after nesting had finished obviously) was to run fishing line along. I read somewhere that this would block access without hurting them. They nested behind all this happily and used the fishing line as entertainment for the many fledglings. I agree about pigeons too. There is a nest on a neighbouring house corner that is cleaned out regularly by the birds. They roll all their poo down our blinds and onto the terrace. I still love it here though, even with pigeon poo.....
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Aardvark
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Living in soggy 22 and still wondering what's going on.
Posts: 2,208
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Post by Aardvark on Jul 17, 2021 17:47:48 GMT 1
We are fortunate in having one or two pairs of a wide range of birds in our garden. The common types of finches, robins, tits, etc. but also wood pigeons, blackbirds and even some magpie visitors that live elsewhere. We don't put out any food for them. They just help themselves to the chicken granules that the hens leave after breakfast. None of them poop on the washing or the car so we all live in harmony.
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Post by Gigi on Jul 17, 2021 18:33:53 GMT 1
We have a wide variety of birds which visit our garden in Berkshire and all are welcome except maybe the magpies, which have appeared this year in very large numbers; I love to see the occasional nuthatch and loved seeing tree creepers but they seem not to visit us now. Wrens and robins are a delight, along with the various tits and other small brds and I enjoy watching the many red kites overhead.
Squirrels can be fun, but are very clever and work out ways to eat as much bird food as possible, despite us trying out many “squirrel-proof” feeders and tying holly up poles that feeders hang from.
What I’d love to see in our garden are gold-crests and siskins, which we tried tempting with niger seed in feeders, but they throw seed about with such abandon that rats are encouraged, which give me the heeby-jeebies.
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FFS
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As usual, in front of my laptop when I'm here
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Post by FFS on Jul 18, 2021 9:41:59 GMT 1
If you hang a vertical feeder (like the one in Gigi's avatar) from a length of fishing line, would that stop the squirrels accessing it? I know they're intrepid, but a length of vertical fishing line would surely give them pause for thought.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2021 10:55:02 GMT 1
There are vertical feeders which are designed to stop squirrels mice and the like getting at the food; would they work for starlings and fat pigeons? I shal go and look for some. Thanks for the tip woolybanana. |
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Post by Gigi on Jul 18, 2021 11:27:19 GMT 1
If you hang a vertical feeder (like the one in Gigi's avatar) from a length of fishing line, would that stop the squirrels accessing it? I know they're intrepid, but a length of vertical fishing line would surely give them pause for thought. We haven’t tried fishing line, but have hung feeders up with the stretchy string, which I usually use to tie tomatoes to canes, tie climbing plants etc in with. Our squirrels take flying leaps from branches of apple trees and can leap quite high off the ground to feeders - watching them figure out what the’ll need to try next is amusing. They are very good at accessing seed from feeders strung in the open between trees too. Maybe we’ll try fishing line next. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2021 17:37:17 GMT 1
If you hang a vertical feeder (like the one in Gigi's avatar) from a length of fishing line, would that stop the squirrels accessing it? I know they're intrepid, but a length of vertical fishing line would surely give them pause for thought. We haven’t tried fishing line, but have hung feeders up with the stretchy string, which I usually use to tie tomatoes to canes, tie climbing plants etc in with. Our squirrels take flying leaps from branches of apple trees and can leap quite high off the ground to feeders - watching them figure out what the’ll need to try next is amusing. They are very good at accessing seed from feeders strung in the open between trees too. Maybe we’ll try fishing line next. Our friend Richard uses an air rifle to shoot the beggars. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2021 8:51:25 GMT 1
Warning thread drift!!!
We've been "adopted" by hedgehogs! Started putting out meal worms last thing at night on the lawn, to avoid the winged rats eating them and hedgehogs appear nearly straightaway. Wished they did their number 2's somewhere else though!
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Nifty
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Post by Nifty on Jul 22, 2021 9:26:45 GMT 1
and Magpies.
When these are present at a location in the nesting season the wild bird population of that area will decline.
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Post by woolybanana on Jul 22, 2021 11:46:28 GMT 1
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Post by Gigi on Jul 22, 2021 15:54:38 GMT 1
We’ve had two similar to that, a very good idea, we thought, with the lid part descending to prevent squirrels getting to the food. But although they were both quite substantial, squirrels destroyed them. |
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Post by woolybanana on Jul 22, 2021 15:58:44 GMT 1
What were you feeding the squirrels, gigi, manfood!😜
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