BIRD FEEDING

[greenfinch]

Just thinking Nuthatch,I found in the shed a nice square of vinyl have you any old cuttings you could cut it to size my table is one square of wood I have a pole feeder but Im not very keen on it I got it in Lidls but its handy you can move it if it gets messy on the ground.

[Jacksparrow]

I have a pole feeder and a pole feeding station. The most important thing is to make sure they go into the ground far enough so they don't wobble loose in a strong wind. They are OK for feeders but steer clear of putting a tray or something heavy at the top.

[JooMoo]

My feeding station is now at a jaunty angle.
Because I like to move it around and remove it now and again when mowing, it got a bit bent whilst bashing it back into the ground.
It is also surprising how heavy a few full feeders can be.
The birds like to perch on the top arms to view their lands

[nuthatch]

No, greenfinch - no vinyl around but you've given me ideas like those flexible placemats. Hopefully the next batch of suet pellets won't be so bad.

I have been thinking ... it's such a shame OH was against putting one of the birdhouses out in the open - that's what they're for - as a centrepiece and so the birds can fly through - they're mostly wasted where they are at the side of the grass.

They are so low down too I couldn't believe it The first one came with a really tall post - OH cemented about 3ft of it into the ground.

The second one could be easier to move - we had a metal post made for it - again cemented in but it's in two parts so we could easily untape the join.

One of them could be there up high, where a pole system might go, and there are even lots of hooks left on the second one for feeders - they were both homemade and the second one was second hand - we had to restore it a bit.

Oh dear - regrets

Even if I tried to move the feeders forward a bit I suppose the birds would still land on the fence - it would be better if they flew straight to a more central birdhouse/feeding station.

With the pole stations you have, about how high off the ground is the base of most of the feeders?

I've got twenty hanging feeders of various sorts along that complete stretch of garden

[Jacksparrow]

The feeder on the pole is at about 5 1/2 feet above the ground while those on the feeding station are a 6 feet. That is just about the right height(for me) if you don't want to take the feeder down each time to refill.

[nuthatch]

That's pretty good because some of the poles I've seen online are only 5 1/2 feet long ... by the time you ram them into the ground ... unless they are aiming them primarily at people who want to use them with a patio base

The RSPB one is 5' 6" and offers an extension pole measuring 1' 10"

It's had a couple of questionable reviews - it's said that the hooks slip down unless a full feeder is hanging from it, for one thing.

Suppose the shepherd's crook type ones are better in that respect but I just thought that with the poles, that you add the hooks to separately, you may be able to balance the weight better.

http://shopping.rspb.org.uk/birds-wildl ... hooks.html

[nuthatch]

I put a new jar in the peanut butter feeder a few days ago and it is being pecked at or nibbled

The first jar still has a tiny bit left in it so I placed it into a square in the trellis next to the full one

I haven't bought a feeding station

[Jacksparrow]

The consumption rate of food from the various feeders has dropped noticeably over the last few days. Even the sparrows are eating less. The last time it was this quiet in the garden was last Autumn.

[Placido]

Exactly the same here. Just a couple of dunnocks, a very shy young robin and the doos.

[peregrine]

Same here, not much feeding. Although had Coal Tit yesterday, first for two months.