Attract blue tits
Billy C
Posts: 7
Can anyone tell me which plants or trees will attract blue tits to my garden?
0
Billy C
Posts: 7
Billy C
Posts: 7
Billy C
Posts: 7
Billy C
Posts: 7
Can anyone tell me which plants or trees will attract blue tits to my garden?
Posts
They seem to be fond of any well planted area, they like plenty of available cover so don't feel exposed and threatened, though any feeding area should have good visibility all around. The adore my silver birch, but the whole garden is playground to blue, great, coal and long tailed tits. The siver birch seems to have a great number of whatever grubs and other livestock they are using to feed the young ones, and a little earlier than this, the small leaf buds appear to be a favourite form of food for all the titmouse family. Any perennilas and annuals that have easilty accessible seeds are well liked, sunflowers are especially desirable and give the observer a great view of the birds feeding and their acrobatics. Regulalry filled feeders all year round will ensure you always have a good bird variety in the garden, as well of lots of natural foods for them. Wate is also essential, as drinking and bathing are needed... We have several designateded bird watering places, but the favourite for drinking at present appears to be an old jam jar which is acting a a stopper to the water butt just outside this window where the computer is - they come and drink there regularly, around 2 foot from me, ignoring the perfectly good water dish fastened to the wall nearrby Go figure as they say.
Hanging feeders helps too. I hang peanuts and fat ball in a place safe from pouncing cats and near some shrubs in case a sparrowhawk swoops. I also hang peanut feeders near roses and clematis so they go and hoover up the aphids for their young. I never need to spray with anything. They pick caterpillars off the veggies too.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
The ones round my way seem very fond of birches and contorted willow.
Our tits like all our shrubs and small trees - sambucus, wiegelia, cornus, parrotia persica, prunus, crab apples, toothache tree, twisted hazel and willow, conifer hedge, hawthorn hedge, birch tree, physocarpus and many more. If they're not looking for food they're perching, singing, playing, having conferences. They also like the tall flower stems of thalictrum erin, the echinops, clematis, roses, fruit bushes......
They need a variety of plantings to provide food and shelter and regular food supplies. If you feed all year, they'll have healthy babies, more than on brood and future generations will earn to feed and play in your garden. We've gone form having one pair to scores.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
We have babies in our new blue tit box! saw them taking in turns to carry small grubs? into box today.The box is on the side of our shed which is next to a wisteria,birds are using the branches as staircase up to the box.
We also have plenty of shrubs a few trees ,apple, plum, pear and crab apple.we put out nut and seed feeders and water in a hanging dish,also water from the waterfall into the pond is available.
Our garden is surrounded by hedges and backs onto open fields,we often get greater spotted woodpeckers and for the first time last year had young woodpeckers visiting the garden.
We've had GSWs visiting our feeders for a few years now. One lot like the fat balls and the others like the peanuts. We get them all year now and it's hilarious when they come with their young and teach them to use the feeders. Lots of antics and acrobatics and some territorials too.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Lucky you obelixx,they are great characters and such fun to watch.
You'll get the returning birds too if you feed them Gilly. Like you we have hedges and then arable fields behind and pasture and woodland to teh side and front so lots of birds coming all year round to feed on food we put out and repaying the favour by scoffing pests.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
We already put out peanuts and seed Obelixx ,I notice you put out fat balls too,so will get some next time I am out. We have woodland across the field behind us,which houses a small herd of deer,and that is where the woodpeckers are nesting.
If you can, try making yur own fat balls. Many of the commercial ones are full of bone dust and saw dust (I kid you not), and they are so easy to make and so much more nutricious. I buy 500 gr packs of cheap lard or dripping, melt it, then add chopped peanuts, dried insects, seeds of all and any kind, bits of fruit - whatever is available. I set it in small drink bottles with the cap ends cut off, then cut the bottle off (it can still be recycled), and place that into fat ball feeder or any other feeder it will fit. The birds love it and I know they are getting good stuff - there also is not so much waste as they eat it all, rahter than dropping the rubbish they can't eat rom the commercial ones. One warning though, squirrels love it too, so if you have those, you may need to think about what feeder to use to keep them away.