Birdhouses

Rip, in general starlings roost in large groups comunaly, to encouradge them put out fat blocks. Personally I find starlings a pain as they often hog any fat balls and fight off the smaller birds from eatting them.

Not sure if theyd use a nest box, most seem to nest in roof spaces with rotten barge boards or similar.

 

Heres a link for a starling nest box.

http://www.birdfood.co.uk/product_details.php?area_id=2&group_id=14&nav_id=41&prd_id=400

Starlings feed on a variety of Kithcen s****s from the Bird table and the ground. I buy Digestive biscuits ( the cheap supermarket own brand ones ) and crush them into crumbs and they love them. They also enjoy fat balls and suet pellets. I would remove the mesh from the fat balls and put them on the bird table as it has been known for birds to get tangled up in the mesh.
My Mother had a duck nesting in her front garden last year. It nested just outside the front door in a patch of overgrown grass . It was not concerned about all the people walking past it , infact you nearly had to walk around it, her two little West Highland terriers did not deter her either. So maybe if you leave a small area of grass to grow wild you might attract one yourself. If it decides to nest some where there is not a lot you can do to stop it.

 

Starlings are not usually popular because as Pro Gard says, they are voracious eaters and tend to turn up mob handed. But I like 'em because they're very efficient at taking leather jackets out of your lawn and starlings in their mature plumage are handsome birds.

Even better is watching large flocks of starlings swooping and wheeling over reedbeds near my home on summer evenings before they settle down for the night.

 

I find if you try to use a wide variety of diffrent types of feeders and foods / seeds and spread them around the garden there is enough food for all the birds to enjoy

 

I made a nice bird feeder this autumn, the old one was so worn it got destroyed by a wind storm. It was also large, so one of my cats simply went to sit inside it waiting forthebirdsto come by (they never did when she was there,of course, but she hoped). To avoid the cat problem the new hut I built was smaller: one of my horses got close to the new hut, and tried to steal the seeds. She got sort of stuck inside (it was intended for chaffinches, not fully grown haflinger horses), and made a jump backwards, taking the feeder neatly off the pole where it was screwed. I put it back now, but it is somewhat arsy versy after the horse adventure. Remarkably, birds of all sorts keep coming by,including a nuthatch (?) that I had never seen in Italy, and plenty of finches, tits and serins in all shades of lemon.

I will try to take pics tomorrow.

 

Hello gnm my montana is pink I have seen white but never been able to buy it from the garden centre always selling the pink must be popular that colour
I think starlings a very greedy birds and will take the food from the other small birds when they can and they are good impersonaters of other birds and sounds even moblie phone ring tones

 

Has anyone had any success with Niger seed? I bought a feeder and big bag of seed from the RSPB reserve shop at Dungeness at the beginning of last year. I filled it up and watched for the expected Goldfinches. None came. All that happened was that the damp got into the feeder and the seed started sprouting, then going mouldy.
Twice, over the next few months, I took it down, cleaned it and refilled it. Still no Goldfinches. It has now been discarded and I still have a big bag of Niger seed. Anyone interested?

 

I have two nest boxes up and one seems to get used every year ( blue tits ) the other rearly.


The Blackbird likes my carport 3 years successs now with young. With me under there she is very happy and will ask for food, the male keeps away when I'm about. Last year the young flew with me only being about 4/5 foot away.

The robin has also nested under there with the Wren taking leaves off my Acer and trying to make a nest on top of a piece of timber only 2 inches wide.

Lots of food put out in my garden. House Sparrows love to throw out seed from the feeders but, Dunnocks soon see them and decend on the seeds on the lawn, also Wood Pigeons and Collard Doves find all the throw outs.

Trevor

 

BogHopper

What you need is a few teasle's. finches like to feed FROM things, especially gold finches it would seem

let them dry, or buy them ( My next door neighbour got me some from a flower arranging shop she goes to, but not sure where else sells them ), and then pack the Niger seed into the teasle head.

I cheat, and shove a load of seed into a pan and then add a tiny bit of lard. Take it off the heat and it should cling together well enough to pack.

hang the teasle ( i just put mine in my hedge), and you will get - if they are around - finches feeding.

Steve

 

Good tip Steve, another worthwhile trick to encouradge finches is to grow sunflowers and dry and hang up the seed heads.

 

I have had a Niger seed feeder up now for 3/4 weeks now and it was never touched until last week when I spotted a single Goldfinch on it. He looked frustrated and puzzled as how to get to the seed and soon left.The following day he returned and must have found the small slit in the feeder and sat there for a good five mins feeding.
I dont know if you have any Goldfinches coming to your garden already Boghopper .Iif not I would try and tempt them with sunflower hearts first and place a Niger feeder close to it. Id also use a special niger seed feeder ( dont know if you already are or not ) or the seed will drop all over the place and self seed. Dont give up hope and keep a hold of your seed maybe just add a little seed at a time so it does not go to waste.

 

Thanks Steve, that sounds like a good idea. The only thing is, as a vegetarian, I don't use lard, so I will have to find a substitute.
Bally, I did have a dedicated Nyjer seed feeder which all the birds ignored, including the occasional goldfinch. We have other three feeders, one with peanuts which the tits love, one with black sunflower seeds which disappear at a rate of knots and the third with mixed seed. Funnily enough, we have loads of sparrows, which are supposed to be diminishing in numbers. Not here in SW Kent! However, we were very excited yesterday to see a Blackcap, especially as only about 3,000 overwinter here.
Chris

 

I must admit The Goldfinches have not used my nyger feeder much since they discovered it and much prefer the sunflower hearts. but its good to keep out a good mix of food, you dont no what might fly by maybe a Blackcap !!! What did he feed on or was he just having a nose!!

 

Hi all,
I just finished making an open fronted box to attract either a pair of blackbirds or robins. I made it from 18mm exterior grade plywood and I have painted it blue. It will be put up tomorrow and I will post pics of the 3 boxes I now have. About feed for the birds, I find that a good selection is needed to attract all different species. I have a four armed hanger with 1 fat ball container, 2 feeders for seeds and 1 for peanuts. I have another peanut feeder hanging at another site and also a bird table with integral peanut feeder. On my patio table, I have the top off of my bird bath. It looked really naff with the round house on top and this round house had a plastic bird inside. I will take pics tomorrow and post these also.
G.man

 

Hello Bally,
The Blackcap seemed to be enjoying the black sunflower hearts. I had to check in two books to make sure I had the right identification but I'm sure that's what it was. I hope he comes back soon.