No birds !!!

shazza 3

hello, a few weeks back i asked whether i should buy a squirrel proof bird feeder to stop bigger birds quaffing all the food. i looked at these but decided against them as i wasn't convinced that the Robin could access the food properly. i bought a more secure seed feeder and a robust fat ball feeder. i put these out on my new feeding station straight away but to my dismay, not one bird has bothered with either of these, not even the greedy pigeons/magpies or jackdaws. i moved the pole last week but unfortunately, the stabilising prongs fell apart so i took it back for a refund. i've removed the fat ball feeder due to the rain and put the seed feeder slightly higher up in my dwarf pear tree. Still no birds and i think the Robin has been killed by a cat because i haven't seen him for a few weeks. i think that i'll have to give up trying to help birds that are not interested in my garden which is a shame but there we are. i'm very confused and disappointed and don't know what else to do.    

Obelixx

Patience is the gardener's best friend and that goes for attracting wildlife too.

The birds will be building up energy for mating and nest building and egg laying so they will come eventually.    When we moved to our last garden - ex farmhouse in Belgian countryside - it took nearly 3 years before the local sparrows and tits realised what the fat balls were.   In the meantime we had started converting pasture to a garden with shrubs and hedges for shelter and a pond for drainage.   We ended up with whole colonies living in the eaves and other brown jobs, tits, warblers, robins, woodpeckers and so on coming in form local woodland and fields.

Dovefromabove

What else is there in your garden ... shrubs, hedgerows etc?  The small birds need places of safety to lurk in near the feeding stations. 

shazza 3

I was out pruning in the garden on Friday and heard them all chirping to each other in the field next door. I was thinking of putting a feeder on the fence but not sure if that will work or not. Am very disappointed about the feeder pole, was also surprised that they aren't very tall as i would have thought that they should be so the birds are further away from the ground away from predatory cats etc. I am debating whether to try and make a pole myself using a scaffolding pole and adapt it to suit the situation. Think i'll take photos of my gardens and surrounding areas to post on here to see whether i may be putting the food in the wrong place.

thanks, shazza     

Dovefromabove

Photos are a good idea 

Lyn

My birds have decreased as well, I was filling feeders 2 or 3 times a day, now only once, same thing happens every year, they’ll be busy doing other things and as the weather warms up there will be natural food for them. 

Garden noob

I bought the original Squirrel Buster bird feeder after issues with squirrels. The small birds have no issues feeding from it (although I've seen reports that it rusts easily, but mine is okay after a couple of months). The type of feed is important too. The general consensus is that sunflower hearts (seeds without the shells) are one of the most popular food. Wilko etc sell big bags of it for not too much money.

Agree with other comments that birds like bushes near the feeders so they can flit back and forth for safety. My parents constructed a 7' high wire cage around their feeder with ~2" x 1" holes. The little birds seem to love it and will hang around next to the bird feeder, presumably because they feel safe from predators.

cornelly

I have quoted before to stop squirrels using bird feeders at stations grease the poles, stopped ours.

purplerallim

Don't worry about your Robin @shazza3 it has probably paired up and you may not see it again till Autumn.  My male one has had a mate since the end of January so he will disappear soon as she picks the nest spot. Hopefully it will be back.

madpenguin

My sister had problems with squirrels and someone told her to feed them from their own feeder.She did and it worked!!
If the squirrels have an easy source of feed they don't bother with tricky bird feeders.
That's the theory anyway!

Valley Gardener

Don't worry about your robin,as everyone says they disappear for a while,then they come back in spring to feed their young.When the babies have flown they disappear again to regain their strength.Feeding the babies totally wears them out. We have a thicket of ivy growing at the bottom of the garden over a six foot wall,and all the birds use this for cover.
I have two cats,that don't bother with birds,or anything else for that matter!