I know there was a thread a while back about "fat balls" etc, but can't find it.  My garden seems to have become a drop in centre/picnic site for a lot of the local wild bird population, which is great.  Shows they are a hardy bunch with all my dogs plus Leo the cat hanging around.  So want some advise on feeding from experienced bird watchers/feeders.  Currently I have a peanut feeder and a seed feeder out, plus some fat balls/coconut shells filled with suet/seed mix.  Wanted to replace these with home made one, as it seems a shame just to throw out the empty coconut shells and buy new ones (plus quite pricey!).  I have read on various bird sites, and know that I mix wild bird seed with suet or lard, but wanted to know if I can add dried fruit (eg sultanas, currants, raisins) as I have quite a bit left over from Christmas cakes.  Also, if I can add the fruit should it be soaked first?  Any tips on any other foods they like or should have at this time of the year.  In case type matters the visiting birds are robins, blue tits, wood pigeons, doves, blackbirds, thrushes, sparrows, plus some other small birds a bit like blue tits but in other colours, and an occasional bunch of rooks who live in the rookery over the road.

Why not try what you said & see if they eat it.

You can melt down any left over cooking fats from roasted meats plus any veg or lard blocks and mix just about anything in with it, I put left over cake, biscuit and cracker crumbs, cooked rice when you've done too much for the curry the night before, cooked peas and sweetcorn, dried fruit no need to soak and any seed mixes you want, squish it all together in a big sauce pan then pour it into any moulds you like and place around your garden.

I've even got a Roses tin in a hanging basket with a giant home made fat cake in it. Even left over cold buttered toast gets speared on the branches of the hedgerow, if you just put a massive mixture all of it will appeal and considering on how cold it is I don't suppose the birds are too fussy as long as it's food.

The little birds that look like Blue-tits but in different colours could be long tailed tits if they are going around in gangs

I put out home made fat balls and ready made plus peanuts, bread etc etc, but got a bucket of 50 fatballs for £6-00 in wilkinsons.

I put out home made balls and mixed nuts , peanuts, bread , bacon rind , or fat off any meats , any fruit that going off  ie apples, pears, sultanas , currants etc   it all disappears quickly so must be ok.

Hi Gwen, we have 2 cooking apple trees in our garden that we never manage to get through.  I pile some of the fallen apples under the trees and hedges and in addition to Blackbirds, Mistle & Song Thrush, we also get Fieldfare and Redwing in the garden to feed on them.  I just have to be a bit careful as the dogs eat the apples too once they get a bit soft - gives them tummy ache!!

Niger seed should also get you Goldfinch.  Peanuts may get you a Great Spotted Woodpecker.  We find that January is the best month for rarer visitors and this extra cold weather should bring them into the garden in greater numbers.  This time last year we had Blackcaps; a bird I've never seen in any of our gardens before.

Some of the general wild bird mixes, usually the cheaper ones, contain too much corn which attract the bigger birds particularly pigeons and doves.  The more money you spend the better quality of food you get but try a few different seed mixes to see what works best for the birds in your garden.  If you can hang your feeders over a flat, dry, surface (safe from predators) you will attract ground feeders too.  We hang some of our seed feeders over a large shallow bird bath that the birds can pick through and another over the gravel drive.  We don't have cats in or around our garden although we occasionaly get a Sparrowhark taking smaller birds but that's natural.

If you want to know more about what you can see in your own garden try the RSPB site, they have an excellent database for identifying birds, and can give guidance on what to feed them.  You can also take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch on 24th/25th January!!

We do the bird watch every year as well. I tend to buy our stuff from Wiggley Wigglers they deliver to home and stick it on our doorstep. Last year we had a split bag, I emeiled and said I thought they had a bag problem as it had come unstitched and they sent us another one same size free!!
Also try and put out some water, if their feathers get durty they cant retain their heat. Ours do OK out the dogs water bowls..

