BIRD FEEDING

[nuthatch]

Nice clip, greg - I suppose there could be a cat hiding there too often - still haven't purloined any holly

I haven't seen a fox there in daylight, Placi

I always change the ground feeder the fat block has been in when it smells foxy - you can smell it long before you get to it

It's a pity about the cats as it's nice and sheltered there for the food and birds .... and just think of the nesting opportunities in a garden not visited by cats

Be nice to have a property with a three mile drive down to the road

[Jacksparrow]

Last week during the cold spell the garden was alive with birds all clamouring to get at the food on offer . This week with the temperatures raised a few degrees and demand has fallen considerably . Next week is forecast to be milder still so Ill be lucky to see a bird .

[nuthatch]

I've been thinking the same all week, Jacksparrow - not much food gone - a couple of days some things weren't touched at all - it seemed as though they had left the party in a hurry soon after they arrived

[Jacksparrow]

In his "what I saw today" post Greg highlighted a problem that I have too. Namely half a sack of Niger seed which almost no birds now want to eat. At one time the demand was such that I purchased an extra feeder to cope with the demand . They now hang there almost totally ignored by all in sundry barring the occasional interest from my sparrow hoards. The goldfinch used to love it, that is until they discovered SF hearts, likewise other former enthusiasts Siskins and latterly Redpolls.
For Sale one half bag of Niger Seed and two feeders. Buyer Collects

[Placido]

Naaaah, not for me. I've never been able to interest any bird whatsoever in nyjer seeds.

[greg]

It is a bit of a mystery! Have a look at this photo from 2 summers ago. This was a homemade stack of 3 Niger feeders! I say 'was' because I dismantled a few months ago and now have just a single stack.
2 years ago there'd be 6 or 7 at a time and I was thinking of buying Niger in bulk. Glad I didn't!
So where have all the Goldfinches gone? I wonder if they've succumbed to the deadly tricho disease.

[Placido]

One of my few successes is that I do have lots of goldies, always have, but they never went for the nyjers.
They eat sunflower hearts and ordinary mixed seeds from a hanging feeder and bathe in and drink from the pond. Simples

[Jacksparrow]

The only time my Goldies will be seen on the mixed seed feeders is when a SF heart seed is visible the remainder of the time it is hearts or nothing though like Greg my numbers are down on a few years ago. It should be remembered that up until relatively recently Goldfinches were migratory and not seen at all during the coldest months and the only thing that was keeping them in the winter was what was on offer in the garden feeders. If people have got bored with bird feeding and moved on to other things they may well have returned to their old habits(well at least some of them). We also used to benefit from migrants from the mainland Europe and if they've started taking a more southerly course we won't get those either.

[Placido]

Ah yes, Jacksparrow, I'd forgotten that. They're not natives are they.

[greg]

Many of our Goldfinches migrate south as far as Spain in the winter. But they're still UK natives