Feeding wild birds

[V8mate]

I've made the subject deliberately wide in case others have questions, but I have a specific query re blackbirds.

A hanging feeder won't cater for blackbirds and simply leaving appropriate scraps on the ground will see it stripped by pigeons. How can I help out my garden's resident families of blackbirds during this frozen weather?

[whirligig]

I was thinking this exact thing this morning watching a poor blackbird try to flutter up to feed on the fat balls in vain. Normally they do alright from scratching around below but obviously the snow is putting the mockers on this - I did break up a couple of balls and scattered it on the snow for them but it soon covered over.

[Super Slo Mo]

Bird table maybe? Blackbirds seem to do alright out of mine, they can get under the roof, while the massive fat pigeons can't.

I put a little food on the lawn for the pigeons so they don't try to ransack the table, which seems to work.

We put out a hanging seed feeder the other week, and all the small birds (tits and finches I think) went mad for it for an hour or two, then haven't touched it since, I have no idea why.

[mrsshpub]

We feed ours supermarket 'value' sultanas (soaked to plump them up & make them softer to swallow) & 'value' grated cheese. Every time we go into the kitchen, there are blackbirds lined up, waiting to be fed. Although it's been snowing all day, there's a well-trampled area outside our backdoor that has never quite been covered in snow.......

[Turn7]

You can buy a ground based cage that precludes fatties like tree rats getting in.

Like this

[Spitfire2]

Feeding on the ground is likely to attract rats.

[Mr Pointy]

I put food under bushes which seems to work. Blackbirds scrabble around under them but the pigeons are not keen on having foliage overhead - they seem to like clear sky to escape into.

[V8mate]

Thanks for all the advice

Suet sandwiches have duly been delivered into the bushes they inhabit.

[Jasandjules]

That's a great idea I will put some seed/bread under the bushes tomorrow, I made more fat balls today and saw a blackbird failing to get it - even in the feeder.

[mrmaggit]

All our local blackbirds feed on our fence-mounted feeders, but i do also chuck some mealworms around. The feeders are the ones with the clear plastic fronts that Gardman sell. We have two, both get emptied every day, although we do have one squirrel that particularly likes birdseed.

We get a continuous stream of robins, blackbirds, wrens, blue tits, great tits, as well as doves on ours. The pigeons loiter below and feed on the dropped bits. We have a covered table feeder for the doves and pigeons, which also attracts the robins and thrushes.

[Rae420]

Always make sure to keep your seeds and feed fresh, i saw on spring watch one year that old seed etc can kill birds I fortunately can barely keep enough food out there for them, they get through it so fast

[ali_kat]

Pigeons don't come near our garden!

Have family(?) of Robins that knock the kitchen window when I'm in there for food

Have Rooks & Woodpeckers, with Thrushes & Blackbirds in the front

[roadtripboy]

Anyone else have problems with cheeky squirrels taking control of their hanging feeders?

[mrmaggit]

Yes, so they now have their own feeder, which all but one, they use. I think the odd one just prefers the bird seed.

[Nightmare]

i have several squirrel proof feeders now just to try and keep my costs down - they can do half a tube of sunflower hearts in about 20 minutes given half a chance, and i couldn't keep up

Ive since caught the squirrel trying to drag an entire SP feeder across the lawn. it looked soooo guilty when it saw me!