I had to stop putting out food for the birds as it was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie - the poor chihuahuas were getting dive bombed by the teeny birds.  It was a good game for the Chis for a while... but with googley eyes it is all fun and games until somebody loses and eye! :)

Hullo Gwen

You can give the birds sultanas straight from the packet.

The birds you mention that are the size of blue tits sound like Goldfinches and they love Nijer seed.

My birds have also taken over my garden, be carefull I spend obscene fortunes on bird feed.

Its' always worth either looking at the RSPB website (www.rspb.co.uk) or speaking with your local wild life trust people.

Good luck with it I get hours of enjoyment watching the birds, there's a Bird Watch the weekend of the 25th January, look on the RSPB website, it's well worth entering and not hard, just relaxing and it only takes an hour.

Regards

Bob

We have done this for about 4 years now. I sit in bed - what a strain!! my OH in the lounge and we have a bird book in each cause I do not know all my birdies - you can also get coat tits that look like blue tits apart from the black neck markings

Thanks for all the advice.  Will certianly get some Niger seed (it was mentioned in a gardening mag. recently, too)  I did have auqick look on the RSPC site about the dried fruit, but seemed to get stuck on a page about  summer feeding.  It is so relaxing watching them, and I have got a few great photos too.  They completley ignore the dogs, and don't seem bothered by the cat either!  I have bought a bird book to try and ID some of the less familiar ones - and will try and sign up for the Birdwatch.

dogs a babe, we had a fieldfare at the weekend in the garden eating the apples under the tree, I was looking at him through my binoculars and sat alongside him was a big fat rat munching away.  My neighbours feed the birds and the other day I counted 8 rats under their bird table - unfortunately with the cold weather they have now moved into my shed, cheeky horrible things :(

> sat alongside him was a big fat rat munching away.

ClaireyS I'm soooo not going to tell my OH !!  He's already muttering darkly about the mice under the feeders in the front garden, if I mention rats he might get the concrete boots out for them...

Luckily we have nearish neighbours with chickens and a couple of farms close by - I'm hoping there are enough rich pickings for the rats there without coming into our garden  :)

I had to stop feeding the birds for about two months whilst we got rid of the rats, they had got into the garage where the tumble drier is and one jumped at me. Fed up with moaning I made my OH put the drying in and out one day he fended off 7! guess what ? he then did something about it, I had to keep the dogs compunded until we ensured no bodies and now they are all gone (rats). So I have started again after buying a huge metal box for seed and nuts.

I just cant get rid of them out of the shed, ive had poison down for weeks which they havent touched, I even resorted to a old fashioned rat trap which they just set off but dont get caught in - its so frustrating !!!

We did a bait trap in the garden, Industrial grade poisen in the garage (up high above dog level.) Cleaned out all foodstuff and rat traps - that did it. But if you have people with animalss in the garden rabbits or chickens they always gop back there, ours feed out of our garden only.

We have had 62 out of the loft this year!!! we have a wooden bungalow, this year and next we are rebuilding so bye bye vermin...

Buy the cheapest of the cheap lard, melt it in a pan and add whatever assortment of goodies you wish. Something like bird seed/peanuts etc does the trick. Make sure all the seed is coated (like when you make crispy cakes) and put into whatever container you have.

The birds will love it!!!!!

62 my 8 seem such a small problem then !!

I have a neighbour one side with chickens and the other side feed the birds about 4 times a day - no hope.  We are going in Saturday to clear the shed and block up all the holes, my issue is we bought my OH's daughter some guniea pigs for xmas and they will be  going outside once the weather gets warmer but im worried the rats will attack them :(

They will if there is any food in their cage Im afraid

I suppose out in their run during the day they will eat grass and hay, they can have their other food when they get put away at night.  Hopefully we will kill off these rats though somehow, cheeky little things, when I go in my shed they just sit looking at me as if to say "shut the door you are letting in a draft"