Feeding the birds

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kwackers
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Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by kwackers »

We have loads of robins but none ever use the feeders, they just hang around the floor cleaning up the mess the others make.

Bizarrely we now also have a moorhen, no idea where that comes from. It's not that long ago I discovered they could fly! I'd only ever seen them running madly back to canals.
Our moorhen spends most of the day pecking around the feeders - I throw it some peanuts from time to time then it goes and sits in a tree.
That looks really odd to me, a moorhen roosting in a tree...
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

well I have got to hand it to some of the blue/great tits trying to feed 3 foors up in the gales in London :shock: rather them than me - I fear about going out onto the balcony in case I get blown away :?
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Heard a scratching at the door, looked out, saw a woodpecker, it scarpered as I moved to look at it, might have been a bluetit or a thrush, quite small
..
Saw a heron standing by a pond, a black-headed gull flew circuits screeching at it, the heron ignored it but soon more and more gulls gathered screeching and circuiting and the heron flew away
Bullies are Cowards I guess, they need to be in big groups :?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
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mercalia
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Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

I am plagued with squirrels and pigeons trying to get a free nosh

here my part solns

anti squirrel pigeon.jpg

the squirrels can still walk across the spikes but only on tipy-toes so dont seem to be able to jump up
anti  pigeon.jpg

the plastic spikes though small are very sharp and so far the pigeons are deciding not to want to get hurt.
They wobble around in the wind that helps

I have a Robin who has learnt how to use a feeder ( not shown)
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Did you construct those yourself?
Pigeons are birds too, but I hate people who feed them in town
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
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mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

Cyril Haearn wrote:Did you construct those yourself?
Pigeons are birds too, but I hate people who feed them in town


no bought off Ebay but tied them together. The black plastic strips meant to put on walls to deter cats & was my first attempt to put on the balcony. didnt work. so gotr the longer spikes things, quite cheap. Well Pigeons may be birds but they mess up my balcony. and like the squirrels will hoover up every thing. I bought a catapault from Ebay and some mud and metal ball bearings so will shoot them If they come near my French Windows. Also one the the squirrels that keeps on trying to get to the bird food. Its latest attempt is to go on top of the roof and climb down. I'll shoot that If I can it before it scampers off. I am getting quite good at hitting near targets. I got one of the squirrels and made it jump all around wondering where the attacker was :twisted: it wasnt harmed its fur too thick I think
Cyril Haearn
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Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Lots of trouble with wild animals in London, thought of moving to the country? :wink:
In my leafy suburb there are wild pigs allegedly, 200 live in the woods, never seen one, but often seen where they dig up the ground with their snouts
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
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NATURAL ANKLING
Posts: 13780
Joined: 24 Oct 2012, 10:43pm
Location: English Riviera

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
I noticed that recently its only blackbirds (black / brown) and robins mostly out on my cycle trips.
In the garden there are pigeons, but a lot of blackbirds and we have robins on the table and some blue tits in the box for weeks now, even great tits too. Magpie's, and some what appears to be some blackbird feathers on the grass.......cats.
Alas sparrows are hard to find anywhere.
And a hedgehog visits my hutch most nights and stays in the day too.
But the cats get through most barricade's so I construct a brick tunnel just big enough for my clenched fist and this keeps out cats, surprised what a cat can squeeze through.
Crows and the like will turn up if too much bird activity is seen by them.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
JohnW
Posts: 6667
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by JohnW »

I'm in West Yorkshire.
It's way different up here, from the "English Riviera!" :cry: :cry: :cry:
Our village was quite rural until a decade or two ago, but even 10 acres right behind us has been built upon in the last 10 years; it was previously farmland and quite a wildlife haven. Habitat destruction, felling of trees and hedgerow, and provision for hoards of motorists has changed our environment completely.
We've totally lost the greenfinches, goldfinches and chaffinches that were common. The jackdaws have become rare visitors. Blackbirds and thrushes no longer visit. The nuthatches have disappeared completely.
90% of visitors are sparrows, although down to less than half the number of a few years ago, despite our feeders hung from our hawthorn. We get the occasional dunnock, taking the seeds that the sparrows drop on the floor. We had a robin earlier in the year, but not seen it for at least four weeks. We sometimes see a wren - where it nests I don't know. We have blue, coal and great tits very occasionally - I see a blue tit or two about every day, especially when the sun shines. We have a pair of collared doves - if they behave the same as last year they'll bring their young. Down the woods the Jays have halved.
At a guess I'd say that the number of bird visitors to our garden has more than halved in 10 years, and the number of species down to a third.

