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The birds are eating all my bird food!

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  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,314

    Well I envy you your surroundings! Many years ago (25 or more I reckon) we had a week at the St Pierre Park, only, I hasten to add, because my husband was a good friend of the Manager at the time. Our girls had such a wonderful time and still talk about butterflies, the tiny chapel and always the beach!

    We couldn't afford a return journey but relived the fun of discovery on many other beaches. This was before seagulls came inland and began to be an urban nuisance and my girls were amazed at their size. And the freshest of fish!

    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • Oh St. P.Park - very posh indeed - what a great place to stay with your family - there is a golf course there too -  the chapel still there and much loved but sadly the butterfly farm has now gone which is a great loss - it was so popular with visitors and locals. The beaches haven't changed - we love them and try to go as often as possible.

  • LeadFarmerLeadFarmer Posts: 1,297

    Just the two hanging bird feeders on my bird table, mostly with sunflower hearts. I refill them about once a week..

    image

  • ecokidecokid Posts: 138

    I'm having a similar problem with the local wood pigeons. Ive got a cage feeder in an apple tree and the wood pigeons have worked out how to balance precariously on a branch to access the feeder. I wouldnt mind quite so much, but they seem to love perching on the fence and pooping all over my foxgloves and they've also multiplied from 2 to 4. 

    This summer I've managed to attract two gold finches to the garden, despite previously not thinking there were any in the local area. I'd rather have the finches than the pigeons! 

    Last edited: 18 June 2016 10:44:43

  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,314

    Happened to be in the garden with the camera this afternoon and thought this might amuse all bird feeders.

    image

    image

    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • Oh beautiful herbaceous, are they frequent visitors? We have nothing like that here - but there are supposedly woodpeckers which have arrived here fairly recently. However we more than make up with it having a huge array of coastal birds including puffins on the island of Herm which is nearby.

  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,314

    I know you have far more interesting coastal wildlife GD2 and more welcome too I suspect. They are very frequent visitors and drive me nuts with their squawking, I don't think they can fly without making a racket!

    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • sanjy67sanjy67 Posts: 1,007

    i caught a big fat wood pigeon on my wall helping himself to the contents of my bird feeds, might have to hoik them up an inch so he can't reach it, feel mean but they eat so much lol 

  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,314

    And they are so messy sanjy67, local pigeons sit under my feeder waiting for the sparrows to hoy out the seeds they don't want, so now I put some seed on the plaintains in the lawn for them. Honestly they are killing them. The parrots won't come down to the ground but aren't above filching spilt seed in the feeder as you can see.

    Don't feel mean, someone will have a feeder and not notice..........  I switched to a plastic birdbath to discourage them (I do have a dish on the ground as well) as they were emptying it and leaving a large deposit behind. I had many days amusement watching them trying to land on the edge, expecting them to give up eventually but they have worked out they need to aim for the centre. Once they have successfully landed they just sit there for ages, what goes on their tiny brains I wonder.

    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 50,189

    I believe they're becoming a serious nuisance in some areas herbaceous. Is it the noise they make that's the biggest issue? Think that's what I've heard. image

    The woodies do the same here -footle around under the feeder to pinch what the messy sparrows chuck out.

    If I get the position of the water scarecrow just right though.....image

    Naughty fairy  image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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