Getting used to new bird tables.

[70007]

My old winter 'bird table' used to be a piece of plywood on an old garden table, but it looked so rough and ready that for Christmas I asked my children to buy me a couple of wire mesh rectangular food tables with short wooden legs and a metal hopper seed feeder, both from the CJ catalogue.

I duly put seeds in the hopper and my usual non-seed mix on the mesh trays on Christmas Day and disposed of the plywood, but since then the number of birds visiting my garden has dropped by about 2/3rds.

Are they creatures of habit, and do they just need time to adjust to new feeders? Or has everyone seen a drop in garden birds over New Year due to the mild weather?

:confused:

[Shamal]

Other than when it is bitterly cold and birds are pretty much guaranteed, bird numbers in the garden seem to fluctuate quite dramatically here, for no obvious reason.
I am hearing from others that bird numbers in gardens are down at the moment, but my garden is full and seed is being devoured at a huge rate.

It can take a little bit of time for the birds to get used to new items but I suspect your garden is just going through one of these lulls and they'll be back. I presume you have placed your new feeders/tables in roughly the same location as the old one?

I use the wire mesh tables, they are very good.

[70007]

I'm in my 12th year of Garden Birdwatch and dont want the stats to be skewed just because I changed my feeders. I know I shouldn't worry about such trivia - but there we are.

The resident Robin, Blackcap and Dunnocks have adapted straight away, and a pair of Collared Doves seem to have discovered the hopper, but it is the sudden drop in Starlings and Sparrows that is most noticeable. I used to get 15-20 of each at once, suddenly they have all gone, as has the occasional Wood Pigeon and Magpie.

The garden seems rather empty :(.

[panda123]

I had a similar problem last October. I replaced some of my feeders and noticed a significant drop in visitors. Now numbers seem to be approaching normal, though the Goldfinches, greenfinches and resident Robin never returned.
Persevere, they should come back…….:).

[Jenny]

Always know when Big Garden Birdwatch is coming up - the birds gradually disappear from the garden! But then, we have so much wind at this time of the year that they tend to go to the more sheltered gardens.

I've not noticed a lack of use on new feeders, except if I've changed the colour - I made the mistake of getting a red one and it was ignored for well over a week and still isn't used as regularly as the green ones!

[70007]

Yes, they are beginning to return now. Sparrows, Starlings and finches are much more frequent this week.

I'm sorry, but I should have said BTO Garden Birdwatch was the one that I was worried about, as being weekly I had visions of the statistics going haywire as my figures plummeted.

[Kerry L]

Hi everyone
He-man's feeder is up and running yesterday - but with spaces for more feeders. It was his birthday present from my parents and he put it together and ran outside immediately to attract all this wonderful wildlife. He later phoned my mum to complain that it didn't work, there were no birds and she should take it back!:D Obviously too early yet for temptation. However there are still very few birds around. The cold snap saw a few blue tits on the peanuts and a new squirrel. The blooming pigeons have never gone - daughter counted 20 in the garden and in the oak tree at one sitting (I was NOT amused). The magpie loved the left-over pastry (uncooked) and chased off some pigeons - see me laugh! Yesterday we spotted a chaffinch at the end of the garden, sunbathing - the sun shone for a few minutes. Today we had a pair of collared doves wandering around the roses and one young male blackbird. I think the weather is still too mild - there are plenty of flies around, I chased one around the house armed with spray, and there are lots of moths outside too, so there are probably plenty of insects for the birdies. Berries are still plentiful - one blackbird, possibly Sharkey, has been eating the pyracantha outside the lounge window - he didn't fly away when I pulled back the curtains the other morning.
Jenny - please keep your wind to yourself! It is playing havoc with my hair!!:p Seriously, this wind does seem to keep the little birdies hiding in the hedgerows and I'm getting fed up with it - and the rain.
At last I have seen a field full of lapwings - on the way home from Somerset just after the new year. They were in a field just off the M4 a couple of miles before Swindon. Hooray, beats my measley sighting of one last year!
Happy New Year, Kerry

[Kerry L]

Hi everyone.
He man bought another peanut dispenser and added it on the contraption on Friday afternoon. Since then the bluetits, robins and starlings have been frequent visitors - as from Friday pm around 3.30! Chaffinches and my nemesis birds (the wood pigeons) peck around underneath. It seems that the robin is always the first then the others build up the courage. So far, as there are plenty of food options, the starlings don't upset the other birds either and all feed happily at the same time. He man is very happy!:D
Regards Kerry

[Kerry L]

CJ's stuff arrived this morning and He man had a heart attack when he saw the bird boxes too! He survived, so I will try harder next time. Bird food arrived too and I found I forgot to get the peanut cakes - I think I will wait a bit before ordering some more!:o
Regards Kerry

[70007]

Aaaah. Dont be hard on Wood Pigeons, its not their fault. In fact for a bird of that size to be so benign is great. Have a table reserved for them, you can buy wheat cheaply and mine love it. I mixed black sunflower seed with it once and there was a woody and a blue tit on the table together.

How many other birds would tolerate something 1000 times their size at the same bird table?

[Jenny]

Hi, Kerry

Glad to hear he-man's delighted with his presents - you've obviously not been successful yet, then:D !

Hope there wasn't too much damage in your part of the world last Thurs - it was ironical that Thursday was calm and for most part sunny and DRY!!!! up here but rest assured it came back with a vengeance last night - whole house was shaking! Haven't looked for any damage yet as I was away before light and back in dark. And as today's precipitation included some of the white stuff, could be hard to find tomorrow if the forecast is right!

[Margaret]

Hi Kerry & all,

I've just caught up on the undermentioned from Kerry:-

"At last I have seen a field full of lapwings - on the way home from Somerset just after the new year. They were in a field just off the M4 a couple of miles before Swindon. Hooray, beats my measley sighting of one last year!"

If you're often in Somerset try finding a flooded field (not too difficult) and some sunshine (a bit more difficult), the fields on the left of the road between Ilchester and Yeovil is a good place and more or less on the way home for you if you use the A303, or try the levels and you'll see hundreds of Lapwings.

There is also usually a good selection of seagulls of various sorts to be seen on and around the floods.

Margaret