Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)

Yes, I've noticed the same thing. I've put out bags of peanuts and
fat-balls with seeds, but nothing visits the table at all. In fact, I
haven't seen even one bird at the feeder this winter. And like you, the
only birds in my garden are starlings. Very odd indeed.






"Barry Watts" wrote in message
...
Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and
peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of
Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)

In article ,
Jack wrote:
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. I've put out bags of peanuts and
fat-balls with seeds, but nothing visits the table at all. In fact, I
haven't seen even one bird at the feeder this winter. And like you, the
only birds in my garden are starlings. Very odd indeed.

Barry is in Essex. Where are you?

I'm in Clackmannanshire (between Stirlingshire and Fife) and I've had
loads of action at the bird feeder this winter, including robins,
blackbirds, collared doves, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, chaffinches,
a wren, a pied wagtail, greenfinches and goldfinches.

The one bird I haven't had interested was starlings. They and the
rooks just make noise from on top of the TV aerials.

Sharon

On 11 Mar 2003 19:11:55 -0000, (Sharon Curtis)
wrote:

In article ,
Jack wrote:
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. I've put out bags of peanuts and
fat-balls with seeds, but nothing visits the table at all. In fact, I
haven't seen even one bird at the feeder this winter. And like you, the
only birds in my garden are starlings. Very odd indeed.

do you have a big cat population ??

Barry is in Essex. Where are you?

I'm in Clackmannanshire (between Stirlingshire and Fife) and I've had
loads of action at the bird feeder this winter, including robins,
blackbirds, collared doves, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, chaffinches,
a wren, a pied wagtail, greenfinches and goldfinches.

The one bird I haven't had interested was starlings. They and the
rooks just make noise from on top of the TV aerials.

Sharon

strange ,plenty of tits in my garden, collared doves and even a
woodpecker ,lesser spotted,..my feeders have attracted a load of
birds,
and ring necked parakeets.
south west london location..

I'm in Clackmannanshire (between Stirlingshire and Fife) and I've had
loads of action at the bird feeder this winter, including robins,
blackbirds, collared doves, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, chaffinches,
a wren, a pied wagtail, greenfinches and goldfinches.

The one bird I haven't had interested was starlings. They and the
rooks just make noise from on top of the TV aerials.

Sharon

Here in South Somerset I have had all the above plus wood pigeon, cock
pheasant, greater spotted woodpecker, thrushes, long tailed tits and
greenfinches. All but the pheasant have been daily visitors. I am spending
small fortune feeding them!

On Tue, 11 Mar 2003 19:17:46 +0000, Tarzan wrote:

On 11 Mar 2003 19:11:55 -0000, (Sharon Curtis)
wrote:

In article ,
Jack wrote:
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. I've put out bags of peanuts and
fat-balls with seeds, but nothing visits the table at all. In fact, I
haven't seen even one bird at the feeder this winter. And like you, the
only birds in my garden are starlings. Very odd indeed.

do you have a big cat population ??

Barry is in Essex. Where are you?

I'm in Clackmannanshire (between Stirlingshire and Fife) and I've had
loads of action at the bird feeder this winter, including robins,
blackbirds, collared doves, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, chaffinches,
a wren, a pied wagtail, greenfinches and goldfinches.

The one bird I haven't had interested was starlings. They and the
rooks just make noise from on top of the TV aerials.

Sharon

strange ,plenty of tits in my garden, collared doves and even a
woodpecker ,lesser spotted,..my feeders have attracted a load of
birds,
and ring necked parakeets.
south west london location..

We had over 50 waxwings roosting in the trees across the road from us
last weekend while they carried out swooping raids on the berry-laden
street trees outside our house. The berries, and the waxwings, have
gone now. We are in South Manchester.
--
Stuart Baldwin
news\at/boxatrix\dot/co\dot/uk

Peter Crosland wrote:
I'm in Clackmannanshire (between Stirlingshire and Fife) and I've
had loads of action at the bird feeder this winter, including
robins, blackbirds, collared doves, blue tits, great tits,
sparrows, chaffinches, a wren, a pied wagtail, greenfinches and
goldfinches.

The one bird I haven't had interested was starlings. They and the
rooks just make noise from on top of the TV aerials.

Sharon

Here in South Somerset I have had all the above plus wood pigeon,
cock pheasant, greater spotted woodpecker, thrushes, long tailed
tits and greenfinches. All but the pheasant have been daily
visitors. I am spending small fortune feeding them!

I was relieved to hear that, Peter.
I was beginning to think that I had cornered the wild bird market.
This East Midlands garden is really busy. We had a pair of long tailed
tits visit today but they are not regulars. If anything is down in
numbers this year I think it would have to be the green finches.
I am getting through 25Kg of seed a month.

