Bird feeding advice

[Rockin Robin]

Firstly in the feeders i reccomend using black sunflower seeds, not sunflower hearts because the birds still try to crack them open resulting in a huge pile of wasted seed on the ground, which after a while begins to stink. Also I do not reccomend striped sunflower seeds as they do not slide down easily into the holes.
Peanut cakes are brilliant as they are really good sources of energy for birds. I would also get the alpine peanut cake holder which is good as the robins are able to hop on it to get some. Wheras without a holder they can't.
A good mix to put on the ground is to mix oats,soaked sultanas, sunflower hearts and pumpkin seeds.

Has anyone got any ideas for making other treats for the birds?:)

[PiratesAhoy!]

I tend to make my own suet cake. I buy shredded suet from the supermarket, and generally use ground up peanuts, some muesli, and even a touch of cheese sometimes (Robins love cheese!)

I mix all of the above, then heat up the suet until it is liquid, then put in the mix, until most of the suet has been absorbed. Pour it into a mould, and let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours. Delicious!

[storye_book]

hi rockin robin

although i've been feeding birds for over 35 years, some of your information is a surprise to me - please would you kindly let me know where you heard it?

for example:

1. the most common crackers-open of sunflower seeds are greenfinches - but they and the other garden birds don't try to crack open the sunflower hearts. in fact, what you tend to get is birds grabbing them and flying off with them immediately, because they no longer have to sit and shell them. so there is little or no mess with sunflower hearts. that's why some birdfood companies call it 'no-mess' food. wherever did you get your information?

2. striped sunflower seeds flow very easily, just like black sunflower seeds. this is because the hulls/shells do not absorb water very well, so they don't swell or stick. birdfood companies tend to recommend the black sunflower seed as better quality because it's supposed to contain better nutrition than the striped variety. it's the hulled sunflower hearts that can have a flowage problem in wet weather, because the waterproofing has been removed, so that this food can swell and rot if left too long. the solution to sticky sunflower hearts is to just half-fill the feeder, tap the contents down daily, and replace the food regularly. where did you get your strange information about striped seeds?

3. your ground feed mix is good, as most of it will feed the softbills successfully, and softbills are often the most common ground feeders now that the sparrows are absent. i have not tried pumpkin seeds, but they are not softbill food, and they would feed a limited number of birds - maybe starlings, pigeons and sparrows, if you have them. you need to tailor your birdfood to your regular garden birds, to prevent wastage and rats.

i am wondering whether the person who has been giving you birdfeeding information has been playing a joke on you. this book (http://www.birdfood.co.uk/product_details.php?area_id=2&group_id=24&nav_id=56&prd_id=470) will help you

good luck

Firstly in the feeders i reccomend using black sunflower seeds, not sunflower hearts because the birds still try to crack them open resulting in a huge pile of wasted seed on the ground, which after a while begins to stink. Also I do not reccomend striped sunflower seeds as they do not slide down easily into the holes.
Peanut cakes are brilliant as they are really good sources of energy for birds. I would also get the alpine peanut cake holder which is good as the robins are able to hop on it to get some. Wheras without a holder they can't.
A good mix to put on the ground is to mix oats,soaked sultanas, sunflower hearts and pumpkin seeds.

Has anyone got any ideas for making other treats for the birds?:)

[PiratesAhoy!]

One thing about striped sunflower seeds is they tend to be a little larger than the black ones. Sometimes this can have an effect, depending on the size and design of the feeder.

I don't tend to use the sunflower hearts, so can't really say if the birds still try to peck them open or not.

[storye_book]

hi piratesahoy!

yes i agree - if you have a rubbish tubefeeder with tiny ports, you will have a problem with any seed. that's why regular birdfeeders tend to go for decent feeders (such as cj's, for example).

[Rockin Robin]

Dear Storye book,

I said that irds tryto crack open the sunflower hearts. I didn't here it any were, it happened in my garden. There is about 1kg of rotting wasted sunflower hearts below my feeders so i changed back to the reliable black sunflower seed. No waste,only blacksunflower husks which areeasily swept away

from rockin robin

[Rockin Robin]

hi piratesahoy!

yes i agree - if you have a rubbish tubefeeder with tiny ports, you will have a problem with any seed. that's why regular birdfeeders tend to go for decent feeders (such as cj's, for example).

and idon'tuse rubbish feeders either, andican't see how the quality of the feder couldtrigger birds to eat differently.

[storye_book]

Dear Storye book,

I said that irds tryto crack open the sunflower hearts. I didn't here it any were, it happened in my garden. There is about 1kg of rotting wasted sunflower hearts below my feeders so i changed back to the reliable black sunflower seed. No waste,only blacksunflower husks which areeasily swept away

from rockin robin

well that is really interesting that that happened in your garden. you must have a wonderful and unique garden - congratulations. in my garden over the decades, i have never seen goldfinches eating sunflowers (they can't), wasted sunflower hearts on the ground (chaffinches would eat them), or no-mess black sunflower seeds.

in fact, if you were to watch them, greenfinches are very choosy with black sunflowers, and chuck a lot of whole ones on the floor, so that people with lawns/soil below the feeder find sunflower plants in their garden later on. although ground-feeding birds try to mop them up, you still get a lot of waste, besides the hulls.

yes, you can sweep away hulls if your feeders are over concrete, and it's your own land, but some people don't like all those hulls and baby sunflower plants over their flower bed or lawn. it doesn't bother me, but the point is that you can't always make general points and give out general advice from what you may think you see in your garden - especially if what you see is rather unusual.

to give an example - i wouldn't recommend black sunflower seed to someone in an upstairs flat, who has a seed feeder hanging outside a window above someone else's balcony or a public path or flower bed. in this sort of situation, the idea of no-mess seed isn't a game.

i use both types of seed (sunflower hearts and black ones) and would recommend both, but for different reasons. however if someone was only trying to attract goldfinches, for example - these seeds would not be appropriate.

[PiratesAhoy!]

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=183602770&context=set-72157594171108695&size=o

Notice the finch on the bottom right of the big feeder?

Just because you've never personally seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Try and be a little more accommodating, Storye :)

[storye_book]

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=183602770&context=set-72157594171108695&size=o

Notice the finch on the bottom right of the big feeder?

Just because you've never personally seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Try and be a little more accommodating, Storye :)

hi piratesahoy!

what surprised me was a report of someone having nothing but goldfinches on sunflower hearts, in an area where the usual tit flocks and greenfinches would have hogged them. in the case of the photo you've posted (of black sunflower feeders), the goldfinch is apparently scavenging the little bits of hulled sunflower seed that all the many greenfinches have dropped. greenfinches are quite hurried and careless feeders, and they do drop a lot out of their mouths when feeding - and it's not all husk.

cheers