Please think of the birds

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by storm rider

Love the pic gg,

How do you add a pic to your thread?

Phil..

Thanks....taken from google images...lol. I just hover over the picture (make sure it has no copyright on it) and right click, then copy. Then go to the message form on here that I have written my post/reply in and paste. If you do it from photobucket, you just copy and paste the image code in.

Originally Posted by missyorkie_chris

I was surprised to see a dunnock eating from the niger seed feeder yesterday! And the blue tits occasionally grab a seed or two, must copy the coal tits as they both take a seed and end up hammering it like mad to open it, not having the finch bill to just crack them open. I need to get one of the smaller niger feeders, I get a problem with the seeds sprouting and clogging up the larger feeder because of the moisture...need to get round to it!



The long-tails haven't turned up round here yet, they move up a little bit later in winter. Saw a few in summer though, real treat when they do arrive

Watch out for waxwings at the moment if you have any berry trees in the garden, there's an influx of them down the UK at the moment, loads more than usual coming in from Scandinavia, they've been in our area but I've not been so lucky! Beautiful birds, really want to see one

Maria, firstly thank you

Secondly, come down here if you want to see them. I have seen these almost every day for the last 2 weeks. Have been meaning to look them up as I didn't know what they were, but you've identified them for me now. I've only seen two together once. Normally, one will fly through, sit right at the top of the berry bushes, eat a few and go, then another will fly through and I'll see them again the next day.

[hindle8907]

are they not meant to fend for their self ?

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by hindle8907

are they not meant to fend for their self ?

They find it hard when we keep building on their territory and therefore depleting their natural food sources, so it's only responsible of us to help them as best we can.

[hindle8907]

good point

[embee]

Originally Posted by hindle8907

are they not meant to fend for their self ?

A bit like we are, those supermarkets are just for the namby pamby types, get out into the woods and forage!

Whole fruit cut in half if it's too overripe for your taste and mild cheese is an idea too.

Originally Posted by hindle8907

are they not meant to fend for their self ?

Yeah sure they are in the natural way of things but if we didn't help at all then a lot of the smaller birds would die. With the winters getting colder and the nights frostier it's obviously becoming harder for the smaller birds to find food to build up the vital fat reserves they need to just survive at all. A lot of garden birds supplement their diet with worms and insects but severe winters mean the ground is too hard to probe for these and insect numbers are decreasing with the cold anyway.



Also embee, reading you post about feeding all year round, it's fine to do that but you have to be careful what you put out in the spring and summer months when chicks are being raised. Apparently peanuts are not a great idea, same with bread and fats as the chicks can choke. I would say bread's fine if you blend it first to turn it into crumbs. And fat melted with seeds is better than large chunks of solid lard.

[embee]

Originally Posted by missyorkie_chris

...Also embee, reading you post about feeding all year round,.....

Yes good point, I only put out peanuts in winter, I find they aren't taken all that much anyway. Sunflower hearts seem to be very popular year round and certainly the goldfinch population doesn't seem to suffer from year round supplies!

Originally Posted by embee

Sunflower hearts seem to be very popular year round and certainly the goldfinch population doesn't seem to suffer from year round supplies!

Sunflower hearts are great, shame they're so blumin' dear!

[BanannaMan]

My wife feeds them year round.

In the winter Cardinals and Blue Jays are the most colorful.
I like the cardnals best.

Taken in my garden Jan 2010.

[gruntygiggles]

Oh Bill ,I love Cardinals, used to see loads of them when I visited Texas. Used to see the occasional mountain bluebird in CO as well and they are like an electric blue dart flying past