Keep them happy (Birdwatching)

Member Name: Sandra-M

Product:	Birdwatching
Date:	30/07/01 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Regular feeding will attract different species of birds into your garden, Regular feeding helps birds when natural supplies are short, May be the start of an interesting hobby

Disadvantages: Will cost money to get good food but work out what you can afford first

At last count we counted over 20 different species of birds visiting our garden throughout the year. But it wasn't always like this. When we first moved into our house last September the only birds in the garden were a couple of magpies, two blackbirds and two dunnocks. Having been watching birds for around 10 years at our old house I knew that it would be easy to get more birds into the garden. I set up feeders and a birdtable and wondered what would come into the new garden.

Like most people I began bird feeding by throwing out some bread. This seemed to attract mainly sparrows and starlings. Then I put up a bird feeder with some nuts from the local pet shop and we got our first blue tits in and some greenfinches.

My partner started getting seriously interested and we bought a telescope on a stand which we permanantly trained on the feeder. It was fascinating to watch the birds close up.

I joined the RSPB and it was in there I saw an advert for CJ Wildbird Foods. I filled out a form for their free Handbook of Garden Feeding. The guide (which I believe may be still available) contains a guide explaining when to feed, what to feed and how to feed.

Years ago the only foods available were either waste of poor quality by-product - some were even toxic. Today toxic foods are in the minority but the majority are still reliant on cheaper poor quality ingredients.
Companies like CJ Wildbird Foods (01743-709545) and Garden Bird Supplies (01939-232233 & www.gardenbird.com) offer better better quality, nutritional foods such as sunflowers seeds, peanuts, sunflower hearts, specially formulated seed mixes for hanging feeders, table and ground feeders and also live foods such as meal worms and wax worms.

I would strongly recommend a good quality peanut feeder and seed feeder. Both the above companies sell ones that are easily dismantled for cleaning. Also if squirrels are a problem they both sell 'squirrel pr
oof' feeders. Water is also essential for drinking, bathing and for the maintenance of feather condition. It is also attract the birds into your garden. Water can be provided by a pond, bird bath or just an upturned dustbin lid.

To keep your birds happy and coming back for more, I recommend putting out the following foods:

Peanuts - For blue tits, great tits, coal tits, greenfinch, great spotted woodpecker

Bird Seed - For chaffinch, tits.

Black sunflower - Chaffinch, tits, greenfinch

Softbill food - For thrushes, dunnocks, chaffinch, blackbird, robin

Here is a list of birds in my garden:

Blue Tits
Great Tits
Magpies
Robin
Blackbird
Thrush
Dunnock
Chaffinch
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
Dove
Wood Pidgeon
Crow
Jay
Greenfinch
Sparrows
Jackdaw
Wren
Starling
Long Tailed Tits
Coal Tit
Blackcap - one seen recently (Jul '01)
Goldfinch - last seen in March '01
Firecrest - last seen in March '01
Green Woodpecker - last seen in September '00
Tree Creeper - last seen in September '00

It would be interesting to hear what you have seen in your garden. If you start feeding the birds it is something you need to continue as they will depend on your supplies when natural food supplies are scarce or in periods of adverse weather. Research shows the October is the one time of the year when nature has supplied enough food and gardens can become quiet. Food will be appreciated from November through Winter to April and from early May to the end of September when birds are feeding their young.

Summary: