Buying a bird table

[21again]

Ok, well I made a fat pie last night, mixed nuts, ground peanuts and mealworms mixed into half a block of melted lard, which I put in the freezer overnight.

I have turned it out of the foil pie dish and put it on a paper plate on the bird table.

I haven't bought any bird feeders to hang from it yet, am I right in thinking they will not come to the table without seeing a bird seeder filled with peanuts first?

[Two_Sheds]

am I right in thinking they will not come to the table without seeing a bird seeder filled with peanuts first?

eh?

[21again]

eh?

Ok, so it sounds thick...........

What I mean is, because they can't see the food on the table because of the roof on it and it is near a 7'+ high privet hedge, will the bother flying down to the table.

Yes, I have a lot to learn about feeding the birds.

[Two_Sheds]

Ok, so it sounds thick..

not thick, I just didn't know what you meant. It's hard, sometimes, to get the gist from the written word.

Birds are inquisitive (not to mention hungry). It'll only take one to suss where the food is, and the others will follow.
Dangling some feeders will certainly help, and are essential for tits etc

[ukmaggie45]

We bought a cheap one from Aldi last week, and put out some of those maggotty things (I just can't face using the live ones) after soaking them in warm water to reconstitute them. They were all gone when we got back to the house the next day. And since then I've seen sparrows on the table, and two robins fighting over it. So I think your birds will find the food quite fast.

[21again]

We bought a cheap one from Aldi last week, and put out some of those maggotty things (I just can't face using the live ones) after soaking them in warm water to reconstitute them. They were all gone when we got back to the house the next day. And since then I've seen sparrows on the table, and two robins fighting over it. So I think your birds will find the food quite fast.

Well, I went to Wilkinsons yesterday and bought a seed feeder, peanut feeder, fat cage and two small terracotta dishes.

Now have mixed seeds hanging, peanuts hanging, a dish of Bill Oddie 3 in 1 and a dish with a fat pie that we made which has mealworms in it.

I'll go and soak some more mealworms and put those on there.

Come on you birds!

[Torreya]

21again, thank you!! I've made a lot of fat-squares over the years, but have recently put more fat from the cooking into the mix and just couldn't get it to set. Now you've given me the answer, TA!!

Another thing our woodpeckers and nuthatches absolutely love is peanut butter. If you get a short (9"-12") piece of thick tree branch and drill some decent sized holes through it. Pack these full of cheap peanut butter, they will argue over who can get the most out!!

[21again]

21again, thank you!! I've made a lot of fat-squares over the years, but have recently put more fat from the cooking into the mix and just couldn't get it to set. Now you've given me the answer, TA!!

Another thing our woodpeckers and nuthatches absolutely love is peanut butter. If you get a short (9"-12") piece of thick tree branch and drill some decent sized holes through it. Pack these full of cheap peanut butter, they will argue over who can get the most out!!

Which was that, using the lard or freezing it?

Whichever it was I'm glad that you found your answer.

Now, all I need are flippin' birds!

[21again]

Yeh!

Just had our first visitor to the bird table (well, first one that I have seen), it has been exactly two weeks since I built it.

I just caught site of a robin grabbing a mealworm before flying into the hedge (the bird table is about 12" away from the dividing privet hedge).

It then came back for another a couple of minutes later and I just saw it again on there about 3 hours later.

My daughter will be so pleased when she arrives back from school.

It's breast was really red and spread virtually the full length of its front, does that mean it is a young one?

[Jeanied]

That means it is in full breeding fettle, 21again - which can mean a bit of bullying and fighting between rival males. Great to have a visitor though! And where Mr Robin starts - others will follow.

[organic]

A quick point as obviously there are a few bird lovers in here...

...while birds typically have a huge amount of food in urban areas, especially thanks to kindly humans leaving plenty out for them - one thing that IS in short supply now is the humble bird bath.

Get one of those out in your garden and you'll help the local feathered mob even more... especially if you keep it filled and ice-free in the winter too.

We've got a concrete looking bird bath and pedestal, but part of the side broke off in an accident a while back. It's my intention to fix it this year... surgery with a nice fat drill, re-bar and some fresh concrete shoul do it... and then keep if full from then on.

I believe different birds like different depths of water too - look into that and you can be sure to provide the right depth for the species you expect to see and want to help.

All the best.

[21again]

That means it is in full breeding fettle, 21again - which can mean a bit of bullying and fighting between rival males. Great to have a visitor though! And where Mr Robin starts - others will follow.

I'll have to have a look in the hedge tomorrow as it kept going back to the same position in there, I wonder if it could have built a nest in there as we did have a robin in the garden a week or so before I got the table.

[21again]

A quick point as obviously there are a few bird lovers in here...

...while birds typically have a huge amount of food in urban areas, especially thanks to kindly humans leaving plenty out for them - one thing that IS in short supply now is the humble bird bath.

Get one of those out in your garden and you'll help the local feathered mob even more... especially if you keep it filled and ice-free in the winter too.

We've got a concrete looking bird bath and pedestal, but part of the side broke off in an accident a while back. It's my intention to fix it this year... surgery with a nice fat drill, re-bar and some fresh concrete shoul do it... and then keep if full from then on.

I believe different birds like different depths of water too - look into that and you can be sure to provide the right depth for the species you expect to see and want to help.

All the best.

We had a huge plastic plant pot saucer so I have filled that with water and put it under the bird table, it's only about 3cm deep though, but it's better than nothing I suppose.

[Jeanied]

Robin's eggs are legendary for their blue colour - the paint charts picked up on this. Scratch that - I'm dreaming again - it's the American robin that has the blue eggs - the British robin has - well, egg coloured eggs!

[pip1954]

hi all i made myself one from all the scraps in the garage cost zero i will put a picture later as it is dark in the garden.