Garden bird feeding woes

[Turbodiesel1690]

I put out a mesh wire bird feeder full of peanuts for the garden birds over a week ago. The peanuts are intended for garden birds, they're unsalted and don't seem to be off or out of date. The feeder is hanging about 4 foot off the ground and the garden is enclosed i.e. no cats. However, not one of the wee buggers have turned up for the free grub. I just saw a blue tit land on the feeder then immediately take off without touching them. Any suggestions folks? Why oh why do the birds refuse to gorge on my nuts??

[netherfield]

Give them time,it can take weeks before they get used to the new food source.

And at this time of the year birds are more attracted to fat blocks than peanuts.

[Busamav]

Feed them and they will come , have patience and you will be suitable rewarded.

Add a seed feeder and you will spend hours watching them .

[CharlesdeGaulle]

I think that it can take up to 2 weeks for birds to identify and trust a new food source. The key is that, once started, you don't stop feeding them. Be patient - it's well worth it.

[Zelda Pinwheel]

Definitely give it at least a week for them to "find" it. We have several feeders, and anytime we put something new out, it's ignored for ages until they figure out it's safe. However, they barely wait for us to get back in the house after refilling, before they're all over the feeders again.

[rolex]

Dump the peanuts and buy some sunflower hearts they are smaller and the birds can wolf them down in one go, although you would probably need a plastic tube feeder.

[andy43]

After a roast dinner mop up some of the fat with bits of bread and leave that out - they may prefer that at the moment. It will take time for them to actually realise the foods there and is edible - peanuts don't just grow on trees. Er..not here anyway.

[Halb]

andy43 said:

After a roast dinner mop up some of the fat with bits of bread and leave that out - they may prefer that at the moment. It will take time for them to actually realise the foods there and is edible - peanuts don't just grow on trees. Er..not here anyway.

You might get a lot of Northerners in flat caps milling around your feeder as well.

[andy43]

Coincidentally, that's what we use to feed the birds from - northerners flat caps are excellent as feeding trays. They have been complaining 'aboot t'cold' recently though..

[Busamav]

rolex said:

Dump the peanuts and buy some sunflower hearts they are smaller and the birds can wolf them down in one go, although you would probably need a plastic tube feeder.

I purchased a sack of them and as you say , the birds go mad for them , especially the Goldfinch who just do not visit unless they are on the menu

[Flintstone]

andy43 said:

- peanuts don't just grow on trees. Er..not here anyway.

Or anywhere else








I find the bigger the variety of food you can put out (and keep topping up) the better. I know I shouldn't be (bird) racist but I wish the starlings would bugger off. They're like a swarm of locusts and clear out the mealworm feeder in about ten minutes flat.

[JustinP1]

Turbodiesel1690 said:

I put out a mesh wire bird feeder full of peanuts for the garden birds over a week ago...

I'd put up some seed with it, and also some fat balls.

Basically birds will fly around randomly looking for food sources. When they know a good food source is there, they'll add you to their 'mental list' of food sources, and go around in a tour around their sources.

If they come back a couple of times and there's no food there, you'll get deleted. So you need to be consistent.

I started 5 years ago, and so far counted over 20 different species, and we're still getting new ones.

This winter we had a Nuthatch for the first time and also a Greater Spotted Woodpecker, all in suburbia. They both came 4 or 5 times a day.

Put up a good selection of food and be patient. They will come.

[adaptive]

Halb said:

andy43 said:

After a roast dinner mop up some of the fat with bits of bread and leave that out - they may prefer that at the moment. It will take time for them to actually realise the foods there and is edible - peanuts don't just grow on trees. Er..not here anyway.

You might get a lot of Northerners in flat caps milling around your feeder as well.

thats seriously the best picture you could find of Bill Oddie?

[Halb]

It's the most up to date one