--
ned

"Jack" wrote in message
...
Yes, I've noticed the same thing. I've put out bags of peanuts and
fat-balls with seeds, but nothing visits the table at all. In fact, I
haven't seen even one bird at the feeder this winter. And like you, the
only birds in my garden are starlings. Very odd indeed.






"Barry Watts" wrote in message
...
Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and
peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of
Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)





I'm in Essex too and have had lots of tits, wrens, blackbirds, a pair of
mistle thrushes (beautiful), and three doves/pidgeons and other birds
visiting my birdtable.
Maybe it's a combination of factors ... birds not finding that there's free
food to be had ... no nearby nesting areas (hedges, clumps of trees!) or
that the area has a previous history that the birds remember as bad!
L

I have the usual collection birds (tits, finches,ribins etc) but this year
the nuts have gone down very quickly. the culprit, a mouse!

He/she climbs up through a small connifer then jumps about 12-18 inches onto
the squirrel proof feeder which hangs from a large acacia tree which
overhangs the conifer.

AndyP
--
"Wisest are they that know they do not know." Socrates
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above
hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world" JRR Toliken, The Hobbit

"Sharon Curtis" wrote in message
Barry is in Essex. Where are you?

I'm in the Bolton area. I've just realised that there don't seem to be any
collared doves around either, and there are usually a zillion of them
hanging around. Starlings aplenty, though.

But there are 3 cats next door, and I've just finished scraping up cat s*#t
(a full bag's worth) from my borders, so I suspect they might be causing the
lack of birds. Grrr!

In article ,
"Barry Watts" wrote:

Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)



Variation on the same theme here - St Albans.

Seed will be taken from the table by a group of 7 or 8 starlings,
collared doves and the odd robin, couple of blackbirds. The starlings go
nuts for peanut cake with added insects. The odd sparrow, the starlings
and does take seed from the ground. Some tits take nuts and fat balls
hung from a hedge.

But nothing - nothing at all - will take anything from the feeders. I've
changed the seed, cleaned 'em and everything.

Maybe when they start nesting and getting really hungry things will
change.

--
Cut IT out to reply by email

On Tue, 11 Mar 2003 18:37:07 +0000 (UTC), "Barry Watts"
wrote:

Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)

We have plenty of birds but I too think they are not eating the
nuts/seeds etc. Blackbirds have lived in our garden for years and I
know they feed oin the groud but I wondered if it had anything to do
with it. I even devised a cunning plan to keep the squirrels off the
nut containers - got a long bamboo pole, shoved a hook made from
strong wire into the top of the pole and hung the seed block/nut
container on that. Maybe the its and things are about at a different
time of day to me. Diana

On Wed, 12 Mar 2003 17:51:29 GMT, wrote:

.. Maybe the its and things are about at a different
time of day to me. Diana


For its read tits of course !!

"Barry Watts" wrote in message
...
Try as I might, I cannot seem to coax birds into my garden this year. I
have four feeders hanging from a large apple tree, offering seed and
peanuts
and fat-balls. I've tried them close together, far apart, at the same
height, and also staggered. Nothing doing except for one brave starling
feeding only on the fat-ball. This time last year there were loads of
Tits.
What's going on? Have a I bought some dodgy seed/peanuts? Anyone else
noticed a change in bird behaviour?

Baz

(Essex)

Has a sparrowhawk taken up residence in your area ? Most of the small birds
here behave very nervously since a sparrowhawk started visiting the area
about 3-4 years ago, and I have found the residual feathers from blackbirds
several times. (St. Helens, Lancashire) All I seem to get is blackbirds, one
robin, & very small groups of blue tits, chaffinches, green finches making
occasional visits, plus collared doves and recently, wood pigeons which are
probably too big to be afraid of a sparrowhawk.

Bevan


Bevan

Thanks for all the responses to this. I am very interested indeed to hear
that some areas quite close to me, in Woodford, Essex, are experiencing a
similar phenomenon, while others, not that far away, are getting lots of
visitors. I am fairly close to Epping Forest here, so expect quite a few
visitors. I've seen birds up at the forest, but nothing this year in the
garden. Apart from starlings - oh and lots of extremely cheeky magpies!

Last year there were lots of birds - so I am ruling out the birds' 'memory
of bad experience' theory. There are cats locally, but not too much of a
problem. On balance, I think I go for one of two ideas.... either it's
Bevan's theory of a predator nearby. Very infrequently I've seen birds of
prey circling overhead (not able to identify... sorry). But they're around
and its a clear possibility. Alternatively, I still wonder if a bulk crop
of peanuts/seeds, common to most local suppliers, might be contaminated.
I've tried sprinkling the seed on the ground and it tends to get eated, but
they're not exactly queuing up for it.

Regards

Baz