The loss of other wildlife is more total, and heartbreaking.
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

JohnW wrote:I'm in West Yorkshire.
It's way different up here, from the "English Riviera!" :cry: :cry: :cry:
Our village was quite rural until a decade or two ago, but even 10 acres right behind us has been built upon in the last 10 years; it was previously farmland and quite a wildlife haven. Habitat destruction, felling of trees and hedgerow, and provision for hoards of motorists has changed our environment completely.
We've totally lost the greenfinches, goldfinches and chaffinches that were common. The jackdaws have become rare visitors. Blackbirds and thrushes no longer visit. The nuthatches have disappeared completely.
90% of visitors are sparrows, although down to less than half the number of a few years ago, despite our feeders hung from our hawthorn. We get the occasional dunnock, taking the seeds that the sparrows drop on the floor. We had a robin earlier in the year, but not seen it for at least four weeks. We sometimes see a wren - where it nests I don't know. We have blue, coal and great tits very occasionally - I see a blue tit or two about every day, especially when the sun shines. We have a pair of collared doves - if they behave the same as last year they'll bring their young. Down the woods the Jays have halved.
At a guess I'd say that the number of bird visitors to our garden has more than halved in 10 years, and the number of species down to a third.

The loss of other wildlife is more total, and heartbreaking.


I have 4 squirrels you can have
JohnW
Posts: 6667
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by JohnW »

mercalia wrote:
JohnW wrote:I'm in West Yorkshire.
It's way different up here, from the "English Riviera!" :cry: :cry: :cry:
Our village was quite rural until a decade or two ago, but even 10 acres right behind us has been built upon in the last 10 years; it was previously farmland and quite a wildlife haven. Habitat destruction, felling of trees and hedgerow, and provision for hoards of motorists has changed our environment completely.
We've totally lost the greenfinches, goldfinches and chaffinches that were common. The jackdaws have become rare visitors. Blackbirds and thrushes no longer visit. The nuthatches have disappeared completely.
90% of visitors are sparrows, although down to less than half the number of a few years ago, despite our feeders hung from our hawthorn. We get the occasional dunnock, taking the seeds that the sparrows drop on the floor. We had a robin earlier in the year, but not seen it for at least four weeks. We sometimes see a wren - where it nests I don't know. We have blue, coal and great tits very occasionally - I see a blue tit or two about every day, especially when the sun shines. We have a pair of collared doves - if they behave the same as last year they'll bring their young. Down the woods the Jays have halved.
At a guess I'd say that the number of bird visitors to our garden has more than halved in 10 years, and the number of species down to a third.

The loss of other wildlife is more total, and heartbreaking.


I have 4 squirrels you can have

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: You'll have to pay their train fare from London!
No thanks, anyway.
How do you get your bike up there?
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

latest attempt to keep the pigeons away.
spike a pigeon. click to enlarge
spike a pigeon. click to enlarge


the small birds dont seem to find it a problem.

some green I think parakeets had a look and decided not to bother, really noisey so and so's


I dont think pigeons have very good eyesight or just stupid as i see them flying into the spikes. also a starling had a nasty shock flew diretly into the spikes not seeing them it seems
Last edited by mercalia on 12 May 2019, 7:59am, edited 4 times in total.
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

JohnW wrote:
mercalia wrote:
JohnW wrote:I'm in West Yorkshire.
It's way different up here, from the "English Riviera!" :cry: :cry: :cry:
Our village was quite rural until a decade or two ago, but even 10 acres right behind us has been built upon in the last 10 years; it was previously farmland and quite a wildlife haven. Habitat destruction, felling of trees and hedgerow, and provision for hoards of motorists has changed our environment completely.
We've totally lost the greenfinches, goldfinches and chaffinches that were common. The jackdaws have become rare visitors. Blackbirds and thrushes no longer visit. The nuthatches have disappeared completely.
90% of visitors are sparrows, although down to less than half the number of a few years ago, despite our feeders hung from our hawthorn. We get the occasional dunnock, taking the seeds that the sparrows drop on the floor. We had a robin earlier in the year, but not seen it for at least four weeks. We sometimes see a wren - where it nests I don't know. We have blue, coal and great tits very occasionally - I see a blue tit or two about every day, especially when the sun shines. We have a pair of collared doves - if they behave the same as last year they'll bring their young. Down the woods the Jays have halved.
At a guess I'd say that the number of bird visitors to our garden has more than halved in 10 years, and the number of species down to a third.

The loss of other wildlife is more total, and heartbreaking.


I have 4 squirrels you can have

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: You'll have to pay their train fare from London!
No thanks, anyway.
How do you get your bike up there?


carry the bike up the stairs as no lifts
User avatar
NATURAL ANKLING
Posts: 13780
Joined: 24 Oct 2012, 10:43pm
Location: English Riviera

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Loads of Robbins blackbirds goldfinch a few sparrows a couple of wood pigeons.
Blue tits in and out of the box.
Possible squirrels getting on the Bird table.
I Reduced access to the bird table with horizontal bars, spaced apart just so.
But removed a small infill, was meant to allow up to blackbird size only, put it back now.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
mercalia
Posts: 14630
Joined: 22 Sep 2013, 10:03pm
Location: london South

Re: Feeding the birds

Post by mercalia »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
Loads of Robbins blackbirds goldfinch a few sparrows a couple of wood pigeons.
Blue tits in and out of the box.
Possible squirrels getting on the Bird table.
I Reduced access to the bird table with horizontal bars, spaced apart just so.
But removed a small infill, was meant to allow up to blackbird size only, put it back now.


pictures?
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