hi ya folks,l have a big back garden and me and my son love feeding the birds....?

Question

we have two robins,wren,firecrest,blackbirds and a cheeky magpie who keeps stealing all the mealworms!!! Can anyone give me any tips and advise for lookind after these birds.Thanks so much

Answer 1

It sounds to me that you're already doing a great job!!!

I always throw out a few digestives. They love em. But don't throw them chocolate coated ones - it'll kill em.

Other than that ensure that food is placed away from hiding places where cats can pounce.

And there's nothing more beautiful than seeing them taking a bird bath.

Oh - and one more thing - if you can bear it - try to encourage an area of wild vegetation growth - it's a natural home for grubs and insects - which, in turn, will encourage even more birds and other small wildlife to visit and flourish.

Thanks for such a wonderful question.

Answer 2

Make fresh water available..even a bath would be great!You can buy wild bird seed,add some suet,sultanas,bacon fat and rind,biscuits crumbs. Such a variety of birds require different foods,some eat seeds, others do not. NO bread,as this is unsuitable for young birds. Please watch the Magpie!! I would not encourage this bird. Any nest in the local area,or your garden which have young,the Magpie will turn it out and eat the young. Magpies are scavengers,and will even kill young birds in flight.
Keep up the good work!!

Answer 3

Right now at my feeder I have doves, cardinals, bluejays, sparrows, wrens, and an occasional pigeon or two. I have a birdbath and also keep sunflower seeeds for the cardinals and jays, bird seed for the others. There are mockingbirds ,too, but like the robins, they are after insects not the seed. I'm going to look up firecrest. I don't know that bird, so you have peaked my interest !!!

Answer 4

All small birds up to the size of Blackbirds can cling, crows and magpies find this difficult so put all your feed in hanging containers you can buy these at most pet shops or if your really clever you can make your own out of netting This also deters vermin such as rats and mice which I am sure you don't want. .(don't forget all bird like vegetables and fruit)

Answer 5

Make a cake mix of lard and seeds. The fat will keep the birds nicely fatten to bear the winter months. (And leave some junk jewellery out for the magpies!) lol.

Answer 6

Bird live by the grace of each day. They save no food. Their home is often taken by other birds or snakes. Whatever you chose to do for your little visitors will be a blessing.

Answer 7

if you can feed them all the same way obviously they all like them mealworms and if not dont feed any one ,because just like men kind birds look and eat food any where they can find it and like us they all have the same right to be fed .i just to feed a rabit in the back window of my house but the food atracted an posom i got scared when i saw it so i stop feeding any wild life in my back window is time to make a choice

Answer 8

I give the wild birds fat balls, peanuts, and wild bird seed. I buy the seed from a farm shop which works out incredibly cheap, about a tenner for a large sack

Answer 9

Don't like magpies, they're a nuisance and scare off the smaller birds.
Get some squirrel-proof feeders and put sunlower hearts and black nijjer (sometimes called niger) seed in and you'll get greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches and blue/great/coaltits too! They're all so beautiful!
Don't forget a birdbath, too, and keep it clean and full.

Answer 10

buy a 'squirrel proof' feeder
the only way i can describe one is that it is like a mesh cage -for the seeds or nuts - inside a 'bird cage' that the samll birds can get into but it keeps the bigger birds and squirrels out

make some 'bird cake' in a yogurt pot and hang it upside down