Feeding the Birds

[Sean Regan]

We encourage birds to visit our garden, but draw the line at wood pigeons, they make a hell of a mess and pich most of the food. So I designed a ground feeder feeder that the small birds, dunnocks, sparrows, blue tits, great tits, wagtails, robins, starlings and blackbirds etc., could access, but the pigeons couldn't.
Its a block of thick plywood with a bolt through it. The base of a wire pot mover with the castors removed. A big plastic saucer with a bolt hole in the middle. The wire cover off an old fan, the bottom of an old plastic waste paper basket and a steel tube fixed to the fan cover to fit over the bolt.

All the above birds can get under the cover onto the tray and have a clear view of possible preditors through the wires of the cover, when they are under it.

The squirrel's feeder is in the tub under the blue cover.

I just pull the cover off to but the food in. The saucer can be removed for cleaning. Just a few mealworms left, but the starlings haven't been yet.

We've also this little "house" I made on a pergola post. The rod across the front acts as a perch but also a barrier to the pigeons. We also have a couple of peanut butter feeders.

We have a "resident" starling. He's here most days on his own, but can be joined by up to another dozen in the afternoon.

He likes the peanut butter in this feeder, as do the blackbirds.

Yesterday he was feeding from it when the other starlings were clearing what the other birds had left in the ground feeder. As I walked towards the French windows, all the starlings flew away, except the one. He carried on feeding but was watching me. When I walked right up to the window, he didn't panic, just hopped over the little wall into the azaleas to wait for me to go.

It's been too damp to sweep the patio.

 

[roadrunner]

I have a lot of native plants in my yard that produce berries, seeds and attract insects all to invite the birds. Every morning I have to clean all these purple "berries" off my mailbox and walkways. That's the thanks I get from the Mocking Bird.

At least he stays clean as he keeps me cleaning...

 

[Logan]

I put out mixed seed out on the table with porridge oats and got sunflower seed feeders. Don't put any fat balls out because of the starlings. The black birds also take my pink currants and gooseberries off the bushes but i don't mind I've got enough.